At nine he was sent as a boarder to Hohenfelde in Holstein, and at age twelve went to the cadet school at Copenhagen, being destined for the Danish army and court.
V devíti byl poslán do Hohenfeldu v Holštýnsku a v jedenácti, coby budoucí příslušník dánské armády a dvora, nastoupil na kadetní školu v Kodani.