Count Nikolai of Monpezat has opened up about Queen Margrethe II of Denmark’s decision to strip him and his siblings of their princely titles.
The 24-year-old, who was stripped of his HRH status in January, has admitted that his paternal grandmother’s jerking move last fall is still “a touchy subject” and “still kind of weird.”
Queen Margrethe’s shocking decision made headlines around the world and sparked a bitter row within the Danish royal family after her youngest son, Prince Joachim, spoke out against the move to change his children’s titles.
The monarch later apologised, admitting she had “underestimated” the impact of her actions, but said it was “a long time coming”. She said the decision was to allow Nikolai and his siblings to live normal lives without royal obligations.
In an interview with Australia 9HoneySydney-based Nikolai admitted: ‘Not that I had any formal responsibilities before, but now I’m officially free from them… I think I’ll be freer in the future, but I’ve never felt restricted before. ‘
Count Nikolai of Monpezat (pictured in Sydney in September 2023) has opened up about Queen Margrethe II of Denmark’s decision to strip him and his siblings of their princely titles
The Earl, who is seventh in line to the Danish throne and is quickly establishing himself as a successful model, is studying for a semester at the University of Technology Sydney.
But while he has put his life in Denmark behind him for now, he admitted that Queen Margrethe’s decision is “still a rather touchy subject.”
Asked if he was hurt by the announcement, he told the publication: “I wouldn’t say it’s hurt, and it’s not my intention to stir things up in any way. I still think it’s a bit weird, I’m still getting used to it.’
He added that while his new title hasn’t changed anything yet, he believes it will “make a difference” in the future.
When asked about his relationship with his paternal grandmother, the Earl, whose mother is Prince Joachim’s first wife, Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg, said that this is not formal and “very normal, very casual…nice .’
He also stressed that he is on good terms with his uncle and aunt, Crown Princess Mary and heir to the Danish throne, Prince Frederik.
During the royal title fight, Prince Joachim admitted that his relationship with his brother Prince Frederik is ‘complicated’.
It has been a tumultuous year for the Danish royal family after the monarch controversially usurped the HRH titles from Prince Joachim’s children, including Countess Athena, 11, Count Felix, 20, and Count Henrik, 13.
The 24-year-old, who was stripped of his HRH status in January, has admitted that his paternal grandmother’s jerking move last fall is still “a touchy subject” and “still kind of weird.” Pictured: Queen Margrethe of Denmark and Princess Marie, with Prince Joachim and his children on April 30, 2022 in Fredensborg
It has been a tumultuous year for the Danish royal family after the monarch controversially usurped the title of Prince Joachim’s eldest son, and the titles of Prince and Princess from his younger children Athena, 11, Prince Felix, 20, and Prince Henrik, 13. (all pictured)
They are now Earls and Countess and are referred to as Their Excellencies – and in January this year, the Danish Royal Family updated their website to reflect the new status.
The Queen stressed that this step will be “good for them in their future” and will allow the children – who have retained their position in the line of succession – to “shape their own lives without being constrained by the special considerations and duties’ that a formal government entails. affiliation with the Danish royal family.
Shortly after his grandmother stripped him and his siblings of their titles “for their own good,” Count Nikolai said he was sad, shocked and confused.
“My whole family and I are of course very sad. We are, as my parents have also stated, shocked by this decision and by how quickly it has happened,” he told the Danish newspaper Extrabladet.
“I’m very confused as to why this has to happen like this,” he told reporters outside the Copenhagen apartment where he lived with his girlfriend at the time.
Countess Alexandra, mother of 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 if they got married one day. Her sons are young men, so maybe they’ll get married in the near future, so why not wait until that day, so the titles would disappear one lucky day?’
Prince Joachim told Ekstra Bladet that his children were ‘hurt’ by the decision – claiming he was only 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.
In a televised New Year’s speech, Queen Margrethe admitted: ‘It hurts me that the relationship with Prince Joachim and (his wife) Princess Marie has come into trouble.
“Difficulties and disagreements can arise in any family, including mine. The whole country has witnessed this.’
She added that she was “confident that the family can enter the new year together with confidence, understanding and new courage.”
Prince Joachim and Princess Marie recently moved to Washington DC with their two children, where the Prince works as an Attaché for the Defense Industry at the Danish Embassy following a similar post in Paris.