Crown Prince Christian's Military Studies: 2025 -


If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

Muhler

Imperial Majesty
Joined
Apr 18, 2010
Messages
17,795
City
Eastern Jutland
Country
Denmark
On the 3rd. February Christian will take up residence with the Guards Hussars in the town of Slagelse.
Slagelse is located 80 km from Amalienborg in Copenhagen. Population 35.000. It's a quiet part of the kingdom, located midway between the cities of Odense and Copenhagen.
His colonel Jørn Christensen, bids him welcome and advise him to enjoy his stay in the regiment.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I feel like a dinosaur! Good luck to Christian, his father put the bar really high, but I'm sure the former Lille Prins will find his way sooner rather than later.

May his military journey -whatever the length- bring him fulfillment.
 
Glad we now know when he will begin his military studies. I wish him all the best as he starts this new chapter. I hope that he is able to immerse himself and have an unforgettable experience.

I also hope that he is able to chart his own course in terms of his military experience and will not be expected to follow the exact footsteps of his father like he is ticking off a list of obligated boxes.
 
Thanks and looking forward to this. At the banquet, we got to see that the goofy teenager is gone and has been replaced by a matured CP. I hope that Christian has fun and will serve in all 3 branches of the military, maybe not as detailed as Leonor of Spain but still. There are various options to make it happen.
 
Great to hear. One step at a time. His growth and discovery are his own. I have no doubt he has some plans in the back of his mind, but also should live in the present.
I agree. Plus I also do not think he has to follow his father's excat footsteps. It should not be ticking boxes from one branch to another just to do it. I hope he is able to find his own way through his milieu training/education. I am sure his military training will be just as, if not more, detailed than his heir peers.
 
I agree. Plus I also do not think he has to follow his father's excat footsteps. It should not be ticking boxes from one branch to another just to do it. I hope he is able to find his own way through his milieu training/education. I am sure his military training will be just as, if not more, detailed than his heir peers.
Absolutely! What Fred did at the military is quite exceptional, actually, and not only among his peers. Most people are not suited to become a frogman. I am sure Christian will be given the space to make his own experiences.
 
Yeah, I wonder if there was any Royal who got an education in one of the departments of the General Staff of their countries... I mean, special forces like divers, that is very hard, but I wonder, what insight in the apparatus of the Armed Forces one gets?

Or is this something nobody wishes for: A prince/ss, who could potentially interfere into the leadership?
 
Yeah, I wonder if there was any Royal who got an education in one of the departments of the General Staff of their countries... I mean, special forces like divers, that is very hard, but I wonder, what insight in the apparatus of the Armed Forces one gets?

Or is this something nobody wishes for: A prince/ss, who could potentially interfere into the leadership?
Yes, King Frederik.
He went through the second and last staff officers course some years ago, before he became brigadier. That course is for officers, who are destined to become generals.
If I understand it correctly, Victoria is right now going through the first course, which is for majors and up. I.e. battallion and regimental commanders as well as staff officers in a senior capacity at head quarters.
 
From what you say, I understand that Christian's training at the moment is basic military training rather than officer training?

Elisabeth spent a year in an officers' school, and Leonor is studying in the officers' schools. It is not just military training, but they are already being trained to access high positions in the army. In the Spanish case, this training of officers also provides them with a university degree.
 
Everyone in the military will start with basic military training, that is also part of any officer course. So, that's not the main distinction. So far, none of the posts above indicated the type of military training for Christian. So, it would indeed be interesting to learn a bit more of the type of military training Christian will undertake.

And full officer training also leads to a university degree in other countries. Unlike the various heirs so far, prince Gabriel of Belgium is going this route.
 
Correct. In a couple a weeks Christian will be a recruit.
In DK it's mandatory to first go through bootcamp, then become an NCO and only then can you attend an officers academy.
It's a leadership education equivalent to a university degree.

Everyone in the military will start with basic military training, that is also part of any officer course. So, that's not the main distinction. So far, none of the posts above indicated the type of military training for Christian. So, it would indeed be interesting to learn a bit more of the type of military training Christian will undertake.

And full officer training also leads to a university degree in other countries. Unlike the various heirs so far, prince Gabriel of Belgium is going this route.
Is it bootcamp you wish to know more about?
 
Correct. In a couple a weeks Christian will be a recruit.
In DK it's mandatory to first go through bootcamp, then become an NCO and only then can you attend an officers academy.
It's a leadership education equivalent to a university degree.

Thank you Muhler. I brought over a quote where you explained a little bit more.

King Frederik is pretty unique in the sense that he did serve in all three branches of the military.
His grandfather Frederik IX was also special because he was the first king in recent centuries who was trained and served in the navy.
Christian X on the other hand served in the army and he was a ramrod straight army-man until he died.

There is no requirement as such for Christian to serve in all three branches of the military. It is however very much expected that he will get a formal military and officers training. He may also likely do a stint in the navy and air force, just to try it and get an affiliation with these branches. Or he may not. Not everybody are cut out for the military and he may opt for the minimum service required.

But if we are talking about uniforms. Christian is to serve in Guards Hussars, a light regiment. And that means that say at the next New Year Court he should be entitled to wear the gala uniform of the Guards Hussars. I look forward to seeing QMII's face when she is looking at him.
What will happen is that Christian will serve three or four months of boot camp with the hussars. He may opt for service with the Horse Squadron, but I doubt that. More likely he will go straight NCO school and upon completing that and doing some service with his regiment, it's off to the officers academy.
This is not to be confused with the training Nikolai and Felix attempted, which is aimed at producing officers of the reserve.
But back to Christian, while at the officers academy Christian will still belong to his regiment, but upon graduating a first lieutenant, he may serve in another regiment.
- Due to invasion of Ukraine, a number of regiments are being reformed. But that is question of building barracks, getting weapons and equipment and providing qualified instructors before you can call up conscripts and that takes time.
 
I’m glad that Crown Pr Christian is to undertake service in the armed forces. I’m sure he will enjoy it overall, even when it’s a steep learning curve. The bootcamp reports will be interesting reading!
 
Correct. In a couple a weeks Christian will be a recruit.
In DK it's mandatory to first go through bootcamp, then become an NCO and only then can you attend an officers academy.
It's a leadership education equivalent to a university degree.
I really endorse that approach. As a former military member I can well remember the ignorant arrogance of young, varsity age Officer Cadets who, unfortunately, did not improve with graduation. They had neither respect nor knowledge of what the non-commissioned personnel were like or even worse, what they did, why the did it and worse, the need for it it be done,

Starting at the bottom sorts the wheat from the chaff, graduating the personnel with a knowledge of the what the Military works and what an actual chain of command and I imagine it has given them the knowledge to enter the individual arm of service that they wish to follow.
 
Everyone in the military will start with basic military training, that is also part of any officer course. So, that's not the main distinction. So far, none of the posts above indicated the type of military training for Christian. So, it would indeed be interesting to learn a bit more of the type of military training Christian will undertake.

And full officer training also leads to a university degree in other countries. Unlike the various heirs so far, prince Gabriel of Belgium is going this route.
My understanding is that what he is doing at the moment is just regular conscription.

I don't know the Danish system, but, from what other posters have said, it appears that you have to enlist first before being able to go to an officer's candidate school (in other words, you can only become an officer going up from the enlisted ranks, which is quite unusual, I think, in western armies)

Furthermore, officer training does not involve studying simultaneously for a bachelor's degree as in Belgium, Canada, or Spain.
 
Is it bootcamp you wish to know more about?
No, I assume the bootcamp is comparable what other recruits in the military in various countries start with. Do you know the length of the Danish bootcamp? I was mostly interested in the larger picture. So, will Christian start officer training right after completing his basic military training (i.e. bootcamp) or is there an extensive NCO-training in-between and if so, what would that consist of? If the first, the only difference between countries would be whether the basic training/bootcamp is considered a pre-entry requirement or the first phase of officer training - if the latter, the system is indeed different compared to systems where there is a direct entry route into officer training/school.
 
No, I assume the bootcamp is comparable what other recruits in the military in various countries start with. Do you know the length of the Danish bootcamp? I was mostly interested in the larger picture. So, will Christian start officer training right after completing his basic military training (i.e. bootcamp) or is there an extensive NCO-training in-between and if so, what would that consist of? If the first, the only difference between countries would be whether the basic training/bootcamp is considered a pre-entry requirement or the first phase of officer training - if the latter, the system is indeed different compared to systems where there is a direct entry route into officer training/school.
Again, I am not entirely knowledgeable, but it is different from other countries because, if I understand it correctly, Christian is going through exactly the same "bootcamp" that a soldier recruit goes through.

In a traditional military academy, even a non-degree granting academy like Sandhurst in the UK, although there is a "bootcamp" component to the officer's course, it is not exactly the same as a soldier's bootcamp. In the US military academies, on the other hand, my understanding is that the bootcamp component is not even that prominent (if I am wrong, please correct me) as there is a much greater focus on academics actually.
 
I see. In the Netherlands, everyone who wants to be 'military personnel' (and not working in the military as a civilian - as some position are optional in that respect) -with the right to wear a uniform- needs to go through a 4-month bootcamp (officially: general military education) - even if they end up in a purely administrative position(!). So, if someone is interested in any kind of military/officer position or training, this would be the first step regardless of the specific program they will undertake. This basic military training might take slightly different forms depending on the specific function and branch (army, air force, navy or military police) someone is training for but it largely consists of the same components and is a requirement for each and everyone who wants to wear the uniform/become an official member of the military, including officers. After and sometimes during this general part, more specialized training will take place.

So, it seems for Christian his first step is comparable to such a 4 month 'general military education' program.
 
According to BILLED-BLADET, when Crown Prince Christian begins military service on February 3 he is expected to be called by a new nickname and have a new hairstyle, likely shorter hair.


BILLED-BLADET journalists also spoke about what Crown Prince Christian's new life in military service will be like.
 
According to BILLED-BLADET, when Crown Prince Christian begins military service on February 3 he is expected to be called by a new nickname and have a new hairstyle, likely shorter hair.


BILLED-BLADET journalists also spoke about what Crown Prince Christian's new life in military service will be like.
Yes, it's an old Guards Hussar tradition to call the troopers by their hometown, say Viborg or Randers.
The idea was that when a squadron approached a town the commanding officer would call out say "Skælskør!" The trooper in question, knowing the area would then lead the squadron along the many lanes and by-ways and what not to, through or past the town. Such an intimate knowledge of the local area was (and still is) vital for a cavalry unit, especially light cavalry like hussars who very much specialized in reconnaissance, raiding, patrolling and skirmishing.

I doubt Christian will be named Copenhagen as there are probably several in his company/squadron from Copenhagen, but perhaps they'll name him Amalienborg or Gråsten or Fredensborg.
 
Amalienborg makes sense as its their main home. Going by complex not individual castle gives 'neighborhood vibes.
 
The Royal Household confirms to the press that Crown Prince Christian has renounced his salary and allowances from the Armed Forces.


Photos:

Video:

More photos:

 
There he goes...
 
Back
Top Bottom