Princess Mary’s Danish royal nephew has revealed his Australian-born auntie gave him some great advice on surviving life Down Under.
Count Nikolai of Monpezat. who is seventh in line to the Danish throne, is currently living in Sydney to study one semester at the University of Technology in Sydney (UTS) – and he said before he arrived in the Harbour City in August, Princess Mary supplied him with a “survival” guide.
“She gave me a long list, an itinerary of what to do and what not to do, I can’t remember it now but I have it at home,” 23-year-old Nikolai told the Daily Telegraph.
“Basic ‘survival skills’, I would say clap your boots before putting them on, stuff like that, flush the toilet before you use it. I do not (want a snake or spider),” he added.
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 Crown Prince Frederik, Mary’s husband and the future King of Denmark.
Frederik and Mary – who was known as Mary Donaldson at the time – first met at a pub in Sydney CBD during the 2000 Olympics. They were engaged in 2003 and married in 2004 and have since welcomed four children: Prince Christian, Princess Isabella and twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine.
Like, his Uncle Frederik who has visited Australia numerous times, Nikolai is already found of the country.
The young royal is here with glamorous Danish girlfriend, Benedikte Thoustrup, who is also studying in Sydney.
Nikolai is studying sales management, while Thoustrup is studying economics and business administration at the Copenhagen Business School, in which UTS is an exchange partner for its study abroad program.
But it’s not all work and no play for the couple – Nikolai has been spotted enjoying morning coffee rounds with friends in Ultimo, where UTS is located.
Last week, he also travelled north to celebrate his birthday in Byron Bay.
“Birthday getaway at Byron Bay,” he captioned some photos from the trip on Instagram.
Elsewhere in the Daily Telegraph interview, Nikolai said he hopes to “bring some Aussie back home to Denmark” while hoping to “set my own handprint, footprint, in Australia”.
“I like that it is laid back here, people are just so friendly, so nice, talkative, I really enjoy that,” he said.
Sydney and studies aside, Nikolai has a keen interest in modelling, having worked for big designers such designers such Burberry and Dior. In 2022, he also graced the cover of Vogue Scandinavia.
Nikolai will attend the upcoming Melbourne Cup Carnival on Penfold’s Victoria Derby Day at Flemington Racecourse as a VIP guest in November.
Today, he will be the guest of honour at a Victoria Racing Club dinner to celebrate the Melbourne Cup Carnival in Sydney at Mimi’s in Coogee.