he British royals may dominate the headlines for the most part, but Prince Nikolai of Denmark is the Internet’s latest royal obsession. Nikolai, who looks like a cross between Timothee Chalamet and Adam Driver, exploded into popularity in 2018 when he became a prominent fixture at fashion week – opening for the likes of Dior.
Since then, he’s become the fashion brand’s golden boy and even opened the recent Dior Homme A/W 2020 show last week.
Wearing a collared Dior-emblazoned pinstripe shirt, pearl-embellished gloves and slicked back hair, he appeared a total natural as he kicked off the highly anticipated show.
In case you haven’t heard of the young Dane, here’s the rundown on him.
Who is Prince Nikolai of Denmark?
Nikolai (Nikolai William Alexander Frederik) was born in Copenhagen on August 28, 1999 and his official title is His Highness Prince Nikolai of Denmark, Count of Montpezat. He’s the oldest grandson of Queen Margrethe and oldest son of Prince Joachim and former wife Alexandra, the Hong Kong-born Countess of Frederiksborg.
He recently celebrated his twentieth birthday and the Danish royal household’s official Instagram honoured him with a set of official portraits.
Although his parents divorced in 2005, he was able to grow up with both of them through joint custody, along with his brother Prince Felix. He also has two younger half-siblings, Prince Henrik and Princess Athena, from his father’s second marriage to Princess Marie.
While Nikolai is sixth in line for the throne, he’s been making a name for himself in the modeling world.
After signing with agency Scoop Models in early 2018, the prince made his runway debut for Burberry’s show at London Fashion Week the same year, where he walked alongside supermodel Cara Delevingne.
Between his green eyes and curly brown tresses, the public instantly took notice of the royal star in the making.
Then in June, Prince Nikolai opened the catwalk for Kim Jones’s debut menswear show at Dior — a huge coup for a new model. It seems that Nickolai impressed Jones because the designer then tapped the prince for his first Dior menswear campaign that was unveiled in October.
He also walked at Dior’s Pre-Fall 2019 show in Tokyo the month after, where he donned a striking leather jacket and combat boots combo.
So how does the prince balance royal life and a new modeling career? Well, Nikolai’s father reportedly excused him from royal duties in support of his other endeavors, explaining to Billed Bladet that his son “should not be forced into something” and should decide his own future.
The young royal has been cut off financially from the crown as a result, with the exception of finances for his education. Nikolai began his two-year military program at the Royal Danish Army’s Sergeant School in August, but dropped out a few months later with the support of his parents.
Although he may have made a name for himself in the fashion world, 2019 has been quieter on the sartorial front for Prince Nikolai. In fact, it was revealed by a local Danish outler named Tæt på that the royal actually intends to return to higher education, with hopes of pursuing a specialised business degree at Copenhagen Business School.
Prince Nikolai didn’t rule out modelling, but explained that it wasn’t his main priority. He told the outlet via Hola, “I do not want a career as a model. I’d rather look at it as a job, which can help me along the way while educating me.”
As an emerging royal, Nikolai understandably keeps most of his private life on the down-low. But he did reveal that he’s a big fan of deep house music on Danish radio show P4 Weekend back in 2015, where he was welcomed as a guest DJ.
