Denmark's Crown Prince Christian Turns 21 and Talks Bodyguards and Sunday Dinners
Crown Prince Christian of Denmark has described growing up with bodyguards at his shoulder and parents too busy for the school run.
The eldest son of King Frederik and Queen Mary turned 21 on 15 October. He spoke in a birthday interview with musician and X Factor judge Benjamin Hav, published on Hav's YouTube channel on Sunday Hello! Magazine.
The conversation started in the morning on Queen Louise's Bridge over the Lakes in Copenhagen. It was filmed on the bridge and continued on a canal boat tour through the city DR.
During the trip Christian said: "Jeg vil ikke haemmes af, at jeg er mig." The line translates as "I will not be hampered by being me."
He was born on 15 October 2005 in Copenhagen. His birth was marked with a 21-gun salute from Kronborg Castle in Elsinore Tatler.
Christian said his parents did not always have time to take him to school, so someone else had to do it. He said he had two grown men walking around him all the time as a child. He meant his bodyguards.
He was not alone for long. He attended Queen Louise's Kindergarten in Fredensborg, then a public school in Hellerup, and graduated from Ordrup Gymnasium in 2024.
After school he started military training. He was appointed a second lieutenant, a junior officer rank, in June 2026.
Life at home sounds deliberately ordinary. He said he goes hunting and plays golf with his father. He said the family tries to have dinner together on Sundays when almost everyone is home.
Sushi is a favourite. His hobbies include going to music festivals with friends and with his sister Princess Isabella.
He has also moved out of the family home he previously lived in Nine.
For his 21st, King Frederik awarded him the Grand Cross of the Commander of the Order of Dannebrog. The order is Denmark's state honour for distinguished service.
What makes this stand out is the tone. No palace announcement, just a walk, a boat ride and straight answers about what royal childhood felt like.
