Count Nikolai of Monpezat has shared his excitement as the Danish royal launches his acting career in a modern take on Doktor Glas, three years after being stripped of his princely title
The Queen’s grandson has shared his “excitement” after landing a new acting job. Count Nikolai of Monpezat, 26, is set to make his acting debut in the film adaptation of the 1905 Swedish novel, Doktor Glas, written by Hjalmar Söderberg.
And while he’s known for his modelling career, Count Nikolai, the son of Prince Joachim, revealed he was “excited” to step into a new area of work. In the movie, the grandson of Queen Margrethe II takes on the role of Patrick Gregorius’s half-brother.
In a new chat, he revealed that his role will see him star opposite the “antagonist” of the movie, explaining: “I’m sort of this weird, wild brother.” But when he first received his script, he remembers feeling “excited” but also intimidated by the new path he had chosen
“I was very excited when I first read the script,” he explained, adding: “Obviously, it’s my first time acting, so it was quite intimidating, but overall, it’s exciting.” But while his new career is completely different, Count Nikolai is no stranger to the spotlight, having grown up with his family, as well as modelling for the likes of Burberry at London Fashion Week.
This, though, is simply a job to him, rather than a career. He went on to tell Vogue Scandinavia about his new role: “The Dr. Glas film was a project that I have really enjoyed working on. Working alongside such a talented team in a fun and new setting, has really given me the courage to express myself freely on set.
“It’s all still very new to me, seeing myself in a feature film for the first time. Before I decide anything about the future, I need to see the final result and take it all in.”
But Count Nikolai has always been drawn into the magic of cinema and admits it “made sense” when the casting came about. However, although he’s used to posing in a static nature for his modelling career, he’s “conscious” that his acting role is very different.
“It’s all still very new to me, seeing myself in a feature film for the first time,” he added. He continued: “Stepping into acting for the first time and working closely with such strong Nordic talents has given me great respect for the profession and a lot of experience.”
And while he’s not ruled out a full-time acting career, the royal, who also works as a consultant in the property sector of the Confederation of Danish Industry, admits he wants to see the finished project before taking on new roles.
Count Nikolai’s life is very different to what it was three years ago. It was announced in 2022 that, from January 1, 2023, Queen Margrethe had decided that the children of her son, His Royal Highness Prince Joachim, would only use their titles as counts and countesses of Monpezat.
Their prince and princess titles, which they held from birth, had been discontinued. The Danish Royal Household stated that the decision had been made in line with similar adjustments that other royal houses had made in recent years. In a statement, they added: “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.
“All four grandchildren maintain their places in the order of succession.” Following the decision, Count Nikolai, then known as Prince Nikolai, told the media he was “shocked and confused,” while also “very sad” to be losing his princely title. Speaking to Ekstra Bladet, he said: “We are, as my parents have also stated, in shock at this decision and at how quickly it has actually gone.
“I am very confused as to why it has to happen like this.” He explained he was only informed of the decision a little over a week before it was publicised. “As I said, we were shocked. But it is clear that it hits even harder now that it has been published,” he explained.
His grandmother, the last remaining Queen Regnant, before her abdication in January 2024, was a cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth. She referred to her cousin as “Lilibet,” while Queen Elizabeth called her cousin “Daisy”.
Source: Mirror
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