Crown Prince Christian of Denmark completes military service as a Guards Hussar with gruelling mission

Denmark’s Crown Prince Christian has marked a milestone in his military service, completing training and qualifying as a Guards Hussar.

It’s a significant step for the 19-year-old in his path to the throne, when he will one day succeed his father Frederik X as King.

And in a first for the Danish royal household, photographers were able to follow the Crown Prince on a gruelling mission into the forest over several days.

Watch the video above.

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Since February, Christian has been training with the Guard Hussar Regiment in Slagelse, west of Copenhagen.

Before qualifying as a Guards Hussar, he had to complete the traditional and demanding REX tour which lasts four days and is divided into two exercises of 48 hours each.

Conscripts must survive on little sleep and food rations.

Photos and video from Christian’s experience were made public by the royal household after two photographers were given permission to follow the Crown Prince.

But they were under strict instructions not to interact with the other recruits and were only allowed limited contact with the prince.

Crown Prince Christian is now qualified to be known as a Guards Hussar.

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He will soon begin training as a Lieutenant, with that program to begin in August and is expected to last one year. The prince will also train as a platoon leader.

It’s unclear whether Crown Prince Christian will join his family on the balcony of Frederik VIII’s Palace at Amalienborg on May 26 for the King’s 57th birthday.

In February, Christian was pictured arriving at Antvorskov Barracks without his parents King Frederik X and Queen Mary.

The heir to the throne made his entrance with little fanfare, walking to the gate alone and dressed casually in jeans and a jacket, with just one bag containing his belongings.

He was treated like every other of the new 150 recruits, having to show his health insurance card and official documents to a guard stationed outside before being allowed in.

And in March, Crown Prince Christian was visited by his parents and three siblings at the barracks.

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During his military service, Christian will not receive a salary of 8,997.33 kroner (approx. $2000) per month, unlike his fellow conscripts. Those in the Danish Armed Forces are entitled to the salary, along with a tax-free daily allowance of 263 kroner (approx. $58), each month.

In 2023, it was announced Christian had turned down his government-funded pension that he was entitled to receive once he turned 18. He is expected to receive the money once he begins full-time royal duties or when he turns 21.

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Christian is following in his father’s footsteps by carrying out his military service now, instead of delaying it by a year or two which he could have chosen to do.

King Frederik joined the Royal Life Guards after his 18th birthday in 1986 and upon the accession to the throne in January 2024, he became a general in the Army and Air Force and an admiral in the Navy.

Queen Mary has completed military service too. As Crown Princess, Mary started as a private in the Home Guard in 2008.

After training, Queen Mary moved up the ranks from sergeant to captain and in May, 2023, she was given the rank of major á la suite in the Home Guard, meaning she can wear the Home Guard’s uniform.

The Queen has also participated in a wide range of activities and exercises under the auspices of the Danish Army, Navy and Air Force Home Guard.

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