Meanwhile down under! Count Nikolai looks back on 2023 with glam photos in Australia where he started a new life after being stripped of his title – but as Frederik takes the throne, will ‘Denmark’s Prince Harry’ be brought back into the fold?
Count Nikolai of Denmark has revealed he ‘can’t wait to see what 2024 brings’ in a New Year’s Instagram post – hours after his grandmother Queen Margrethe announced her abdication from the throne.
The young Danish royal, 24, was stripped of his prince title in 2022 along with his three siblings, Felix, Henrik and Athena in a momentous move from the monarch which caused a deep divide within the family.
Thankfully they appeared to smooth over their differences following peace talks and an unprecedented public apology from Queen Margrethe – and Count Nikolai has since started a new, glamorous life down under as a student at the University of Technology, Sydney, where he now lives with his designer girlfriend Benedikte Thoustrup.
In a post ringing in the new year from Australia, Nikolai made no mention of his grandmother’s abdication – rather, he shared highlights from modelling shoots throughout 2023 as he carves out a new life for himself in Sydney.
The young royal, who took a not-dissimilar path to Prince Harry after moving abroad and starting a new life, appears to be living life to the fullest – however after 24-year-old revealed he will ‘always be there’ for his 18-year-old cousin Prince Christian, who is now heir apparent, the change may well prompt Nikolai to head back home and take up a more central role in the Danish royal household.
Count Nikolai of Denmark has shared his excitement for the year ahead modelling in Australia after his grandmother Margrethe abdicated the Danish throne
In a New Year’s post today, Nikolai shared some modelling shoots from the past year, saying: ‘Some of my favourite shoots from 2023. Thank you to everyone I’ve had the pleasure of working with! Can’t wait to see what 2024 brings’
Queen Margrethe of Denmark at the main entrance to Frederiksborg Palace where she welcomes her grandchildren, Prince Felix and Prince Nikolai, on the occasion of the confirmation of Prince Christian on May 15, 2021 in Fredensborg
Sharing the glamorous snaps on the social media platform, he said: ‘Some of my favourite shoots from 2023. Thank you to everyone I’ve had the pleasure of working with! Can’t wait to see what 2024 brings.’
His post comes little more than a month after Nikolai told Australian publication Wish Magazine that he will ‘always be there’ for his cousin Prince Christian as his role within the monarchy becomes ever more central.
Speaking to the magazine in November, he said he was excited to ‘chart his own course’ in life after being stripped of his royal title – but revealed his closeness to Christian and his willingness to guide the younger royal in life.
It comes after the Danish monarch, 83, announced in her annual New Year’s Eve speech that she will step down on January 14 – the first abdication in the Nordic state for 500 years.
In March, he launched a new Instagram account to promote his modelling career after being stripped of his ‘HRH’ status.
However, despite tensions in the family last year – when Queen Margrethe stripped Prince Joachim ‘s four children of their prince and princess titles – it would appear Nikolai holds no bitterness. Nikolai pictured in September
Experts have told MailOnline that they believe the abdication is also about saving the Danish royal house and also the marriage of Crown Princess Mary of Denmark and Crown Prince Frederik
Queen Margrethe 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.
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.
She 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.
The count also said that his Australian auntie Princess Mary, now to be queen, shared a list of recommendations for enjoying her homeland when he arranged his trip, and warned him to lather on the SPF 50. Nikolai is still seventh in line to the throne.
He told Wish in an interview how his style has changed since moving to Australia. ‘I love the mullet and the moustache thing,’ he said.
‘They are really cool and I love how expressive young guys are here. Their style is just so relaxed and nonchalant. I love how they walk around barefoot sometimes – not that I ever would – or just in their thongs.’
He explained he had a very ‘conservative clothing style’ growing up – but has been ‘keen to explore more’ of his fashion.
Nikolai and his girlfriend Benedikte live together in Copenhagen, but moved to Sydney to study from August 1 to November 30.
