Queen’s grandson is moving abroad: ‘It is an adventure I am stoked to begin’

 Count Nikolai is moving to his aunt  Crown Princess Mary ’s native Australia.  Queen Margrethe II   of Denmark’s eldest grandchild is heading Down Under for a semester this fall to study at the University of Technology in Sydney.

“The upcoming semester I will spend in Australia studying elective courses. It is an adventure I am stoked to begin and super excited to live abroad again,” the 23 year old told  Numéro  magazine. “The choice fell on Australia because it is very foreign for a Dane like me.”

Nikolai added, “I have never been that far away and I believe seeing that corner of the world takes more than two weeks holiday, hence I want to try and move there.”

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Press advisor Helle von Wildenrath Løvgreen previously confirmed to  BT  that the Count is moving to Sydney, Australia with his girlfriend, Benedikte Thoustrup, to study. Nikolai, who is currently seventh in line to the Danish throne, is the eldest of Prince Joachim’s children. Joachim shares Nikolai and Count Felix with his first wife, Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg.

While Nikolai will be heading to Australia, his father and stepmother Princess Marie will be moving to Washington, D.C. this summer. Joachim is set to begin a new position at the Embassy of Denmark in D.C. on Sept. 1. In a statement (translated to English) released by the Danish Ministry of Defense, the dad of four said, “I am proud that I continue to have the opportunity to represent Denmark internationally in the area of security and defence. Transatlantic cooperation is a high-priority area, and I am honored that they have found me qualified for the task.”

Joachim and Marie share son Count Henrik and daughter Countess Athena. The Prince and Princess titles of Joachim’s four children were “discontinued” this year. The Danish Royal House previously said, “With her decision, Her Majesty The Queen wishes to create the framework for the four grandchildren to be able to shape their own lives to a much greater extent without being limited by the special considerations and duties that a formal affiliation with the Royal House of Denmark as an institution involves.”