Princess Isabella is included in the order of succession to the Throne.Credit: Danish Royal House
The Danish royal household is celebrating a key moment as Princess Isabella, the second child and only daughter of King Frederik and Queen Mary, officially comes of age.
To mark the occasion, the royals gathered at Aarhus City Hall for the first of two festivities in honour of the young Princess. While most of the immediate family turned up, 19-year-old Crown Prince Christian was notably absent as he’s currently completing his military service.
The crowd greeted Isabella warmly, showering her with flowers as she made her way towards the venue. But before entering, guests were treated to a lively parkour performance by local dancers.
The event had a youthful flair, with many attendees hailing from nearby youth organisations and educational schemes. Isabella took the time to greet well-wishers waiting outside, clearly touched by the public’s enthusiasm.
Queen Mary looked every inch the proud mother, watching her daughter take it all in with grace and poise. She and youngest daughter Princess Josephine wore matching white blazers, with 14-year-old Josephine looking especially grown-up for the occasion. Mary, originally from Australia, couldn’t help sneaking admiring glances at her daughter.
Inside, Princess Isabella mingled comfortably with the 300 or so guests, joined by her younger siblings, the twins Vincent and Josephine. She also gave her first-ever public speech, sharing fond memories of Aarhus: “I’ve got many lovely memories from here – and today adds another one to the list.”
Earlier in the week, it emerged that the event would be quite the lavish affair. The Aarhus municipality revealed a gala budget of nearly 290,000 Norwegian kroner – just over £20,000. The guest list included around 250 people, with 100 representatives from Danish youth groups and another 50 local youngsters.
According to the royal household, the party served as a tribute to the city’s creative young talents in areas like sport, design, cuisine, and music. A large chunk of the budget went toward entertainment, with actors and performers making up part of the programme. Catering also featured heavily, ensuring guests were well-fed throughout the evening.
As expected for a royal do, a portion of the funds was reserved for security. One intriguing item on the published budget was a secret birthday gift for the Princess, reportedly worth 10,000 kroner – about £700.
Celebrations won’t end there. The next official event is set to take place in Copenhagen at the Royal Danish Theatre’s Old Stage, where the royal family will host over 1,000 young people from across the country for a special performance.
In a statement, the palace noted the event would offer “entertaining, engaging, and diverse performances blending the classic with the contemporary.”
Princess Isabella will also be awarded the Order of the Elephant by her father – Denmark’s highest royal honour. To top it all off, new portraits taken by Steen Evald in Amalienborg Palace have been released ahead of her 18th birthday, with a private family gathering still to come.
