EXCLUSIVE: Danish Royalty Down Under! Princess Mary’s nephew Count Nikolai of Monpezat spotted in Sydney for the first time as he prepares to start a new chapter in Australia after royal title drama
Princess Mary’s nephew Count Nikolai of Denmark has been spotted in Sydney as he prepares to start a new chapter of his life in Australia, after being stripped of his royal HRH title by his grandmother.
On Saturday, Nikolai, 23, was seen heading out for a morning coffee with a sporty friend in the harbour city.
Wearing light brown pants and a leather jacket over a blue knit jumper, the Danish royal looked stylish.
Nikolai looked like he is adapting well to the laidback Aussie lifestyle as he laughed with his pal.
The count has travelled Down Under to study on exchange at University of Technology Sydney for a semester, accompanied by his glamorous designer girlfriend Benedikte Thoustrup.
The pair live together in Copenhagen, but have moved to Sydney to study from August 1 to November 30.
Count Nikolai of Monpezat, 23 (pictured right), has moved to Australia and was seen heading out for a morning coffee with a friend in Sydney on Saturday
Wearing light brown pants and a leather jacket over a blue knit jumper, the Danish royal looked stylish
Nikolai, whose father is Prince Joachim of Denmark, is seventh in line to the Danish throne.
In March, Count Nikolai of Denmark launched a new Instagram account to promote his modelling career after being stripped of his ‘HRH’ status by his grandmother, Queen Margrethe.
It was a tumultuous year for the Danish Royal Family after the monarch controversially took the title from Prince Joachim’s eldest son, as well as also taking the prince and princess titles from his younger children Athena, 11, Prince Felix, 20, and Prince Henrik, 13.
Nikolai, whose father is Prince Joachim of Denmark, is seventh in line to the Danish throne
The handsome model enjoyed a coffee from the local café as he took in the sights of Sydney
The Count has travelled Down Under to study on exchange at University of Technology Sydney for a semester
Nikolai looked like he is adapting well to the laidback Aussie lifestyle as he laughed with his friend
Nikolai will be studying alongside his glamorous designer girlfriend, Benedikte Thoustrup (pictured)
They are now Counts and Countess and referred to as Their Excellencies – and in January this year the Danish Royal Family updated their website to show the new status.
The Queen insisted the move will be ‘good for them in their future’ and allow the children – who have maintained their positions in the line of succession – to ‘shape their own lives without being limited by the special considerations and duties’ that a formal affiliation with the Danish Royal Family involves.
Following his grandmother’s move to strip him and his siblings of their titles ‘for their own good’, Count Nikolai said that he was sad, shocked and confused.
The Count has carved out a successful modelling career, previously walking the runway for Dior and Burberry
Pictured is Tasmanian-born Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark, who is married to Frederik, the Crown Prince of Denmark and is aunt to young Nikolai
Count Nikolai of Denmark is pictured walking in the Burberry show at London Fashion Week back in 2018. In March, he launched a new Instagram account to promote his modelling career after being stripped of his ‘HRH’ status by his grandmother, Queen Margrethe
‘My whole family and I are of course very sad. We are, as my parents have also stated, in shock at this decision and at how quickly it has actually gone,’ he told Danish newspaper Extrabladet.
‘I am very confused as to why it has to happen like this,’ he told reporters from outside the Copenhagen apartment where he lives with his girlfriend.
Countess Alexandra, mother to Count Nikolai and Count Felix, was also ‘very sad’ and ‘shocked’ about the decision.
‘She can’t believe why and why now, because there’s no good reason,’ Helle von Wildenrath Løvgreen, press secretary to Countess Alexandra told CNN.
‘They would lose their titles anyway when they get married one day.
Following his grandmother’s move to strip him and his siblings of their titles ‘for their own good’, Nikolai said that he was sad, shocked and confused
‘Her sons are young men so maybe they might get married in the near future so why shouldn’t it wait until that day so that the titles would disappear on a happy day?’
Prince Joachim told Ekstra Bladet that his children had been ‘hurt’ by the decision – and claimed he had only been given a few days to break the news to them before the announcement was made publicly.
Prince Joachim, the brother of Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, is now married to Princess Marie of Denmark.
Prince Joachim told Ekstra Bladet that his children had been ‘hurt’ by the decision – and claimed he had only been given a few days to break the news to them before the announcement was made publicly. The Danish Royal Family is pictured
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