Though Princess Isabella was the star of the show at her 18^th birthday party at Aarhus City Hall, the young royal turned the love back onto the city “that has great meaning to me and my family.”

Princess Isabella, who turns 18 over the Easter holidays, is celebrating her 18^th birthday early with festivities in Aarhus and Copenhagen over the next couple of days. On Friday, she attended a birthday party at Aarhus City Hall with 150 fellow young people to celebrate the arts, culture, music and sports of the city.

Joined by her parents, King Frederik and Queen Mary, and her younger siblings, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, Princess Isabella arrived as a large crowd gathered outside to sing her ‘Happy Birthday.’ Her older brother, Crown Prince Christian, is currently serving with the Guard Hussar Regiment in Slagelse and was not present.

Inside, the Danish Royal Family watched dance and music displays, saw a sustainable fashion show featuring Aarhusian designers, and worked through the crowd of 150 young people invited from educational and youth organisations, as well as local Aarhusians who entered a lottery for their chance to win tickets.

Princess Isabella could be seen inside dancing along with the performers, and jokingly goading her father into dancing, too. The young royal was also presented with three birthday cakes made by students studying at Aarhus Tech.

The bakers behind her cakes spoke with Danish broadcaster DR, revealed that they made a chocolate mousse cake with raspberries and caramelized light chocolate; a rhubarb cake with mazarin, rhubarb, and Italian meringue; and a cold bowl cake of kammerjunke and lemon mousse.

“We’ve only been doing this for two months, so we were like, ‘Okay, what is a birthday cake for a princess, anyway?’” they said.

During the event, Princess Isabella gave a speech, sharing her fond memories of Aarhus and revealing how touched she was that the city had chosen to celebrate her for her birthday.

She said that in Aarhus, “I have celebrated Christmas and Easter, taken walks in the garden and by the water, and enjoyed myself in the old town since I was little.

“I have many good memories from Aarhus, today I have another. And there will definitely be more after that.”

The princess thanked the city for singing to her, for presenting her with a guestbook from those wishing her well, and for the birthday gift of a brand-new bracelet, which was presented to her as a representation of her place in the modern world while also belonging to the traditional Danish Royal Family.

She continued: “The fact that you have chosen to celebrate me, and that so many have come together, makes me happy and touched. You should know that it means a lot to me.”

Princess Isabella’s birthday celebrations continue on Tuesday at the Royal Danish Theatre, where the storied Old Stage will be transformed for the Danish Royal Family and a guestlist of 1,000 young people. The repertoire, according to the Danish Royal Court, will be “entertaining, exciting and varied performing arts that are both classic and modern.”

On her actual birthday, 21 April, Princess Isabella will be celebrated with her birthday added into the rotation of annual flag days. She will also officially receive the Order of the Elephant, a chivalric order that she received on the day her father ascended to the throne but will only officially be entitled to use once she turns 18.