The Danish army has admitted that a leading neo-Nazi and Hitler admirer is serving as a member of the military unit charged with protecting the Royal family.

Daniel Carlsen, aged 19, is a member of the Danish National Socialist movement (DNSB) and has said Hitler is his idol, he is an enemy of democracy and he does not believe the Nazis exterminated the Jews during World War II.
 

Carlsen, considered by many as the country's most prominent neo-Nazi after DNSB leader Jonni Hansen, celebrates Hitler's birthday and wears a Nazi uniform to official functions. Carlsen served a short prison sentence for painting swastikas on walls. On his Facebook site, he calls himself, "White, proud and National Socialist,"and says his favourite film is the 1935 Leni Riefenstahl propaganda film The Triumph of the Will. The openly Nazi party is legal in Denmark and DNSB members can contest elections.
 

According to military regulations, it is illegal to dismiss someone due to race, religion or political affiliation. A military spokesperson said, "we have freedom of speech in Denmark, one is free to join the army and also be a member of a movement," adding that Carlsen was "in training and not directly protecting Queen Margrethe".