The 36-year-old princess - the wife of Prince Frederik - is now eligible to join 56,000 other volunteers in the Danish Home Guard after learning to shoot and fend for herself in the wild.Major-General Jan Norgaard, the chief of the home guard, said: "Princess Mary's membership is a pat on the shoulder for the many volunteers. It is a significant sign of the home guard's meaningful role in the community and the Danish people's belief in its ability."Mary - who was pictured with her face daubed with green paint in full military camouflage - will now be permitted to keep the M95 rifle she learnt to shoot with.
Her achievement, which also included passing a course in first aid, follows an established royal tradition.Her mother-in-law, Queen Margrethe, reached the rank of major in the Danish Home Guard Women's Flying Corps.The Danish Home Guard was formed in 1949, inspired by the Danish resistance movement after the country was occupied by Germany during World War II.It is now no longer a reserve force, but a territorial defence force, which will be used to help maintain order in the event of a terrorist attack.