On Wednesday, Queen Margrethe of Denmark took up residence at Gråsten Palace for the summer season. True to tradition, Her Majesty arrived in Southern Jutland on board the Royal Yacht Dannebrog. The Queen was welcomed to Sønderborg with flags and music on the royal castle harbour.
Mayor Erik Lauritzen hosted a reception in Sønderborg which was attended by many dignitaries who were received by The Queen.
After the reception at Sønderborg Harbour, Her Majesty drove by car to the village in Gråsten, where the City Council of Sønderborg Municipality received The Queen. In honour of the monarch, people had arrived with flowers and the mayor gave a welcome speech. The Queen then continued to Gråsten Palace to take up residence for the coming summer weeks.
When Queen Margrethe arrived at the palace, she gave a short speech in which she said: “It is a great pleasure to be back. I look forward to these days I will have at Graasten, but I also look back ten days when I was here. Not at Graasten though, but in southern Jutland. It was a unique experience. It hit me right in the heart. I wish you all a really good summer.”
Graasten Palace is located at Gråsten in the Jutland region of southern Denmark. It is best known for being the summer residence of the Danish Royal Family.
Gråsten Palace as seen from the gate (image: public domain)
The main house has a modern, all-white facade, with Venetian doors opening onto sweeping, manicured lawns and gravel walkways. The grounds include a huge stables court. The Palace was in its first edition a small hunting castle built in the middle of the 16th century.
Gråsten Slot was taken over by the State, extensively restored, and by 1935, it was the summer residence for then-Crown Prince Frederik, later King Frederik IX, and Crown Princess Ingrid, later Queen Ingrid, who adored the palace until her death in November 2000. It is the usual venue for the royal family’s official summer photo shoot.
