Princess, 19, joins military as conscription expanded amid WW3 fears
Despite her mum and dad being the King and Queen of Denmark, Princess Isabella isn't dodging military service.
She is the first female born into the Danish royal family since 1946 and is second in line for the throne - but she's still rolling her sleeves up and getting stuck in for 11 months.
The princess, 19, is among the 1,600 new recruits who joined the armed forces on Monday (3 August), amid the Nordic nation's conscription expansion following heightened fears that WW3 is brewing.
In wake of Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine and President Donald Trump's repeated demands to takeover Greenland, Denmark is bolstering its defence capabilities.
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It was announced in 2024 that military service would no longer be on a voluntary basis for women, as Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the government wanted there to be 'full equality between the sexes'.
Announcing the move two years ago, Frederiksen said of the vision for bolstering the military: "We do not rearm because we want war. We are rearming because we want to avoid it."
As well as women being included in conscription for the first time, the duration of standard service has also been upped to 11 months instead of four.
One new recruit, 19-year-old Silas Nohr, told Reuters he reckons that this extended period of time will help them 'really experience it' and 'get a lot deeper into the military'.
Rookies like Nohr and Princess Isabella will spend five months receiving basic training, before they then finish up with six months of operational service.
In March this year, the Danish royal family announced that the teen would be following in the footsteps of her older brother, Prince Christian, as she is completing her military service at the Guard Hussar Regiment in Slagelse.
Just like her sibling, Princess Isabella has turned down the food allowance and pay cheque that is awarded to conscripts by the armed forces.
Instead of receiving the 9,000 kroner (£700) salary a month and 277 kroner (£21.50) a day like the other newbies, she is instead being financially supported by her parents, King Frederik and Queen Mary.
According to Danish news outlet BT, the couple had a budget of around of more than 17.2 million kroner (£1.3million) to play with last year, which goes towards 'the Royal Couple and the Royal Couple's children'.
They use this money for 'costs related to the royal family's work and daily life' of a 'more private nature', their annual accounts state.
Princess Isabella was seen arriving at the barracks on Monday morning with a big smile on her face, suggesting she's pretty eager to get stuck into her mandatory military service.
But according to historian and royal expert Sebastian Olden-Jørgensen, she probably isn't looking to make a career out of it.
"There's a clear signal here: if Isabella had planned a military career, or aspired to become an officer, she would have chosen a different branch," he told Hola! of her arrival at the Guard Hussar Regiment.
"Choosing the air force or the navy would have been a much clearer sign of professional interest."
Later this month, more than 100 conscripts will head to Greenland for deployment to relieve professional troops.
Nordic nations amp up armed forces
Amid Denmark's conscription drive, they are set to welcome 7,500 recruits a year by 2033, instead of 5,000.
The country is among a string of NATO nations who are funnelling more money into defence following continued concerns that an international conflict might be on the cards.
Similarly, Denmark's neighbours Sweden and Norway both introduced conscription for women in recent years.
Discussing the changes to conscription in Denmark last year, the bloke in charge of it - Colonel Kenneth Strom - said the decision was 'based on a political decision and a political agreement made by the parties'.
"And obviously, it's based on the current security situation in order to get more combat power and have those skills that are needed for either the Army, Navy, Air Force or even the Special Operations Forces," he said.
Former defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsena also said previously: "More robust conscription, including full gender equality, must contribute to solving defence challenges, national mobilisation and manning our armed forces."
Topics: Royal Family, World News, Europe, Army
Olivia Burke