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Denmark

Queen Margrethe to visit Danes living in Schleswig-Holstein

The Danish Royal Court has announced this week that Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II of Denmark will visit Danes living in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein in September. On her voyage to Germany, Her Majesty will use the Danish royal yacht “Dannebrog”. The reason for the visit is the upcoming jubilee in 2020 to celebrate the 100-years jubilee for what the Danes calls “The Great Unification”.

The Great Unification happened in 1920 and was two plebiscites, organised according to section XII, articles 100 to 115 of the Treaty of Versailles of 28 June 1919, to determine the future border between Denmark and Germany through the former duchy of Schleswig. The process was monitored by a commission with representatives from France, the United Kingdom, Norway and Sweden. In 1920, South-Schleswig was unified with Denmark, and King Christian became king of the area.

The Danish royal yacht Dannebrog. Photo: Oskar Aanmoen.

The Royal Court stated that the visit is a result of the Queen’s own desire to visit the Danes living in Germany at the German-Danish border. The tour will last from 3 to 6 September. During the visit, the Queen will, among other things, visit Flensburg and Kiel. The programme for the visit to Schleswig-Holstein is prepared and implemented in collaboration with the Danish Consulate General in Flensburg.

On 10 July 2020, it is 100 years since King Christian X crossed the border at Frederikshøj and marked the reunification of Southern Jutland with Denmark. On 11 July 1920, 100,000 Danes celebrated the historic event together with the King, Queen Alexandrine and Queen Louise on the former battlefields at Dybbøl. There the King was handed over the last Dannebrog flag, which was taken down in Sønderborg in 1864.

King Christian X crossed the border in 1920 on his horse. There he was praised by over 100,000 Danes who considered their King as the symbol of freedom. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

The Danish ethnic minority in Southern Schleswig has existed by this name since 1920. Denmark has continued to support the minority financially. Danish schools and organisations have operated in Flensburg since 1920. The population was on 60,000 Danes in 1995 and having been reduced to 50,000 in 2001. The Danes in Schleswig-Holstein are represented by the political party SSW who has three seats in the state parliament and a number of seats in the municipal councils.

Royal Central will keep you updated on this historic visit.

About author

Senior Europe Correspondent Oskar Aanmoen has a master in military and political history of the Nordic countries. He has written six books on historical subjects and more than 1.500 articles for Royal Central. He has also interview both Serbian and Norwegian royals. Aanmoen is based in Oslo, Norway.