Royal adventure

Denmark’s crown prince will soon be living on a farm in Africa

Christian is the eldest son of King Frederik X and his wife Mary. After finishing school, he is now to gain experience abroad.(Bild: APA/Ida Marie Odgaard / Ritzau Scanpix / AFP)

Denmark's Crown Prince Christian (18) will be living in East Africa in the coming months. There he will get to know the day-to-day business on two farms and gain an insight into local nature conservation, according to the Royal Household. 

The trip starts next Wednesday - the prince is not due to return until December. The court did not specify in which East African country or countries the visit will take place.

Experience abroad is a tradition
It is a tradition in the Danish royal family for heirs to the throne to gain extended experience abroad at a young age. Christian's father King Frederik X. (56), for example, took part in an expedition to Mongolia in 1986 and worked on a vineyard in California for a year in 1989. Christian himself graduated from a high school north of Copenhagen this summer and let it be known that he wanted to "see the world" after the summer vacation.

Private stay
At the beginning of the week, the Danish government presented a comprehensive Africa strategy with which it intends to find new partners on the African continent for various issues. However, according to the information provided by the royal family, Christian's trip is to be a private visit from start to finish - so there is unlikely to be any connection with the government strategy.

"Beyond Africa"
Probably Denmark's greatest connection to Africa is the story of Karen Blixen (1885-1962, German pseudonym: Tania Blixen).

The writer wrote about her years as a coffee farmer in Kenya in her autobiographical novel "Africa - Darkly Alluring World", which was later made into a film under the title "Beyond Africa" with Hollywood stars Meryl Streep and Robert Redford in the leading roles. In the Kenyan capital Nairobi, the suburb of Karen is named after her.