Count Nikolai of Monpezat and Benedikte Thoustrup engagement speculation after model attends Countess Athena’s confirmation in US with Danish royals

Denmark could soon host its first royal wedding in almost two decades.

There are signs pointing to an impending engagement between King Frederick’s eldest cousin and his long-term girlfriend after a recent outing.

Count Nikolai of Monpezat and Benedkeek Thoustrup are currently in the United States and while there they did something unheard of within Danish royal circles.

Both were guests at the confirmation of Nikolai’s younger sister, Countess Athena, in Washington DC

Count Nikolai and his younger brother Count Felix had flown in from Denmark for the occasion

While that is not unusual, Thoustrup’s presence at the family gathering was.

Family friends and relatives were invited to Countess Athena’s confirmation at Georgetown Lutheran Church on May 2.

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Countess Athena, 14, is the youngest child of Prince Joachim and Princess Marie. Their son, Count Henrik, is 17.

The family has lived in DC for the past three years, where Prince Joachim works as a defense attaché at the Danish embassy. They are due to return to Denmark in August 2027.

Among the guests were Count Nikolai, 26, and Count Felix, 23, sons of Prince Joachim from his first marriage to Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg.

Although Thoustrup was not in any of the official photos later shared by the Royal House of Denmark, she was seen at the church. The images were published on the website of the Danish Royal Magazine INVOICED-BLADET.

The publication’s royal expert Ulrik Ulriksen said Thoustrup’s participation in the family gathering was a sign of bigger things to come.

‘By attending the confirmation, the couple sends a strong signal’ wrote Ulriksen.

“There is no tradition for royals to take their loved ones to celebrations where the public and press are present. This usually only happens after the couple has become engaged.”

He added: “Benedkeek has therefore never accompanied Count Nikolai at major celebrations, such as when his cousin Princess Isabella turned 18 a year ago and was celebrated with a gala performance at the Royal Theater, or when he attended the confirmation of Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine a few weeks ago.”

If an engagement is announced, their wedding would be one of the most exclusive events in Denmark.

The last major royal wedding to take place in Denmark was that of Nikolai’s father when he married French-born Marie Agathe Odile Cavallier in May 2008.

Four years earlier, then Crown Prince Frederik married Australian commoner Mary Donaldsonnow King Frederick and Queen Mary.

Count Nikolai and Thoustrup’s wedding will probably be much quieter.

Nikolai and Thustrup have been dating for nine years after meeting in high school.

They both attended the prestigious Herlufsholm school in Næstved, south of Copenhagen, and were friends first.

Last year, the couple gave their first joint interview ELLE Denmark where they talked about the early years of their relationship.

Nikolai told the magazine: “Actually, two years passed, where we just hung out as classmates and friends, but then something happened, and then it quietly developed into a nice relationship.”

Thoustrup also revealed that she had met Nikolai’s family, but didn’t go into too much detail about who exactly she was introduced to.

“It was very easy to meet Nikolai’s family,” she said.

“It was of course nice to see a little more behind the scenes of some events that others don’t experience because the cameras are off.”

Count Nikolai and Thoustrup regularly share their glamorous lives on social media and she has regularly holidayed with the Danish royal family French residenceChâteau de Cayx.

After spending time with Prince Joachim and the rest of Nikolai’s family in DC, he and Thoustrup traveled to New York City.

Nikolai is one of the most in-demand models and influencers, while Thoustrup started modeling professionally in 2023, making her catwalk debut during Copenhagen Fashion Week.

The couple previously lived in Australia after Nikolai completed a semester at the Technical University and later graduated from Copenhagen Business School.

Count Nikolai was recently a guest at the confirmation from Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine where he was photographed on the steps of Fredensborg Palace with his uncle, King Frederik, and Queen Mary.

Nikolai and his siblings were the subject of global headlines in late 2022 when their grandmother Queen Margaret II announced sweeps changes in royal titles of four of her eight grandchildren. Nikolai, Felix, Henrik and Athena lost the right to be known as ‘prince’ and ‘princess’.

In September 2023, Nikolai spoke exclusively to 9Honey about his grandmother’s decision, admitting it was ‘still quite a sensitive subject’

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