The heir to the Danish Royal family, Crown Prince Christian is celebrating his 21st birthday.
On Thursday, October 15, the official Instagram account of Queen Mary and King Fredrik released new official portraits of Christian to mark his special day.
In the photos – which were clicked in the Vestibule of Christian VII's Palace at Amalienborg a few weeks ago, Christian is wearing the gala uniform of the Royal Life Guards for the first time.
The newly released birthday portraits were accompanied by details of the badges beautifully adorned on Christian’s uniform.
"Around his neck, the Crown Prince wears the Grand Commander's Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog, which His Majesty the King has awarded to the Crown Prince in connection with his birthday," read the caption.
What is the significance of the honour?
As detailed in the caption of Christian's birthday post, "Grand Commander is the highest degree of the Order of the Dannebrog, which is only awarded to princely (royal) persons who are already elephant knights."
What other honours Christian have?
Other medals on Frederik and Mary's eldest son's uniform included, "the Order of the Elephant with breast star, the breast star of the Order of the Dannebrog and the commemorative medals and memorial medals that His Royal Highness has received can be seen."
Inside Crown Prince Christian's future plans
The future King of Denmark – who is serving with the Royal Life Guards and is a platoon commander at the Guard Barracks in Høvelte, joined the military in early 2025.
In his recent interview with Politiken, Christian shared his candid thoughts on becoming Denmark’s King one day and being known as Christian XI.
“It’s surreal for me to think about it,” he told the outlet.
The heir went on to share, “I’m about to turn 21, and I know that this is what my future holds, among other things. I’ve known it from a young age and have been prepared for the task by my parents."
“So it’s something I’m obviously both excited about and nervous about” he added.
