Prince Christian of Denmark's Cousins Attend His Birthday Gala After Losing Royal Titles — Why One Was Missing

Count Nikolai wasn't at the palace bash but still sent the future king well wishes for his milestone 18th birthday

Prince Christian of Denmark’s banner birthday brought his royal family together — but one member was missing.

The second in line to the Danish throne turned 18 on Sunday, and the Danish Royal House celebrated in a major way with a glittering gala at Christiansborg Palace. Prince Christian’s birthday bash brought his extended family together, including his uncle Prince Joachim, aunt Princess Marie and cousins Count Felix, 21, Count Henrik, 13, and Countess Athena, 11, though Joachim’s eldest son Count Nikolai was not present. The logistical hiccup was likely because Nikolai is currently studying abroad at the University of Technology in Sydney, which is roughly a 21-hour flight from Copenhagen.

Though he wasn’t there for Prince Christian’s big day, the student and model wished his cousin well with a thoughtful tribute on social media on his birthday. Count Nikolai has kept followers updated with his stay in the Land Down Under, where his aunt Crown Princess Mary is coincidentally from.

Related: The Search for a Real-Life Cinderella! Someone Left Their Shoe at the Castle After Prince Christian's Birthday

"Funny how time flies. 13 years ago," Nikolai, 24, wrote with a laughing emoji on his Instagram Story, posting a throwback childhood photo of him and Christian locking arms on a palace balcony.

"Happy 18th Christian! Hope everyone celebrates you just as you deserve,” he continued the message captured by fan blog Gert's Royals.

The party marked Prince Joachim’s family’s second appearance at a major royal event after Queen Margrethe stripped his four children of their prince/princess styling and "His/Her Highness" titles at the start of 2023. Prince Joachim denounced the way the decision was handled, telling the press he received “five days' notice” of the major shakeup and that his whole family was upset. Queen Margrethe, 83, later made another statement saying she "underestimated" how the news would affect her son and his kids, but she stuck by the decision and said removing the royal titles was “necessary future-proofing of the monarchy.”

The four siblings retained their places in the line of succession to the Danish throne and are now known instead as His Excellency Count of Monpezat or Her Excellency Countess of Monpezat. These titles passed from their late grandfather Prince Henrik, who died in 2018.

A father of four, Prince Joachim, 54, shares his two eldest sons, Nikolai and Felix, with his first wife Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg. They divorced in 2005 after a decade of marriage, and Joachim remarried in 2008. He and Princess Marie, 47, went on to welcome two children — Count Henrik and Countess Athena.

Related: 5 Future European Monarchs Pose for Epic Photo at Prince Christian of Denmark's 18th Birthday Gala

In March, the Danish Royal House announced that Prince Joachim and Princess Marie would be relocating to Washington, D.C., at the end of the summer for the prince to take on a new job at the Danish Embassy. Henrik and Athena joined their parents for the transatlantic move, while Nikolai and Felix stayed back in Denmark. Then, a spokesperson for Nikolai and Felix’s mother Alexandra told B.T. in the spring that her eldest son would study abroad in Australia for the fall semester.

Whether any hard feelings remained around the decision to remove their royal titles, Prince Joachim, Princess Marie and his four kids came together for Queen Margrethe’s 83rd birthday celebrations in April. In a breakout moment, the record-reigning Queen appeared on the balcony of Amalienborg Castle with both of her sons, their wives and all eight of her grandchildren.

The title shakeup at the turn of the year did not affect the four children of her eldest son Crown Prince Frederik and his wife, Crown Princess Mary, and Prince Christian, Princess Isabella, 16, and 12-year-old twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine retain their royal styling.

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The Danish Royal House gave a glimpse of the grand entrances at Prince Christian’s 18th birthday gala on social media, sharing festive footage of the prince greeting his grandmother, Frederik and Mary entering with Isabella, Vincent and Josephine, followed by Joachim and Marie entering hand-in-hand as Felix, Henrik and Athena walked behind them.

The glamorous gala came with a totally royal white-tie dress code, with uniforms, honors and tiaras welcome. While Queen Margrethe, Crown Princess Mary and Princess Mary sported sparkly headpieces, Isabella, Josephine and Athena all wore their hair simply styled, as they’re still a few years away from reaching into the royal vault for a tiara.

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