Prince Nikolai of Denmark, Count of Monpezat (Nikolai William Alexander Frederik; born 28 August 1999) is a member of the

Danish royal family The Danish royal family is the dynastic family of the monarch. All members of the Danish royal family except Queen Margrethe II hold the title of ''Prince/Princess of Denmark''. Dynastic children of the monarch and of the heir apparent are accor ...

. He is the eldest son of Prince Joachim and his first wife,

Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg, , formerly Princess Alexandra of Denmark, (''née'' Alexandra Christina Manley; born 30 June 1964) is the former wife of Prince Joachim of Denmark, the younger son of Margrethe II of Denmark. She was born i ...

, and oldest grandchild of Queen Margrethe II. He is currently seventh in the line of

succession to the Danish throne The Danish Act of Succession, adopted on 5 June 1953, restricts the throne to those descended from Christian X and his wife, Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, through approved marriages. Succession is by a change in the law in 2009 governed b ...

. At the time of his birth, he was third, after his uncle and father.

Biography

Prince Nikolai was born at

Rigshospitalet Rigshospitalet (meaning ''The National'', ''State'' or ''Hospital of the Realm'', but not usually translated) is the largest public and teaching hospital in Copenhagen and the most highly specialised hospital in Denmark. The hospital's main buildi ...

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

on 28 August 1999. He is the oldest grandchild of Queen

Margrethe II of Denmark Margrethe II (; Margrethe Alexandrine Þórhildur Ingrid, born 16 April 1940) is Queen of Denmark. Having reigned as Denmark's monarch for over 50 years, she is Europe's longest-serving current head of state and the world's only incumbent femal ...

and her late husband,

Prince Henrik Prince Henrik of Denmark (; born Henri Marie Jean André de Laborde de Monpezat; 11 June 1934 – 13 February 2018) was the husband of Margrethe II of Denmark. He served as her royal consort from Margrethe's accession on 14 January 1972 unt ...

. He was christened in the chapel of the

Fredensborg Palace Fredensborg Palace ( da, Fredensborg Slot; ) is a palace located on the eastern shore of Lake Esrum ( Danish, ''Esrum Sø'') in Fredensborg on the island of Zealand (''Sjælland'') in Denmark. It is the Danish Royal Family’s spring and autumn ...

on 6 November 1999 by the Danish Chaplain-in-Ordinary, Christian Thodberg. At the christening, the musical work ''Lys på din vej'', composed by

Frederik Magle Frederik Reesen Magle (; born 17 April 1977) is a Danish composer, concert organist, and pianist. He writes contemporary classical music as well as fusion of classical music and other genres. His compositions include orchestral works, cantatas, ...

and dedicated to Prince Nikolai, was performed for the first time. His godparents are his paternal uncle, the

Crown Prince of Denmark Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, Count of Monpezat, (Frederik André Henrik Christian; born 26 May 1968) is the heir apparent to the Danish throne. He is the elder son of Queen Margrethe II and Prince Henrik. Early life Crown Prince Freder ...

; his maternal aunt, Nicola Baird; the

Earl of Wessex Earl of Wessex is a title that has been created twice in British history – once in the pre-Conquest Anglo-Saxon nobility of England, and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. In the 6th century AD the region of Wessex (the lands of the We ...

, Peter Steenstrup and Camilla Flint. After their divorce in 2005, Prince Joachim and Alexandra had joint custody of Prince Nikolai and his brother. Nikolai was

confirmed In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. For adults, it is an affirmation of belief. It involves laying on ...

on 18 May 2013 in Fredensborg Palace Church in the presence of his immediate family and all his godparents. Like his father and uncle, Nikolai attended

Krebs School Krebs School is a private school located in Stockholmsgade in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was founded on 15 August 1872 by Conrad C.P.J. Krebs. Several members of the Danish Royal Family have attended and continue to attend the school, along with othe ...

in Copenhagen. In 2014, he attended 10th grade at

Herlufsholm School Herlufsholm School ( da, Herlufsholm Skole og Gods) is a private day and boarding school by the River Suså in Næstved, about south of Copenhagen. Herlufsholm was founded in 1565 as a boarding school for "sons of noble and other honest men" o ...

Næstved Næstved () is a town in the municipality of the same name, located in the southern part of the island of Zealand in Denmark. Næstved has several adult education centers, five elementary schools - and has at least one of each type of the four ...

and received his upper secondary education there as well. Upon leaving Herlufsholm School in August 2018, Nikolai started a two-year military program at the

Royal Danish Army The Royal Danish Army ( da, Hæren, fo, Herurin, kl, Sakkutuut) is the land-based branch of the Danish Defence, together with the Danish Home Guard. For the last decade, the Royal Danish Army has undergone a massive transformation of structures ...

's in

Varde Varde is a Danish city in southwestern Jutland and is the primary city in the municipality of Varde, in Region of Southern Denmark. In 2015 municipality changed its motto to "We in nature" to emphasize its rural atmosphere. The town has an old ma ...

. However, he dropped out two months later as he felt a career in the military did not suit him. In July 2019, he was admitted to

Copenhagen Business School Copenhagen Business School (Danish'': Handelshøjskolen i København'') often abbreviated and referred to as CBS (also in Danish), is a public university situated in Copenhagen, Denmark and is considered one of the most prestigious business schoo ...

to study Business Administration and Service Management. In early 2018, Nikolai signed as a fashion model with the agency Scoop Models. He made his runway debut in February 2018 at

Burberry Burberry is a British luxury fashion house established in 1856 by Thomas Burberry headquartered in London, England. It currently designs and distributes ready to wear, including trench coats (for which it is most famous), leather accessories, ...

's show at

London Fashion Week London Fashion Week (LFW) is a clothing trade show that takes place in London twice a year, in February and September. Showcasing over 250 designers to a global audience of influential media and retailers, it is one of the 'Big Four' fashion wee ...

. He says he sees modeling as a job rather than a career.

Titles and styles

Originally styled "His Highness Prince Nikolai of Denmark", Nikolai's style was expanded on 29 April 2008 to "His Highness Prince Nikolai of Denmark,

Count of Monpezat Count of Monpezat (Danish language, Danish: ''Greve af Monpezat'') or Countess of Monpezat (Danish: ''Grevinde af Monpezat'') when the holder is female, is a Denmark, Danish hereditary title of nobility. It was granted on 30 April 2008 by Margr ...

". In September 2022, Queen Margrethe II decided to strip the children of her son Joachim from their princely status. From 1 January 2023, Nikolai will be known as "His Excellency Count Nikolai of Monpezat". Nikolai said he was "shocked and confused" when he learned about the decision. All four grandchildren maintain their places in the order of succession.

Honours

* Denmark: Recipient of the Queen Margrethe II Ruby Jubilee Medal * Denmark: Recipient of the Queen Margrethe II Golden Jubilee Medal

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nikolai of Denmark, Prince Danish princes House of Monpezat 1999 births Living people People educated at Herlufsholm School Danish people of Chinese descent Danish people of Austrian descent Danish people of Czech descent Danish people of French descent Counts of Monpezat Danish people of British descent Danish male models Royalty and nobility models