NEED TO KNOW
- Princess Isabella is the second child of Queen Mary and King Frederik X.
- She is second in line to the Danish throne after her brother, Prince Christian, after Denmark changed its succession rules in 2009.
- Isabella completed high school in Denmark in June 2026 after attending Øregård Gymnasium.
- In 2026, she also began 11 months of military service with the Danish Guard Hussar Regiment.
Prince Christian of Denmark may seem like the most popular of Frederik and Mary’s children, but his little sister, Princess Isabella, is just as intriguing.
The second child and first daughter to the King and Queen of Denmark, Isabella is destined to make her mark on the world.
Though she hasn’t been in the spotlight quite as much as her older brother, the young royal is the spitting image of her Australian-born mother and bears the names of both of her grandmothers.
Princess Isabella bears a striking resemblance to her mother, Princess Mary, who took this photo.
The resemblance between Isabella and Mary was especially strong at her religious confirmation, held in April 2022.
This is because the princess borrowed an outfit from her mother’s wardrobe for the event — a white Max Mara jumpsuit and matching blazer.
But this was not the first time that lookalike Isabella raided her fashionable mother’s wardrobe either; she’s been spotted in her mum’s recycled pieces multiple times.
The Danish princess borrowed an outfit from her mother’s wardrobe for her confirmation in April 2022.
In April 2025, the Princess wore a blue power suit (a favourite style of hers) by Soeren Le Schmidt at an event celebrating her upcoming milestone birthday. She completed the outfit with items borrowed from her mother’s wardrobe, including a lovely silk blouse, brown suede Gianvito Rossi pumps, Ellen Hunter combs and diamond earrings — all previously donned by Queen Mary.
As she’s gotten older, Isabella has begun stepping into the spotlight more and more. So keep an eye on this princess, as she’s definitely a young royal to watch as she comes into her own.
Princess Isabella’s official portraits
To mark her 18th birthday on 12 April, 2025, the Danish Royal Family released the Princess’s first official gala portraits.
In the portraits, Isabella is wearing a stunning orange satin gown with a turquoise sash. She wears a gold tiara encrusted with turquoises and diamonds in a daisy-like rosette design.
The diadem was once owned by Crown Princess Margareta of Sweden, whose daughter, Princess Ingrid, inherited it and brought it to Denmark on her marriage to King Frederik IX. Queen Margrethe gifted the tiara to Princess Isabella on her 18th birthday. Like numerous other jewellery items in the Royal House’s collection, the tiara has multiple functions and can be disassembled and worn as a bracelet!
On her 18th birthday, Princess Isabella became an official Knight of the Order of the Elephant. As such, she received the insignia on her birthday, which she wears in her portraits.
Her Order of the Elephant has been restored and now bears her father, King Frederik’s, monogram. Now she is an official “Elephant Knight”, Isabella will have her own coat of arms created, which will eventually hang in the Knights’ Chapel at Frederiksborg Castle.
When was Princess Isabella born?
Born on April 21, 2007, at the Rigshospitalet or Copenhagen University Hospital, Princess Isabella is Mary and Frederik’s second child.
She arrived just over a year after her elder brother, Prince Christian, and there was plenty of speculation about her gender.
Mary had announced her second pregnancy in October 2006, just after Christian’s first birthday.
If she gave birth to another boy, it would mean that all the grandchildren born in Queen Margrethe’s line would have (until that point) been boys.
When Isabella was born, she became the first Danish princess born in Denmark for over 60 years. The last before her was Queen Anne-Marie, Queen Margrethe’s youngest sister, who was born in 1946.
Crown Princess Mary cradles Isabella as a baby on her christening day.
Why is Princess Isabella’s name special?
Mary and Frederik christened their first daughter Isabella Henrietta Ingrid Margrethe, a name with several special connections.
The name Henrietta is a tribute to Mary’s mother, Henrietta Donaldson, who died in 1997 when Mary was just 25.
Isabella’s other middle names, Ingrid and Margrethe, are nods to her Danish heritage.
Margrethe is for her grandmother and current Danish monarch, Queen Margrethe II, while Ingrid is for Isabella’s great-grandmother, Queen Ingrid.
A young Isabella with her grandmother, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark.
What was Princess Isabella’s childhood like?
Like all Danish royal children, Princess Isabella had her baptism at just a few months old.
Her ceremony was held at Fredensborg Palace Chapel on July 1, 2007. The following year, she made her first visit to Australia with her parents and brother.
Just over a year old at the time, Isabella was introduced to the Australian public on the grounds of Government House in Sydney with Prince Christian.
She became a big sister in 2011, when Mary and Frederik welcomed their third and fourth children, twins named Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine.
And it wasn’t until 2015 that she undertook her first official royal engagement, then aged eight, when she christened a ferry named in her honour in Denmark.
Princess Isabella (far left) waves from a balcony with her parents and siblings in 2018.
Where does Princess Isabella attend school?
Like her elder brother, Isabella broke from Danish royal tradition by attending a public state school.
She started at Tranegårdskolen in Hellerup in 2013. And she planned to attend the 12-week program at the Lemania-Verbier International School in Switzerland in 2020.
The COVID-19 pandemic cut those plans short. Her parents withdrew Isabella, along with her siblings, from the program.
Mary and Frederik returned to Denmark with their children, who studied remotely during lockdown.
When lockdowns ended, Isabella then attended Ingrid Jespersens Gymnasieskole, located in Copenhagen.
She then moved to Øregård Gymnasium in Hellerup, where she graduated in June 2026.
The whole family was in attendance to celebrate Isabella’s graduation and watch her receive her high school diploma.
Now that her high school education is complete, the Princess will serve her guard duty at the Guardehusar regiment in Slagelse after the summer break.
Princess Isabella (right) has inherited her mother’s chic sense of style.
Princess Isabella begins military service
In August 2026, at age 19, she started 11 months of military service with the Danish Guard Hussar Regiment. She also chose to decline the salary and allowances normally paid to conscripts, following the example set by her older brother.
Although it’s not legally required, the Danish royal family has a tradition of military service for personal development and a way to serve their country.
Isabella’s father, King Frederik X, completed military training and has served in all three branches of the Danish Armed Forces. Her grandfather, Queen Margrethe II, ensured her sons received military training, and Isabella’s older brother, Crown Prince Christian, also began military service before her.
What have Princess Isabella’s parents said about her?
When Isabella arrived in 2007, proud dad Frederik couldn’t stop telling reporters how happy he was about her birth.
“I feel great joy and great happiness,” he said outside the hospital where Mary gave birth.
“They both came very well, as you would expect it to be, and I can only say it’s a relief, but [I’m] full of happiness and love.”
Mary seems to have an incredibly close relationship with her eldest daughter, too. As aforementioned, she lets Isabella borrow from her wardrobe.
On several occasions, the 16-year-old has been spotted wearing her mum’s clothes or jewellery.
She already looks like Mary’s mini-me, but it’s even more obvious when she styles herself like her mum too.
Will Princess Isabella be a Queen?
Isabella is currently second in line to the Danish throne after her elder brother. When Denmark changed its succession laws in 2009 to absolute primogeniture, Isabella became the first Danish princess who would not lose her place in the line of succession to a younger brother. However, it’s unlikely she’ll ever be Queen of Denmark.
If Prince Christian has children, they will take precedence over Isabella in the line of succession.
That means she’ll only be Queen if Frederik, Christian, and his children are unable to be the Danish monarch.
However, Isabella could become Queen of another nation through marriage.
To mark Isabella’s 15th birthday on April 21, 2022, the Danish Royal House released official portraits of the young royal.
Which parent does Isabella take after?
To mark Isabella’s 15th birthday on April 21, 2022, the Danish Royal House released official portraits of the young royal. The photos of Isabella prove she is looking more and more like her mother, Mary, as the years go by.
The timeless portraits taken by photographer Hasse Nielsen, who captured Isabella in a sharp suit. While a black and white close-up showed a profile shot of the young royal.
Isabella has inherited her mother’s facial structure and button nose. However, some royal watchers also point out the striking resemblance she has to her father. Such as King Frederik’s ocean blue eyes and cheekbones.
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