Denmark’s Prince Joaquim has two sons from his first marriage and one son and one daughter from his second marriage. All four children were “born royal,” with prince and princess titles, titles which will be removed by the end of the year. The two oldest boys are in the 20s – Prince Nikolai is 23 and Prince Felix is 20. Nikolai is, I believe, out of school, although he did enter a business school in 2019. I don’t know if he completed it. He dropped out of his two-year military program though, saying it didn’t suit him, and he’s been modeling since 2018 as well. Nikolai and Felix have lived their whole lives as princes, but they’ve also pursued careers, or merely gotten jobs away from the Danish royal family. Still, their grandmother’s decision to strip them of their royal titles has hit them like a ton of bricks. After Nikolai’s mother and father spoke to the media about the title-stripping, Nikolai himself spoke out:
Prince Nikolai of Denmark is speaking out on his grandmother Queen Margrethe’s decision to strip him and his three siblings of their current royal titles.
The royal palace announced on Wednesday that the children of Prince Joachim, Queen Margrethe’s second son, will no longer have their prince/princess or “His/Her Highness” titles starting on Jan. 1, 2023. Nikolai, 23, Felix, 20, Henrik, 13, and Athena, 10, will instead be known by His Excellency Count of Monpezat or Her Excellency Countess of Monpezat. They will maintain their places in the order of succession, currently seventh through to the tenth in the line to the throne.
Nikolai spoke with Danish outlet Ekstra Bladet outside his Copenhagen home following the announcement, saying he was “very sad” and “confused.”
“My whole family and I are, of course, very sad,” he said. “We are, as my parents have also stated, in shock at this decision and at how quickly it has actually gone.” He added, “I am very confused as to why it has to happen like this.”
Nikolai, who is a model and has walked the runway for brands like Dior, said he was only informed of the decision a few days before the news went public.
“I haven’t counted the days, but it can’t be longer than a little over a week ago,” he said.
“…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…” Yeah, again, it was the way everything went down, not just the sheer fact that grandma said they can’t be princes anymore. The speed with which the announcement was made, the lack of notice, the choice to do this seemingly out of nowhere. By “out of nowhere,” I mean that this did not feel like a huge, pressing concern. Maybe I don’t pay enough attention to Danish media, but was there some big movement to cut down the number of princes? When did Queen Margrethe make *this* decision, and were other options on the table? As in, Joachim’s kids get to keep their royal titles but there’s some other way to designate them non-working royals?
Meanwhile, the Mail reports that Nikolai’s younger brother Felix, 20, will still live in one of the royal residences at Amalienborg Castle, as he’s still a student at Copenhagen Business School. I wonder if he’ll have to find his own place once he’s out of school? And is Nikolai already living amongst the peasants?
Photos courtesy of Backgrid.
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Copenhagen, DENMARK – Prince Joachim and Princess Marie with Prince Nikolai and Prince Felix of Denmark attending the Gala performance for the Queen her 50th Jubilee of Government on Gamle Scene in the Royal Theatre’s Old Stage in Copenhagen. Pictured: Prince Joachim, Princess Marie, Prince Nikolai, Prince Felix of Denmark BACKGRID USA 10 SEPTEMBER 2022 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication* 
Copenhagen, DENMARK – Prince Joachim and Princess Marie with Prince Nikolai and Prince Felix of Denmark attending the Gala performance for the Queen her 50th Jubilee of Government on Gamle Scene in the Royal Theatre’s Old Stage in Copenhagen. Pictured: Prince Joachim, Princess Marie, Prince Nikolai, Prince Felix of Denmark BACKGRID USA 10 SEPTEMBER 2022 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication* 
Copenhagen, DENMARK – Prince Joachim and Princess Marie with Prince Nikolai and Prince Felix of Denmark attending the Gala performance for the Queen her 50th Jubilee of Government on Gamle Scene in the Royal Theatre’s Old Stage in Copenhagen. Pictured: Prince Joachim, Princess Marie, Prince Nikolai, Prince Felix of Denmark BACKGRID USA 10 SEPTEMBER 2022 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pLHLnpmirJOdxm%2BvzqZmcHBma31ze8OepaaZoqDAoLzRoqWcnY%2Bjtqy7y5qgmKGjlMOmvtiYqpqcj5i8r7LUrJydl5%2BrsrOr06GcmKyZqbmmedGepKiukaF8