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Denmark

Algeria’s government surprised Queen Margrethe

Last year, Queen Margrethe of Denmark visited the African nation of Ghana. The official visit, which lasted for several days, had a special start that surprised both the Queen and the entire Danish delegation who were on their way to the former Danish colony. The visit to Ghana had been planned for a long time and a careful schedule was set up.

Queen Margrethe of Denmark was accompanied by the Danish Foreign Minister, Anders Samuelsen and Environmental Minister, Esben Lunde Larsen. They used a military plane for the approximately 500-mile long journey. The only problem was that the aeroplane could not fly directly, so it was planned to land in Algeria to refuel. This was intended to go unnoticed, as it should only be a quick landing and departure. However, the Algerian government had another plan.

Queen Margrethe of Denmark, together with her sister, Queen Anne-Marie of Greece. Photographed in Oslo, in May 2017. Photo: Oskar Aanmoen.

It was on 22 November 2017 that the royal plane had to land in Algeria. Only a handful people were supposed to know about the stop, but someone had apparently leaked the news to the Algerian government. The Algerian government should not have been notified that the Queen was to land for a few minutes on their soil.

When the Queen landed and the plane stopped, the Queen was overwhelmed by a magnificent welcome ceremony. Her Majesty was welcomed by President of the Council of Algeria, Abdelkader Bensalah, and the country’s Minister of National Education, Nouria Benghebrit; they had both met to receive the Queen. More than a thousand soldiers had set up, the red carpet was in place, and all the major Algerian newspapers and television channels covered the event.

At the top of the article, you can watch the video from the meeting between Queen Margrethe and Algeria’s government.

As if the welcome was not enough, Queen Margrethe and her government representatives were invited to an exclusive area at the airport. There they had decorated the room with fresh flowers and Danish flags. In the video released by the Algerian media, the Danish ministers seem entirely surprised. Even though the Queen did not know about the meetings, she looks calm and completely relaxed. The meeting lasted for approximately one hour.

The Algerian Embassy in Copenhagen also revealed that several government representatives also met Her Majesty on her way home from Ghana.

Neither the Danish Royal Court nor the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to comment on the case to Danish media.

About author

Senior Europe Correspondent Oskar Aanmoen has a master in military and political history of the Nordic countries. He has written six books on historical subjects and more than 1.500 articles for Royal Central. He has also interview both Serbian and Norwegian royals. Aanmoen is based in Oslo, Norway.

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