Queen Margrethe II of Denmark’s grandsons Counts Nikolai, 23, and Felix, 20, are seen in public for the first time since being stripped of their royal titles – as they attend their maternal grandmother’s funeral
- Nikolai, 23, and Felix, 20, made the trip to Vienna, Austria, from Copenhagen
- The siblings attended the memorial service for their maternal grandmother
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Queen Margrethe II of Denmark’s grandsons Count Nikolai and Count Felix de Monpezat have been seen in public for the first time since being stripped of their royal titles.
Nikolai, 23, and Felix, 20, attended the memorial service for their maternal grandmother Christa Manley in Vienna, Austria, alongside their mother Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg, on January 27.
The siblings made the trip from Copenhagen, where they are studying, reported Point de Vue, and accompanied their mother and two maternal aunts to the parish church Ober-Sankt-Veit for the funeral.
Their grandmother, Christa, died at her home in the Austrian capital on January 5 at the age of 89, according to the publication.
Nikolai and Felix were stripped of their royal titles by their paternal grandmother, Queen Margrethe, in a bombshell decision which came into effect on January 1.
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark’s grandsons Count Nikolai and Count Felix de Monpezat have been seen in public for the first time since being stripped of their royal titles
Speaking to Danish publication BT about her mother, Alexandra, 58, who was married to Prince Joachim of Denmark for 10 years until 2005, said: ‘She loved her family and friends and loved to travel.
‘She had a great appetite for life – and that was passed on to us. So it’s obvious that she leaves a big void in the family.’
Earlier this month, the Danish Royal Family’s website was updated to show the new status belonging to Queen Margrethe’s son Joachim’s children after they were stripped of their HRH titles.
The 82-year-old monarch announced in September that the four children of her younger son, 53-year-old Prince Joachim, would no longer be able to use the title of prince and princess after January 1.
She has said the decision was intended to allow Nikolai, Felix – born from Joachim’s first marriage – and Henrik, 13, and Athena, 10, to live normal lives without royal obligations.
Instead of being Princes and Princesses, they are Counts and Countess and referred to as Their Excellencies – a change which is now reflected on the household’s website.
Under the Royal Family and Succession To The Throne pages of the website, the four young royals – who have maintained their positions in the line of succession – are mentioned with their new titles.
It was a tumultuous autumn for the Danish Royal Family after the monarch stripped Joachim’s four children of their prince and princess titles – a move which he publicly spoke out against.
Nikolai, 23, and Felix, 20, attended the memorial service for their maternal grandmother Christa Manley in Vienna, Austria, alongside their mother Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg (pictured centre), on January 27
Prince Felix (third from right) was joined on his confirmation day in 2017 by his maternal grandmother Christa Manley (front left) and (left to right) his brother Nikolai, mother Countess Alexandra, brother Henrik, grandmother Queen Margrethe, father Prince Joachim, step mother Princess Marie, sister Athena and grandfather Prince Henrik
But speaking in a televised New Year’s address, Margrethe admitted: ‘That the relationship with Prince Joachim and (his wife) Princess Marie has run into difficulties hurts me.
‘Difficulties and disagreements can arise in any family, including mine. The whole country has witnessed this.’
She added that she was ‘sure that the family can enter the new year together with confidence, understanding and new courage’.
But earlier this month, the Royal Family appeared to put the drama far behind them as they arrived for their glamorous New Year’s dinner at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen.
Denmark’s Royal Family updated their website to show the new status belonging to four of Queen Margrethe’s grandchildren after they were stripped of their HRH titles. Pictured, Count Nikolai, left, and right, Count Felix
The 82-year-old monarch announced in September that the four children of her youngest son, 53-year-old Prince Joachim, would no longer be able to use the title of prince and princess after January 1. Pictured, Countess Athena, left, and right, Count Henrik
Despite the fallout, Prince Joachim was seen stepping out at the lavish event, as were his brother Crown Prince Frederik and wife Crown Princess Mary, as well as the Queen’s sister Princess Benedikte. Prince Joachim’s wife, Princess Marie, stayed in Paris with their son, who was ill.
Last year, Prince Joachim publicly spoke out against his mother’s decision in the days that followed – claiming that his children had been ‘harmed’ in the process.
Months later, the sixth-in-line to the throne admitted that ‘communication was missing’ within the Royal Family in the lead-up to the shock announcement.
Joachim told local news outlet B.T.: ‘There is a lot to work on. Communication was what was missing. Now we have met and we are on the right track.’
The Danish Queen (pictured with her sons and their wives) has said the decision to was intended to allow Nikolai, 23, Felix, 20 – born from Joachim’s first marriage – and Henrik, 13, and Athena, 10, to live normal lives without royal obligations
Shortly after his children were stripped of his titles, Joachim claimed that he had only been given five days’ notice before the news was made public.
Out of a title: The four grandchildren who are no longer TRHs
Nikolai of Denmark, 23: The Copenhagen Business School student and model regularly tops lists of the world’s most eligible bachelors. He lives in Denmark but has jetted around the world to walk for designers in Paris and London. Nikolai has also appeared on the cover of Vogue Scandinavia.
Felix of Denmark, 20: Following in his brother’s footsteps, Prince Felix has also had success as a model and has starred in an advertising campaign for Georg Jensen. He had a short stint at the Royal Danish Military Academy but quit after two months because it ‘wasn’t for him’.
Henrik, 13, and Athena, 11, of Denmark: The youngest of Prince Joachim’s four children, Henrik and Athena are the product of his second marriage to Princess Marie. They live with their parents in Paris.
Following the Queen’s announcement, Joachim spoke to Danish publication Ekstra Bladet outside the Danish Embassy in Paris, where he lives with his French-born wife Princess Marie and his two youngest children, and said his four children had been ‘hurt’ by their grandmother’s decision.
‘I was given five days’ notice to tell them. In May, I was presented with a plan which, by and large, was that when the children each turned 25, it would happen. Now I had only five days to tell them. Athena turns 11 in January,’ he clarified
Meanwhile, his ex-wife Alexandra said that her sons, Nikolai and Felix, had been left feeling ‘ostracised’ from the institution and the decision had come like a ‘bolt out of the blue’.
The Royal Household released a further statement, saying: ‘As the Queen stated yesterday, the decision has been a long time coming.
‘We understand that there are many emotions at stake at the moment, but we hope that the Queen’s wish to future-proof the Royal Household will be respected.’
Last year, it was said that Joachim and his family are relocating to the US after he landed a new job in the defence industry in Washington, according to local media reports.
The Danish royal, 53, has decided to move to Washington DC with his wife and their two young children, Henrik and Athena, Danish newspaper BT reported.
The royal couple are currently based in Paris, where the prince has worked as defence attaché since 2020. However that job is expected to come to an end in June, meaning they are likely to up sticks in the second half of the year.
The Danish Royal Court’s communications department did not confirm Joachim’s reported upcoming move.
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