Princess Isabella of Denmark, the 19-year-old daughter of King Frederik and Queen Mary, began 11 months of military service this August with the Guard Hussar Regiment in Slagelse, a garrison town about 50 miles southwest of Copenhagen. She is one of the first young women to enter Denmark's newly extended conscription program, which expanded to include women and lengthened the service term from four months to eleven under a 2024 reform. Amalienborg Palace, the Danish royal residence, announced her plans in March 2026, shortly before her 19th birthday in April Town & Country. She graduated from Øregård Gymnasium, a secondary school north of Copenhagen, on June 23.

What caught the most attention is the money she is leaving on the table. Princess Isabella declined the salary and daily allowances that her fellow conscripts receive, according to the Danish Royal House, which confirmed the decision to the Danish newspaper B.T. Danish conscripts typically earn just over 9,000 kroner per month — about $1,385 — plus a daily tax-free allowance of 277 kroner ($43), adding up to roughly 190,000 kroner ($29,243) over the full 11-month term Town & Country. People and Hola reported the waived amount as over $15,000 in salary plus a $29-per-day food allowance People. The Danish Royal House confirmed the decision to B.T., according to Town & Country's reporting.

She is following a family pattern. Her older brother, Crown Prince Christian, also declined pay during his own service with the same regiment, the Guard Hussar Regiment — a cavalry unit founded in 1762 that now serves as a training and guard force Town & Country. Their father, King Frederik X, ascended the throne in January 2024 after the abdication of Queen Margrethe II.

Denmark's conscription overhaul was driven by broader security concerns. The reform, which extended the draft to women and lengthened the term, is part of a military buildup prompted by the war in Ukraine and shifting NATO dynamics. The expanded program is expected to bring the total number of personnel undertaking military service annually to 7,500 by 2033 Reuters. Princess Isabella, as second in line to the Danish throne behind her brother Christian, is now part of that cohort — sleeping in barracks, training alongside other recruits, and passing on the pay that comes with it.