Crown Prince Christian of Denmark has officially left the Danish palace and moved into an army base to begin compulsory military training.
Christian, 19, was snapped by paparazzi arriving at the Guard Hussar Regiment base on Monday to begin his military service in the remote town of Slagelse.
Denmark’s constitution stipulates every male over the age of 18 completes mandatory national service, which usually spans between four months and a year.
From 2027 onwards, women will also be required to complete national service amid rising tensions with Russia and United States President Donald Trump’s desire to acquire Greenland.
The future Danish King was dressed down in jeans, sneakers and a navy jacket as he made his way to the gate and carried just a small duffle bag of belongings.
According to Danish outlet Billed Bladet, Christian will be serving at the Guard Hussar Regiment in Slagelse for four months.
Christian’s new normal will be a world away from his gilded life inside the walls of Amalienborg Palace in central Copenhagen, where he lives with his parents King Frederik and Queen Mary and his three siblings.
The Crown Prince, who graduated high school in 2024, recently returned from spending several months in East Africa working on local farms.
While in East Africa, Christian penned a personal message, which revealed his plans for 2025.
“For almost three months I have been in East Africa. Everyday life down here is completely different from at home,” the Prince wrote upon his return to Denmark.
“The food, the culture, the climate, the wildlife, the tasks and the people make it an experience I will never forget.”
His father Frederik, 56, embarked on similar trips during the 1980s and spent time with nomads in Mongolia, as well as working in a vineyard in California.
The move comes about one year after Christian, who is now first in line to the throne, celebrated his 18th birthday with a lavish ball at the palace.
Months later, Frederik’s mother Queen Margrethe abdicated on New Year’s Eve, paving the way for Frederik and Mary to ascend the throne and jolting Christian to the position of heir apparent.
Christian’s siblings, Princess Isabella, 17, and twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, 13, directly follow their elder brother in the line of succession.
The update comes days after a Danish celebrity chef recalled the mortifying moment Queen Mary was accidentally denied entry to a popular Copenhagen restaurant.
Dak Wichangoen previously served as the head chef at the Michelin star restaurant Kiin Kiin in central Copenhagen and regularly dished up meals for the Danish monarchy.
While the restaurant staff were used to serving members of the royal family, Mr Wichangoen revealed that Mary was once turned down for a table after wait staff failed to recognise the Tasmanian-born Queen.