King Frederik and Queen Mary are kicking off their summer aboard the Dannebrog, with the summer sailing schedule just released by the Danish Royal Court.
From 1-4 June, the Danish king and queen will sail through Odense, Norddjurs, and Holbæk municipalities. The royal couple traditionally carry out a summer tour, with the practice dating back to King Christian X, who reigned between 1912-1947.
ODENSE MUNICIPALITY — 1 JUNE
In Odense, King Frederik and Queen Mary will arrive at the municipality’s port and be greeted by Mayor Peter Rahbæk Juel and his wife.
The royals and the mayoral couple will then process via carriage ride and escort from the Hussar Guard Regiment’s Horse Squadron to Odense City Hall for an official welcome reception.
At Odense City Hall, King Frederik and Queen Mary will be treated to a performance by the Odense Symphony Orchestra and view artwork by Yans before hearing a welcome speech by Mayor Rahbæk Juel and meeting members of the City Council.
After meeting members of the public, King Frederik and Queen Mary will walk to the Fairy Garden to learn more about the urban biodiversity of Odense. The Fairy Garden covers 2.8 hectares of land, with “green spaces, winding paths, bridges over the river” and a rotunda island in the middle of it all, according to the Danish Royal Court.
From there, King Frederik and Queen Mary will travel to Odense Cathedral to meet its clergy and parish council members. A highlight of the visit to the nearly thousand-year-old cathedral will be viewing the 500-year-old altarpiece and the tomb of Canute the Holy, who reigned in Denmark between 1080-1086, in the crypt.
Following a lunch at the Odense City Hall, King Frederik and Queen Mary will visit Odinskolen, billed as “the world’s best robot school” to see how science and technology is taught to students.
The Danish royal couple will then walk through the Carl Nielsen Quarter, which marks the meeting spot of ‘Old Odense’ and ‘New Odense’ to accommodate green technology and new housing. This will be followed by a visit to the Carl Nielsen Museum, a prominent Danish composer.
Their last official engagement in Odense will see King Frederik and Queen Mary visit Hans Christian Andersen’s House, a museum that opened in 2021 to celebrate the famous Danish fairytale author.
At the end of their day in Odense, King Frederik and Queen Mary will host a reception aboard the Dannebrog before sailing to Norddjurs Municipality.
NORDDJURS MUNICIPALITY — 2 JUNE
King Frederik and Queen Mary will arrive at Grenaa Harbour in the early morning, and will be received by Mayor Kasper Bjerregaard.
The royal couple will then undertake a walk through the city centre of Grenaa, led by Trine Grejsen, the head of culture, leisure, tourism and libraries within the Norddjurs Municipality. Amongst the sights will be gable paintings by August and Marie Krogh and Grenaa Church, where musicians will perform ‘Queen Ingrid’s Carillon’ from the tower.
At Grenaa Town Hall, King Frederik and Queen Mary will officially be welcomed to the municipality. They will then visit Glesborg School to learn more about how crafting and hand skills are taught to elementary students within the municipality.
Afterwards, a visit to Djursland Forestry School will showcase to the Danish royal couple how students are trained as landscape engineers, forest and nature technicians, and nature guides.
Here, King Frederik and Queen Mary will have lunch over a campfire, and will plant a King’s Oak, which can live to be 500 years old.
For their last engagement of the day, King Frederik and Queen Mary will visit HSM Industri, a blacksmithing company; and before departing Norddjurs Municipality, they will host a reception aboard the Dannebrog.
HOLBÆK MUNICIPALITY — 4 JUNE
King Frederik and Queen Mary will spend a private day at sea on 3 June, and will arrive at Krags Brygge for a welcome by Mayor Christina Kryzyrosiak Hansen. The royal couple and the mayoral couple will then travel by carriage to the Old Town Hall for an official reception.
Next, King Frederik and Queen Mary will visit To Øl, a specialty brewery, and attend a luncheon at Hørby Færgekro, the ferry terminal. Afterwards, the royal couple will visit the Nyvang Experience Centre, a living open-air museum focusing on the farmers and farming industry in the area.
King Frederik and Queen Mary will pass by a wedding as they travel from the museum to Østervænget, and to the Holbæk Sports Village, a multi-purpose sports facility that convenes many types of athletics. The royal couple will be given a demonstration in the Badminton Hall, meeting with players from Badminton Europe to talk about their training regiments in Holbæk.
King Frederik and Queen Mary’s final engagement will see them at the Kystliv Holbæk, a maritime activity centre on the harbour. They will meet with young people and skilled employees and learn more about their day-to-day work.
Finally, at the end of the day, King Frederik and Queen Mary will host a reception aboard the Dannebrog in Krags Brygge.
The full summer sailing schedule can be viewed here.
