Unexpected Ex-Royal Just Joined Instagram

A new member of the Danish royal family has joined Instagram.

Countess Alexandra, the ex-wife of Prince Joachim of Denmark, made an account on the social media site this month.

Alexandra was married to Joachim, the younger brother of King Frederik, from 1995 to 2005 and is the mother of his two eldest sons, Count Nikolai and Count Felix. In her first post, she shared that it was Nikolai who helped her join Instagram by setting up a surprise photoshoot.

“I wanted to go on Instagram, but I had no idea where to start,” the countess, 61, captioned her post. “So my amazing son @nikolaitildanmark arranged a surprise photoshoot for me. So here we are… and now we are live.”

Nikolai, 26, was the perfect candidate to help her out, as he graduated from Copenhagen Business School with a Master of Science in Merchandising last June and is signed to multiple modeling agencies.

In a comment on his mother’s first post, Nikolai wrote, “Good to see you on here finally.”

Alexandra’s 23-year-old son, Felix, is featured in another post from the countess, in which she shared a carousel of photos from her “Summer’s kiss in the South of France with my two ☀️☀️.”

Following his divorce from Alexandra, Prince Joachim, 56, married Princess Marie of Denmark, 49, in 2008. They also have two children, Count Henrik, 16, and Countess Athena, 13, of Monpezat.

Joachim’s children were originally also princes and a princess, also titled with “His/Her Highness.” However, in September 2022, Queen Margrethe announced that she would be stripping Joachim’s children of those titles, replacing them with “His/Her Excellency” and the count/countess moniker. The four children did maintain their places in the Danish line of succession.

In her unexpected announcement, the Queen shared that she wished to “create the framework for the four grandchildren to be able to shape their own lives to a much greater extent” without the responsibilities related to the Royal House of Denmark.

King Frederik assumed the throne in January 2024, following Queen Margrethe’s decision to abdicate due, in part, to ongoing health issues.

Earlier this year, the King marked his 57th birthday by presenting Nikolai and Felix with the Grand Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog, a Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by King Christian V.

While once limited to 50 noblemen, the order is used today to recognize notable Danes for their service or contributions to their country.

The official Instagram account of the Danish royal family documented the occasion, noting,
“As a result of the appointment, the counts — like other Danish recipients of the Grand Cross — must have prepared a personal knight shield. When finished, it will be hung in the Knight Chapel at Frederiksborg Castle in Hillerød.”

Nikolai also celebrated the honor on his personal Instagram page, saying he was “very honored to have received the Order of the Dannebrog yesterday from my uncle on his birthday.”

In March 2024, Prince Joachim and Princess Marie gave an interview to The Washington Post in Washington, D.C., where the prince works as a defense industry attaché at the Danish Embassy. They admitted they had “complicated” feelings about how the Queen’s announcement was handled.

“We weren’t happy about the way it happened,” Princess Marie said. “But it’s a family thing. It’s complicated.”

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In addition to their titles, Joachim and Marie also shared that they felt their children had lost their given names.

“It’s their identity since they were born,” Marie added. “So it’s more than just what people see as a title.” 

Regardless, Prince Joachim said in the interview, “We’ve moved on.”