Queen Margrethe of Denmark attended the traditional ceremony to mark the end of the summer sailing season for the Danish Royal Yacht Dannebrog.
It is a longstanding tradition that the Danish Royal Family use the Dannebrog during the summer to travel all around the world, but especially to other territories that are under the influence of Denmark, such as Greenland or the Faroe Islands.
The ceremony attended by Her Majesty on September 13 is traditionally referred to as an official disembark, with it marking the end of the summer sailing season. For 2021, the last trip the Dannebrog made for the summer was on Sunday when it transported Crown Prince Frederik to Sønderborg, where he took part in a leg of the Royal Run.
The Dannebrog also sailed to Southern Jutland, carrying Queen Margrethe, Crown Prince Frederik and Prince Christian to celebrate the territory’s annexation to Denmark 100 years ago. It was also Her Majesty’s base for her summer visits to the municipalities of Thisted, Esbjerg and Fanø.
As it is tradition, it was also supposed to accompany the royals to a trip to the Faroe Islands or Greenland, but, due to health safety restrictions put in place in both countries, the Royals were forced to postpone their trips indefinitely.
During the ceremony, Her Majesty was transported in a boat from the Dannebrog to shore and sailed next to the long side of the ship, where the entire crew was lined up for a salute. Queen Margrethe disembarked in Nordre Toldbod, where she was met by the CEO of By og Havn Anne Skovbro, harbor master Hans Vasehus and harbor master Morten Johansen.
As soon as Her Majesty touched land, a salute of 27 cannon shots was fired from Holmen, as it is tradition for this ceremony.
The Dannebrog is one of the most known royal ships. Its insides were mostly unseen until a documentary was shot in 2010 that showed how the entire Danish Royal Family used the vessel as a base while attending Crown Princess Victoria’s wedding.
