Count Nikolai says he ‘wanted to get away’ from royal life amid new revelations about his title loss

Prince Nikolai of Denmark is continuing to open up about some of the most personal and challenging moments of his life.

Following the release of the four-part documentary series he recently filmed for Danish television, the 26-year-old royal has been candid about experiences that shaped him growing up in one of Europe’s most closely watched royal families.

As the eldest grandson of Queen Margrethe II, Nikolai said he became aware from a very young age that expectations surrounding him were different.

“I remember being conscious from an early age that I was the oldest of my generation,” he shared. “I was the one who had to take the first step and, in some way, break the mold for the rest of my family.”

© Stephane Cardinale – Corbis

Growing up within the Danish royal family not only influenced his personality, he explained, but also shaped the way others perceived him. When he enrolled at Herlufsholm boarding school, Nikolai quickly realized he would never have the opportunity to be just another new student.

“Everyone already knew who I was,” he said, noting that it can be difficult to overcome the assumptions people form about you before they actually get to know you.

© Patrick van Katwijk

The son of Prince Joachim of Denmark and Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg admitted he worked hard to be treated like everyone else by his classmates, although he acknowledged that it was “not easy.”

Why his 18th birthday became a painful memory:

One of the clearest examples of the pressures that came with public life, Nikolai revealed, was his 18th birthday.

© Patrick van Katwijk

Rather than celebrating privately with family and close friends, as many teenagers would hope to do, the milestone became a major public event attended by cameras and watched by the entire country.

“People kept coming up to congratulate me. There was a huge commotion, and it was chaos,” he recalled.

Looking back, Nikolai admitted the attention became overwhelming.

© Patrick van Katwijk

“In the end, all I wanted was to get away from it all and have a normal birthday, but I couldn’t,” he said.

Opening up about losing his royal title:

The young count also addressed, for the first time in the documentary, the controversial decision by Queen Margrethe to strip him and his three siblings of their prince and princess titles in 2022.

© Brendon Thorne

“Everything changed for me,” Nikolai said. “A decision was made on my behalf, and that’s never pleasant, of course.”

He described the experience as feeling like an “exile,” though he emphasized that he does not want to view himself as a victim.

© Christian Vierig

“I try to make the best of things and look at them from a positive perspective,” he explained. “Right now, I’m in the process of finding my own path, with the role and circumstances I have.”

Since stepping away from an official royal role, Nikolai has increasingly focused on his successful modeling career, an industry he first entered as a child.

© Count Nikolai of Monpezat

According to the documentary, his parents were initially very cautious about introducing him to the fashion world. Prince Joachim reportedly maintained close contact with his son’s modeling agency to ensure appropriate boundaries were respected.

Today, living in New York City and no longer carrying official royal duties, Nikolai enjoys greater independence as he continues building a life and career on his own terms.