Denmark's Prince Christian is breaking from royal tradition in a big way. Photo / Getty Images

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark’s eldest son, Prince Christian, has made a shock announcement right before his 18th birthday, reports news.com.au.

The young royal is breaking from tradition by foregoing his royal allowance and pursuing his education instead.

Christian is entitled to government funding once he turns 18. However, he has chosen to decline the payments and put off becoming a fulltime royal until he turns 21 years old.

The Royal House made the announcement via Instagram, detailing the Prince’s decision to prioritise his upper secondary education.

This means that discussions regarding an annual pension law for Christian will only take place in three years’ time, unless there is a change in the throne prior to the prince turning 21.

The statement also revealed the prince’s hopes to stay out of the limelight for just a few years before stepping into his official role and resuming public appearances.

The post also stipulated the young royal will take on more official duties and events once his education reaches a certain point in the future.

Princess Mary’s son has already made multiple public appearances with his royal parents and siblings Princess Isabella, 15, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine (both 12). However, now in his second-to-last year at Ordrup Gymnasium in Copenhagen, Christian hasn’t taken on the fulltime working royal role just yet.

Rumours recently ran rampant regarding the young royal’s love life. Prince Christian seemingly has a new girlfriend from the royal circle who he was spotted getting close with at the Monaco Grand Prix.

The speculation was prompted by a group picture that went viral on social media, showing the Danish prince standing with 18-year-old Princess Maria Chiara di Borbone.

Maria Chiara is the youngest daughter of Prince Carlo, Duke of Castro and Princess Camilla, Duchess of Castro. The royal pair are coincidentally close family friends of Christian’s parents, Crown Princess Mary and Crown Prince Frederik.

Princess Maria Chiara, along with her sister Princess Carolina, 19, enjoys watching the Grand Prix and is known to post sneak peeks of her glamorous life on social media regularly.

A Danish insider told Woman’s Day Australia the prince hopes to find a genuine girlfriend as he nears his milestone birthday, especially to keep unwanted attention from hopeful admirers at a minimum.

The source also shared that Princess Mary would love for her son to date someone like Maria Chiara, who balances her high-profile lifestyle while remaining scandal-free, as does her older sister.

The insider was also certain Prince Christian and Princess Maria Chiara are in fact dating. Both their families approve of the pairing and they allegedly share the same taste and interest in music, sports and even films.