Princess Isabella turns down $40k pension as she begins history-making military service

Princess Isabella is settling into her new home for the next 11 months as she begins an unpaid stint with the Danish Armed Forces after turning down a $40k pension.

The 19-year-old, who is the eldest daughter of King Frederik X and Queen Mary, arrived at the military barracks fresh from a summer holiday and just weeks after graduating from high school.

Isabella’s first day at the Guard Hussar Regiment on Monday came with little fanfare and the princess drove herself to the barracks in Slagelse, west of Copenhagen, in a black SUV.

A small number of local media was there to capture the princess walking to the entry gate and showing her identification papers to the guard on duty.

Isabella looked relaxed wearing baggy jeans and a suede jacket, carrying a large backpack and a smaller purse.

She said a brief hello to photographers and carried on her way, beginning what is a history-making chapter for the Danish royal family.

Read more

Princess Isabella is on cusp of making history as she redefines her role as a royal ‘spare’

Isabella’s decision to join the army was announced by the Royal House in April and she is the first female royal to take part in military service as, traditionally, only men were conscripted into the armed forces.

Princess Isabella’s grandmother, Queen Margrethe II, didn’t have the option when she was a teenager and instead the queen signed up for the Women’s Flying Corps.

Last year, Denmark introduced conscription for women based on a lottery system in response to rising tensions and heightened security concerns in Europe.

Until the change, women had been allowed to participate in military service when they turned 18, but on a voluntary basis. Volunteers are now recruited first, with the remaining numbers made up through the lottery system. The period of conscription for teenagers also rose from four to 11 months.

Like all her fellow conscripts, Isabella’s day will follow a strict program beginning with a 6am wake-up followed by morning assembly, dormitory inspections, breakfast and then training.

But unlike her comrades, Princess Isabella will not receive financial compensation for her time in the military.

The princess has turned down the military pension and other financial allowances given to those who join the army, the palace confirmed.

Conscripts receive just over 9,000 kroner in salary per month (approx. $2000) during their training, in addition to a daily allowance of 277 kroner (approx. $60).

It means she is waiving her $20k salary, plus a further $19k in tax-free living expenses over the next 11 months.

Instead, Princess Isabella will be funded by her parents who received a budget of more than 17.2 million kroner (approx. $4 million) in 2025 for their private use which includes costs relating to their four children, according to the most recent accounts released by the Royal House.

Her brother Crown Prince Christian also turned down the military pension when he joined the army in early 2025. The heir to the Danish throne trained as a Guards Hussar at the same barracks as Princess Isabella.

Christian finished his lieutenant training in June and will now serve with the Royal Life Guards. He will be platoon commander for conscripted privates on call-up duty from August at the Guard Barracks in Høvelte.

King Frederik and Queen Mary are expected to visit their daughter in Slagelse in the coming months, as they did when Crown Prince Christian enlisted.

The king and queen were recently seen on board a luxury yacht in the Greek islands with a small group of friends. They had spent part of the summer holidays in Greece after their annual stay at Graasten Palace on the east coast of the Jutland peninsula in southern Denmark.

King Frederik and Queen Mary arrived at Graasten on July 6, taking part in the traditional welcome ceremony in town before making their way to the palace a short distance away.

They were joined by Crown Prince Christian and twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine but Princess Isabella chose to holiday with her friends elsewhere, instead.

King Frederik will resume official duties on August 12 while Queen Mary’s next event in the diary is the state visit to Belgium, with her husband, from September 8-10. However, it is likely more events will be added to the royal calendar in the coming days.