Princess Mary’s nephew, Count Nikolai of Monpezat, looks to have settled in well after relocating to Australia to study for one semester at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS).
The 23-year-old – who is seventh in line to the Danish throne – was seen exploring the streets of Sydney, which he will call home until the semester’s end on November 30.
Count Nikolai was all smiles as he headed out for a morning coffee with a friend in the Sydney CBD, not far form Ultimo, where UTS is located.
His glamorous Danish girlfriend, Benedikte Thoustrup – who is also in Down Under to study for one semester – did not join the pair on the outing.
Both Count Nikolai and Thoustrup are working on their master’s degree at the Copenhagen Business School, in which UTS is an exchange partner for its study abroad program.
Count Nikolai is studying Sales Management, while Thoustrup is studying economics and business administration.
Last week, when the young royal arrived in Sydney with Thoustrup, he shared a photo of the iconic Sydney’s Tower Eye on Instagram Stories with the caption “touch down”.
Sydney is a place his uncle, Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark, holds dear as it was where he met his wife, Princess Mary, who was known as Mary Donaldson at the time.
Count Nikolai is the grandson of the Queen Margrethe II of Denmark. His father is the Queen’s son, Prince Joachim, who is the younger brother of Prince Frederik.
Last September, Queen Margrethe announced that Prince Joachim’s four children – Prince Nikolai, Prince Felix, 20, Prince Henrik, 13 and Princess Athena, 11 – would no longer be known as prince and princess from January 2023.
Although they lost their royal title, Nikolai and his siblings were permitted to keep their aristocratic titles of Count and Countess of Monpezat, and they will also maintain their places in the order of succession – they are currently seventh through to the 10th in the line to the throne.
“With her decision, Her Majesty The Queen wishes to create the framework for the four grandchildren to be able to shape their own lives to a much greater extent without being limited by the special considerations and duties that a formal affiliation with the Royal House of Denmark as an institution involves,” read a statement from The Royal Household of Denmark last September, adding that it was a necessary move to “future-proof the monarchy”.
Prior to the announcement, Count Nikolai had signed up with modelling agency Scoop Models in Denmark and has worked for big designers such Burberry and Dior. In 2022, he also graced the cover of Vogue Scandinavia.
After he was stripped of his title, Nikolai spoke of his disappointment with Danish outlet Ekstra Bladet, saying he was “very sad” and “confused”.
“My whole family and I are, of course, very sad,” he told the outlet from outside his Copenhagen home. “We are, as my parents have also stated, in shock at this decision and at how quickly it has actually gone.”
“I am very confused as to why it has to happen like this.”