King Frederik X of Denmark has awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Dannebrog to his nephews Count Nikolai and Count Felix during his 57th birthday celebrations at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen.
The gesture represents a significant moment of reconciliation within the Danish Royal Family, coming more than two years after the brothers were stripped of their Prince titles by their grandmother, former Queen Margrethe II, in January 2023.
The honour was bestowed during a private ceremony held before the family breakfast and balcony appearance on 26 May.
As recipients of the Grand Cross, both counts must now prepare personal knight shields which will be hung in the Knight Chapel at Frederiksborg Castle in Hillerød.
King Frederik made a sweet gesture for his nephews as part of the monarch's recent birthday celebrations.
Kongehuset
The Danish Royal Family's official Instagram account announced the honour, posting: "At a private event before the family breakfast at Amalienborg, on the occasion of His Majesty the King's 57th birthday, the King yesterday awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Dannebrog to Their Excellencies Count Nikolai and Count Felix."
The post included photographs showing Frederik honouring his nephews, the sons of Prince Joachim and his first wife Alexandra Countess of Frederiksborg.
Count Nikolai, 25, later reposted the images with the message: "Very honoured to have received the order Storkorset af Dannebrog yesterday from my uncle on his birthday."
Queen Margrethe II announced in September 2022 that four of her eight grandchildren would lose their royal titles, with the change taking effect on 1 January 2023.
Frederik awarded Count Nikolai and Count Felix the Grand Cross of the Order of Dannebrog.
Kongehuset
The decision affected all four children of her youngest son Prince Joachim - Nikolai, Felix, Henrik and Athena - who were aged between 10 and 23 at the time.
"As of January 1 2023, the descendants of His Royal Highness Prince Joachim will only be able to use their titles of Count and Countess of Monpezat, their previous titles of Prince and Princess of Denmark ceasing to exist," the palace statement read.
The Queen justified the move as allowing the children "to shape their own existence without being limited by the special considerations and obligations that a formal affiliation with the Royal House as an institution implies."
Prince Joachim publicly criticised his mother's decision in the days following the announcement, claiming his children had been "harmed" in the process.
The young royals had their titles of prince removed by Frederik's mother, former queen Margrethe.
Kongehuset
Speaking outside the Danish embassy in Paris, he told Danish publication Ekstra Bladet: "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."
His ex-wife Alexandra said 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."
Nikolai himself told local press: "My whole family and I are of course very sad. We are, as my parents have also stated, in shock at this decision and at how quickly it has actually gone."
Queen Margrethe abdicated the Danish throne on January 2024, with her son King Frederik now ruling the Scandinavian nation.
LATEST ROYAL NEWS:
Recent family reconciliation has been evidenced by joint appearances at Princess Isabella's 18th birthday celebrations in April at the Royal Theatre's Old Stage in Copenhagen, suggesting past resentments have been resolved.
Isabella's cousins, Count Nikolai and Count Felix, were in attendance wearing velvet suit jackets with smart bow ties.
The official event saw Denmark's royal family gather alongside one thousand young people for a series of performances marking Queen Mary and King Frederik X's second child's coming of age.
Elsewhere, the royal couple eldest son, 19-year-old Crown Prince Christian, has completed the first stage in his military service.
Christian is now set to undertake Lieutenant's training later this year.
Most Read
