SUPPORT OUR JOURNALISM: Please consider donating to keep our website running and free for all - thank you!

Denmark

Danish Crown Prince Couple visit Latvia

On 6 and 7 December, Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary undertook an official visit to Latvia to celebrate the country’s 100 years of independence. They are the fifth royal couple visiting Latvia this year after the Crown Prince Couple of Norway, the Crown Princess Couple of Sweden, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and the Earl and Countess of Wessex.

On 6 December, Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary took part in an official welcome ceremony at Riga Castle, and they met with President Raimonds Vējonis and his wife Iveta Vējone. After signing the guest book, the Crown Prince Couple laid a wreath at the Freedom Monument with the Presidential Couple and the Danish and Latvian Ministers of Culture. 

In the afternoon, Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary took part in an event that all foreign dignitaries visiting Riga in 2018 attended: a book donation ceremony at the National Library. Indeed, the National Library asks for foreign dignitaries to donate a book from their country to the Library in order to commemorate the 100 years of independence. Afterward, the Crown Prince Couple, the Presidential Couple and the Danish and Latvian Ministers of Culture went to the Parliament to attend the official lunch hosted by Ināra Mūrniece, the Chairman of the Parliament.

Before the official dinner hosted by the Presidential Couple, Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary were at the Great Guild Concert Hall where they attended a reception followed by a concert from Concerto Copenhagen.

On 7 December, the Crown Prince Couple started their day with a visit to Riga’s Art Museum to attend the presentation of architectural drawings for Tabakas Fabrika. Tabakas Fabrika is an architectural contest and “the winner’s proposal will form the basis for how the former Scandinavian tobacco factory in Riga will be rebuilt into a new cultural centre and incubator for the creative industry.”

Afterwards, the couple had separate engagements. Crown Prince Frederik stayed at the Art Museum and took part in the opening of a conference on creative industries which aimed to develop Danish creative industries through cooperation with Latvian partners. He also visited an exhibition of Danish design and meets Danish companies. Meanwhile, Crown Princess Mary visited the NGO Center Dardedze which is working for a childhood without abuse. They aim to help children who have been victims of abuse and focus on protecting children’s rights. 

For their last engagement of the official visit, Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary visited the exhibition “A Century of Latvia” at the National History Museum. The exhibition illustrates Latvia’s 100 years of independence with life stories, portraits of the period, 1500 unique objects, photographs, sound recordings, movies and video.