Princess Mary’s nephew Count Nikolai of Monpezat enjoys popular Aussie staple as he celebrates his 24th birthday – after starting new life Down Under following royal title drama

Princess Mary’s cousin, Count Nikolai of Denmark, has celebrated his 24th birthday in Australia after moving to Down Under to study on an exchange for a semester.

The Earl marked the special occasion by enjoying a getaway to Byron Bay with his pals and glamorous designer girlfriend Benedicht Thoustrup.

Nikolai posted several images from the trip to Instagram, including one of him sitting outside and holding a T-shirt with the map of Australia.

The popular Australian staple of Vegemite and various muffins with candles were also on the table.

Nikolai also shared photos visiting popular beaches with his friends, including the Boomerang Point Reserve.

Benedicht also posted a photo of Nikolai enjoying a cocktail decorated with a sparkler.

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

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

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.

Nikolai posted several photos to Instagram from his birthday trip while visiting popular beaches with his friends, including Boomerang Point Reserve

It has been a tumultuous year for the Danish royal family after the monarch controversially usurped the title of 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.

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.

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

Nikolai’s designer friend Benedicht Thoustrup also posted a photo of the count enjoying a cocktail decorated with a sparkler

“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,” he told reporters outside the Copenhagen apartment where he lives with his girlfriend.

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, Countess Alexandra’s press secretary told CNN.

The Earl has traveled to Down Under to study for a semester at the University of Technology Sydney, accompanied by his girlfriend Benedicht (pictured)

“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.

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