King Frederik has awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Dannebrog to his nephews, Counts Nikolai and Felix. The honor, bestowed upon them at a private ceremony at Amalienborg Palace, necessitates the creation of personal knight’s crosses for each of them.

The Royal House announced the awards on its website, accompanied by official photographs from the event. The Grand Cross is the second-highest rank within the Order of Dannebrog, second only to the Grand Commander.

The Order of Dannebrog is one of Denmark’s two royal orders, the other being the Order of the Elephant, which is the oldest and most prestigious. The Order of Dannebrog is granted by the monarch to both Danish and foreign citizens. According to the National Encyclopedia of Denmark, it recognizes “meritorious civil or military service, for special efforts within art, science and business, or for working for Danish interests.”

The Royal House’s announcement did not specify the reason for awarding the honor to Counts Nikolai and Felix. Other recipients of the Grand Cross include prominent figures such as former Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Finnish Minister of Defense Antti Häkkänen, Court Marshal Christian Schønau, and former Chief of Defense Bjørn Bisserup.

The two counts, who received the awards, had their princely titles removed in 2023. Queen Margrethe’s decision, which took effect at the beginning of the year, stripped the prince and princess titles from four of her grandchildren, including Nikolai and Felix, who subsequently became known as Count Nikolai, Count Felix, Count Henrik, and Countess Athena. The decision to remove the titles, while controversial at the time, was intended to allow the grandchildren greater freedom in their lives, free from the constraints of formal royal affiliation, according to Queen Margrethe.