EXCLUSIVE: Danish Royalty Down Under! Princess Mary’s cousin, Earl Nikolai of Monpezat, is first seen in Sydney as he prepares for a new chapter in Australia following a royal title drama

Princess Mary’s cousin, Count Nikolai of Denmark, has been spotted in Sydney as he prepares for a new chapter of his life in Australia after his grandmother stripped him of his HRH royal title.

On Saturday, 23-year-old Nikolai was spotted heading out for a morning coffee with a sporty friend in the port city.

The Danish royal family wore tan trousers and a leather jacket over a blue knit sweater and looked stylish.

Nikolai looked like he was adjusting well to the laid back Australian lifestyle as he laughed with his friend.

The Earl has traveled Down Under to spend a semester on exchange at the University of Technology Sydney, accompanied by his glamorous design girlfriend Benedicht Thoustrup.

The couple lives together in Copenhagen, but moved to Sydney from August 1 to November 30 to study.

The Danish royal family wore tan trousers and a leather jacket over a blue knit sweater and 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 modeling career after being stripped of his ‘HRH’ status by his grandmother, Queen Margrethe.

It has been a tumultuous year for the Danish royal family after the monarch controversially usurped the title from Prince Joachim’s eldest son, as well as the titles of Prince and Princess 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 cup of coffee at the local cafe while taking in the sights of Sydney

The Count has traveled Down Under to spend a semester on exchange at the University of Technology Sydney

Nikolai looked like he was adjusting well to the laid back Australian lifestyle as he laughed with his friend

Nikolai will study alongside his glamorous design girlfriend, Benedicht Thoustrup (pictured)

They are now count and countess and are referred to as their excellencies – and in January this year, the Danish royal family updated their website to show the new status.

The Queen stressed that the move “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’ which implies a formal affiliation with the Danish royal family.

After his grandmother’s move to strip him and his siblings of their titles “for their own good,” Count Nikolai said he was sad, shocked and confused.

The Earl has built a successful modeling career and has previously walked the catwalk 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 an aunt to young Nikolai

Count Nikolai of Denmark walks the Burberry show during London Fashion Week in 2018. In March, he launched a new Instagram account to promote his modeling 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 also stated, shocked by this decision and how quickly it actually happened,” he told the Danish newspaper Extrabladet.

“I’m very confused as to why it has to happen this way,” he told reporters outside the Copenhagen apartment where he lives with his girlfriend.

Countess Alexandra, mother of Count Nikolai and Count Felix, was also “deeply saddened” and “shocked” by 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 title anyway if they got married one day.

After his grandmother’s move to strip him and his siblings of their titles “for their own good,” Nikolai said he was sad, shocked and confused.

“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 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 public.

Prince Joachim, the brother of Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, is now married to Princess Marie of Denmark.

Prince Joachim told Ekstra Bladet 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 public. The picture shows the Danish royal family