Queen Margrethe of Denmark has decided to cancel a military dinner because of the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
The Queen of Denmark, along with Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary, was set to host members of the Air Force, the Armed Forces and the Danish Emergency Management Agency who have received a Badge of Honour at Amalienborg Palace on March 11th 2022.
The first badge of Honour was instituted by King Christian VII for the Royal Navy in 1801, and the rest of the Armed Forces soon followed. The first Badge of Honour for the Air Force was handed out by King Frederik IX in 1953, and the date chosen for the dinner, the 11th of March, would have honoured the legacy of Queen Margrethe’s father, who was born on that day.
The Danish Royal Household also confirmed that the welcoming of new Ambassadors from Egypt, Lithuania, South Korea, Georgia and Libya will go ahead as planned, but with a very reduced military presence from the Royal Life Guards and the Gardehus Regiment’s internal commands and without an escort by the Gardehus Regiment’s Horse Squadron.
The changes come as Ukraine continues to fight a Russian invasion. Eights days since Russian forces first entered, they bombed the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, starting a fire that immediately sparked fear of a major explosion and the potential consequence of radiation dispersion.
In the early hours of Friday March 4th 2022, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) stated that no increased level of radiation was detected, and that, after initial difficulties due to ongoing conflict, firefighters were finally able to reach the site and put out the fire.
Many royal houses in Europe changed their agendas to reflect the concern over the invasion and the impact on the people of Ukraine. Emergency security councils and humanitarian effort coordination meetings are now a regular part of their schedules, and many have made private and personal contributions to various relief funds for the Ukrainian people.
