As Denmark's Crown Prince Christian prepares for a life of public service, his parents have given him something many royal heirs often lack: Time to grow up.
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heirs → prepare → something
Crown Prince Christian of Denmark turned 21 this week and marked his birthday with a gift to the Danish taxpayer: foregoing the government-funded stipend he's entitled to claim with his coming of age.
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he → turn → age
Instead, just as he did at 18, the crown prince is not taking on a regular place in the working royal roster, nor the annuity.
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prince → do → roster
Christian's position as heir to the throne demands he fill in for his father, King Frederik X, as regent.
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he → demand → regent
He has already done so on multiple occasions and will continue as needed.
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He → do → occasions
But rather than a full time working royal he has chosen to pursue a military career.
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he → work → career
At a time when Harry and Meghan are struggling to integrate back into some parts of the British royal life they quit so acrimoniously in 2020 to set up their own brand of "service", they would do well to take a few pointers from King Frederik's kids who seem to be managing the "half in, half out" compromise these two so desperately crave.
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two → struggle → compromise
On the surface Britain's House of Windsor and Denmark's Glücksburg face similar issues — both ancient institutions that place royals at the top of an increasingly less forelock-tugging food chain trying to hang on to relevance in the 21st century.
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that → face → century
At the same time they must navigate a voracious public and media that gorges on all aspects of royal life, public and private.
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that → navigate → life
Pound of flesh hardly covers it.
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Pound → cover → it
But how these two monarchies operate in the modern world may explain why King Frederik X and Australia-born Queen Mary's four offspring seem so happy and sorted as the Sussex family lurch from one drama to the next and Prince William prefers to send his heir to school at the elitist of elite, Eton.
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William → operate → elite
Over in Denmark, as youngsters, the royal children cycled to their regular state-run primary school with their parents and now integrate into public life with an apparent ease.
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children → cycle → ease
But in the UK Prince ARchie and Princess Lilibet are driven to an un-named private school by limo with a convoy of security and paparazzi recently spotted outside the gates.
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ARchie → drive → gates
How have the Danes managed to give the new generation of royals an inner sense of adolescent freedom and agency over their lives and outer glow of duty?
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Danes → manage → duty
'I've always wanted to do it'
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I → want → it
Crown Prince Christian, Denmark's next king, began his four months of military service in February 2025, compulsory for every fit Dane over the age of 18.
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Christian → begin → 18
Then, in August that year, he started lieutenant school.
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he → start → school
Officer training followed and in June, the crown prince was promoted to second lieutenant.
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prince → follow → lieutenant
It's not a constitutional requirement for royals to join the military but certainly the crown prince was following in the footsteps of his forebears.
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prince → join → forebears
The royal family and the military are intrinsically entwined, and generations have served the nation.
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generations → serve → nation
But he didn't have to.
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he → have → ?
What's more, unlike many British royals — including Princes William and Harry — he's also chosen to refuse a military salary as well as the royal stipend.
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he → include → salary
Christian's living expenses will be funded by his family.
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expenses → fund → family
In his first ever major newspaper interview given in the lead up to his 21st birthday Christian told Politiken that he faced no pressure from his parents nor the royal court to sign up.
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he → give → parents
"I've always wanted to do it and thought it sounded exciting," he explained, admitting he was shaking on his first day, wondering if he'd made the right choice and whether he would fit in with the other recruits.
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he → want → recruits
He needn't have worried.
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He → worry → ?
No one in Denmark was surprised by the move, after all Christian's father King Frederik had famously served with the Danish Frogman Corps following a rigorous selection process.
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Frederik → surprise → process
As an amusing aside the monarch earned the nickname "Pingo" in the corps — something to do with his wetsuit filling with water causing him to waddle like a penguin.
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him → earn → penguin
Back in 1958 Christian's grandmother, Queen Margrethe II, shattered glass ceilings when she chose to volunteer with the Women's Flying Corps at a time when women weren't allowed to do national service and were rare in the military.
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women → shatter → military
Money talks and where royals are concerned that talk is rarely complimentary.
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talk → talk → ?
British royals were paid regular military salaries when they served, many also receiving income from other public and private sources.
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many → pay → sources
And let's not forget Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor who served in the Royal Navy for 22 years when he was a prince, currently draws a modest naval pension of about $40,000 a year.
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he → forget → 40,000
"I think it was a very wise decision," Marie Rønde, royal correspondent for Denmark's TV 2 News told me.
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Rønde → think → me
"The thought in the Danish royal court is taxpayers pay a lot of money to the royal family already, why should we also pay more for Christian to serve?"
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Christian → pay → more
Following King Frederik's ascension to the throne on January 14, 2024, the royal house received an additional 17 million kroner (AU$3.65 million) per year.
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house → follow → year
"And no one questioned it.
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one → question → it
There was literally no debate in Denmark," Rønde says.
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Rønde → be → Denmark
"So, I think for the palace the thought was, we don't want to push it."
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we → think → it
The Danish monarchy is one of the most popular in the world with 72 per cent of Danes supporting the ancient institution in a recent national poll.
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cent → support → poll
While optics are everything, keeping in step with the public mood is important too.
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keeping → keep → mood
…and 104 more, not listed.
The Aporia