Fifty-two years ago, a grieving daughter stood on the balcony at Christiansborg, stepping into her destiny as Denmark’s first modern queen.
There, she partook in a tradition dating back 500 years: she announced her royal motto: “Guds hjælp, folkets kærlighed, Danmarks styrke,” which translates to “God’s help, the people’s love, Denmark’s strength.”
A royal motto is a short mission statement of the new monarch’s values and ideals, and serves as a way for the people to understand the guiding purpose of their reign. In olden times, these mottos were once struck on coins, but the practice has been abandoned in modern times.
Queen Margrethe gave a short accession speech that reflected on the late King Frederick IX’s 24-year reign and how she would need the help of God and the Danish people to “lift the heavy inheritance” of the Crown.
“May the trust that was shown my father, also be mine…It is that support which will make it possible for me to carry out my deed as Queen of Denmark. That will be the quest of my life and in that I will dedicate all my work and strength.”
She then uttered her now-famous royal motto: “God’s help, the love of the people, the strength of Denmark.”
The tradition of a royal motto dates back to the 1400s within the Danish Royal Family; the first known motto came from King Christian I, whose motto was “Dyden viser vejen,” or “Virtue leads the way.”
The first King Frederick’s motto was “Intet uden Gud” or “Nothing without God” and nearly every motto has incorporated religion. For example, King Frederick IX’s motto was “Med Gud for Danmark” or “With God for Denmark.”
Royal mottos are most common in the Scandinavian monarchies. King Harald’s motto is “Alt for Norge” or “All for Norway,” which has been the royal motto of every Norwegian monarch since the country achieved independence in 1905 and has since become a symbol of national unity in the aftermath of the Second World War.
In Sweden, King Carl XVI Gustaf uses “För Sverige–i tiden” or “For Sweden—with the times” as his motto.
Crown Prince Frederik—soon to be King Frederick X—will require his own royal motto, one that is unique to his own morals and values; and it is expected that he will announce his motto on or before his accession on January 14th 2024.
