Prince Christian, the future Danish king who escaped the horror of his boarding school

Prince Christian Valdemar Henri John of Denmark is second in line to the throne of Denmark and, this year, turned 18. He is joining the next up-and-coming generations of European royals, but who is Prince Christian, and why is he already unique?

He was born on 15 October 2005 at Rigshospitalet (Copenhagen University Hospital). The Prince is the oldest child of Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary. He is the grandson of the renowned Queen Margrethe II.

His sister, Princess Isabella of Denmark, was born on April 21, 2007. Then, on January 8, 2011 his twin siblings Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine were born.

The future king of Denmark attended Herlufsholm Boarding School, opened in 1565 as a boarding school for "sons of noble and other honest men”. He attended the school, that is, until a shocking revelation was made about the school the young prince attended.

A disturbing documentary released by a Danish T.V. channel lifted the lid on the real story behind the scenes. More than 50 former students alleged repeated episodes of bullying, s e x u a l assault, and a general culture of violence at the school.

His parents, The Crown Prince and Princess released a short statement condemning the accusations and demanding that the school resolve these issues. They started by stating they were “deeply shaken by the reports that have come out about Herlufsholm recently,” as was released on the royal website.

The statement continued: “We have also made it clear that, as parents of a child at the school, we expect that the school will do what it must do to rectify the unacceptable conditions.”

In August 2022, the Royal family decided that the young Prince would no longer be attending the prestigious boarding school. “It has been a difficult process for us as a family, but, based on the overall picture and our special position as Crown Prince Couple, we have chosen that Prince Christian will stop at Herlufsholm and that Princess Isabella will not start in 9th class at the school after the summer holiday.”

What the family did instead was to move him to a less traditional method of education and enrolled him in Ordrup Gymnasium teaching methods to focus instead on promoting individual curiosity, cooperation and respect. They said they made this decision together with their children.

It seems like it was a great decision for the family and Prince Christian appeared to blossom, proving his compassion and respect at his birthday party, which took place in October 2023. For his 18th birthday the palace held a Royal Gala, where royalty from around the world came to celebrate with the prince.

At the celebration the prince gave a moving speech and finished with. “I have to find my way, even if it leads to a familiar place. I have roots in many places in the world and I enjoy traveling. But home will always be here. Because I love my country,” the future king concluded.

At the party, the guest list couldn't have been more royal: 5 future European monarchs were together during the event. Princess Estelle of Sweden, Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway, Prince Christian of Denmark, Princess Amalia of the Netherlands, and Princess Elisabeth of Belgium.

In an official post on Instagram the royal family stated, “His Royal Highness Prince Christian's 18th birthday will be marked with the issuance of a new stamp,” an honour for the prince coming of age.

With the prince due to complete his secondary education soon, the public eagerly await to see if the prince will chose military training or decide on University.

The Danish Royal House released a statement via Instagram saying. “Prince Christian's main priority in the coming year will be the completion of the Prince's upper secondary education. In continuation of this, the Royal Palace will provide information on Prince Christian's further youth and education courses when the time is right.”

But for now, moving forwards, Prince Christian chose to postpone receiving his royal salary and revisit the topic when he turns 21. He made the decision to focus on his education, instead of beginning work as a ‘full-time royal’. He will one day be a man of the people, but for now, he wants to be a man for himself.