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

Queen Mary’s eldest daughter is on the cusp of making royal history as she prepares to embark on a new chapter now she’s graduated from high school.

Princess Isabella of Denmark, 19, completed her final exams at Øregård Gymnasium on Tuesday and graduated on Friday, her proud parents and siblings by her side for the emotional ceremonies.

King Frederik X and Queen Mary, along with Crown Prince Christian, 20, and 15-year-old twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, were there to watch Isabella’s final moments at her secondary school. Mary’s niece Mollie Bailey, the daughter of her elder sister Patricia, was in Denmark to support her cousin.

Her graduation cap featured a touching nod to Queen Mary’s late mother with the names ‘Isabella Henrietta’ embroidered on the back. The princess was baptised with four names: Isabella Henrietta Ingrid Margrethe; Henrietta for Mary’s mother, Ingrid for Frederik’s grandmother and Margrethe, Isabella’s grandmother.

The young princess wiped away tears as she was seen hugging her mum and dad, reflecting on 13 years at the school in Hellerup, an exclusive suburb north of Copenhagen.

“It’s fantastic to finally stand here after 13 years,” Isabella told the media.

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“I’ve enjoyed the years and I’m extremely happy with how things have gone leading up to the exam...and yes, I’m super happy and proud of myself.”

Queen Margrethe II hosted a celebratory lunch in the gardens of their home at Chancellery House at Fredensborg Palace afterwards. A photo of grandmother and granddaughter, taken by Queen Mary, revealed a glimpse of the family’s private backyard, showing two pools and gardens of wildflowers.

Queen Mary and her family are now expected to retreat from the public in the coming days for a private summer holiday.

When they return, Princess Isabella will begin a new chapter as she joins the Danish armed forces.

Isabella, who is Queen Mary and King Frederik’s second child and thus the royal ‘spare’ of the family, is forging her own path and making history in the process.

In August Princess Isabella will join the Guard Hussar Regiment, spending 11 months at the military barracks in Slagelse, west of Copenhagen.

Her military service was announced by the Royal House in April.

Isabella’s decision is an historic one for the Danish royal family as she will become the first female royal to take part in military service.

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.

Isabella was asked about joining the armed forces and she admitted it was going to be “tough”.

“I think it could be fun to challenge myself to the limit,” Isabella said on Tuesday.

“It’s 11 months, I know it is going to be tough. But it’s going to be super exciting and good for me.”

Princess Isabella is following in the footsteps of her older brother and heir to the throne, Crown Prince Christian who also served in the Guard Hussar from February last year.

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.

Isabella’s decision will mark a first for the Danish royal family as traditionally only men were conscripted into the armed forces.

Queen Margrethe didn’t have the option when she was a teenager and instead the then-princess signed up for the Women’s Flying Corps in 1958, serving until 1970.

Isabella’s father 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.

When Isabella’s military service was first announced, the move was applauded as having “enormous significance as the role model she is”.

“In these uncertain times, it is very wise from the royal family’s perspective that she should serve her military service,” royal correspondent for Danish magazine BILLED BLADET, Marianne Singer, said.

“She could, like some of her royal colleagues, go abroad to study, but instead she will stay in Denmark and do her duty. This will give huge points to both her and the royal family.

“The fact that two of the royal couple’s children are in the military is a very strong signal.”

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She added: “[Isabella] has always been stubborn and goes her own way. The military suits her well, and she will probably cope very well.”

Isabella’s future within Denmark’s royal family is shaping up to be an exciting one and could mirror, in parts, that of her great-aunty, Princess Benedikte and also Britain’s Princess Anne.

There are also similarities between Isabella’s role and the one Princess Charlotte of Wales could have in the coming years.

When Isabella was born on April 21, 2007, she was the first Danish princess born into the Royal House in more than 60 years. The last before her was Queen Margrethe’s youngest sister Anne-Marie, born in 1946, who went on to marry King Constantine of Greece.

Queen Margrethe’s other sister Princess Benedikte, 82, is one of the few working members within the House of Glücksborg.

Throughout Margrethe’s 52-year-reign, Benedikte dutifully supported her sister by carrying out royal engagements both major and minor. She has continued to do so under the reign of her nephew, King Frederik.

But Isabella’s royal role could be even greater. After her military service, she is likely to go to university if she does not choose a career in the armed forces.

Isabella could study abroad and potentially even take on a diplomatic role in the future, similar to that of her uncle Prince Joachim who is a defence attaché at the Danish embassy in Washington D.C.

Much like Princess Benedikte and Princess Anne of Britain, Isabella will always be there to support the monarch when called upon.

Princess Anne, who was given the title Princess Royal by her mother the late Queen Elizabeth II, remains one of the hardest working British royals. Now 75, Princess Anne has loyally supported her brother King Charles III since his coronation in 2023 after decades of service under the 70-year reign of her mother.

Princess Isabella’s father is currently Denmark’s head of state but it is her brother, Crown Prince Christian, who is heir.

Isabella’s position is similar to that of Princess Charlotte of Wales, 11, whose brother Prince George, 12, will one day be king.

While both Princess Isabella and Princess Charlotte are in their royal families’ line of succession, both will be bumped down the list when their brothers one day marry and have children.

Regardless, both females will grow up being prominent members of their respective royal houses.

Since Frederik X ascended the throne in 2024 following his mother’s abdication, he and Queen Mary have made various changes to modernise the 1000-year-old monarchy.

In late 2022, the then-Crown Princess Mary hinted that there could be changes to her children’s royal titles in the years ahead.

Mary at the time was responding to Queen Margrethe’s decision to strip four of her grandchildren of their prince and princess titles, downgrading Prince Joachim’s three sons and daughter to the ranks of count and countess (equivalent to a duke and duchess in the UK).

“Change can be difficult and can really hurt, but this does not mean that the decision is not the right one,” Mary told reporters, adding she and Frederik would “look at our own children’s titles when the time comes”.

King Frederik and Queen Mary’s children are not expected to lose their prince and princess titles, but their own future offspring could be styled differently.

Much like Prince Joachim’s children − including Count Nikolai who is a popular model and influencer − any children born to Princess Isabella, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine may be known as count and countess.

Additionally, Princess Isabella will likely have to get a paying job of some sort, much like the king’s brother. Prince Joachim is due to return from the US in August after three years working at the Danish embassy in D.C. Previously he worked at the embassy in Paris and before that, he held paying jobs with Danish shipping giant Maersk.

Under government rules, only Crown Prince Christian − as heir to the throne − can receive a taxpayer-funded allowance. Since 1849, the heirs to the throne have received an “appanage” or annual salary, enough to meet the needs of themselves and their spouse.

Crown Prince Christian is expected to start receiving his government allowance from October 15 this year, when he turns 21. Christian had been entitled to get the money when he turned 18 but deferred it. At the time, the Royal House said Christian wanted to put the money on hold until he turned 21 or when a change of throne happened.

While his father became king months after Christian’s 18th birthday, the crown prince has not yet received his government-funded pension. If he does not start getting it in October, it will likely come when he takes on full-time royal duties following the competition of his military service and studies.

Hours after her graduation and family lunch on Tuesday, Princess Isabella was photographed being driven from Fredensborg Palace with King Frederik at the wheel of the van, her siblings and friends in the back as they presumably headed for their summer break.

For now, the young princess will enjoy her freedom before she begins what undoubtedly will be an exciting new chapter in her royal life.