King Frederik reminisced on long Scandinavian winters of his childhood at the Finnish State Banquet Tuesday evening.

And in his reminiscence, he shared how Queen Margrethe would read stories of the Moomins—a popular series centred on Finnish/Swedish cartoon trolls that resemble hippos—to him and Prince Joachim.

“In one of the books, ‘Winter Moomin’, Moomin wakes up from his winter sleep and cannot fall back asleep,” he shared. “Winter is foreign to him, and he feels lonely and scared. But he slowly gets to know the cold season, finds pickled berries from his hiding places and ends up with this realisation when he meets the first crocus of spring: ‘Let it cope as best it can. I think it will cope better if it is allowed to have a little trouble.’”

The King used this metaphor to back into an affirmation about Denmark and Finland’s shared goal for peace in Europe and peace in Ukraine. “In a troubled time, we must cope as best we can. We do this by standing together. By strengthening the alliance between friends and like-minded people.”

King Frederik and Queen Mary arrived in Finland on Monday and officially began their State Visit on Tuesday morning; their first visit to the country since their accession in January 2024.

“Finland and Denmark are part of the same family. We are Nordic brothers and sisters. And even though we don’t share a border, we share values ​​and views on humanity,” The King said. “We recognize something of ourselves in each other, and our two peoples top the list of the happiest in the world. We have much in common and much to be happy about.”

The King and Queen will visit Helsinki and Uusimaa during their State Visit, which concludes on Wednesday. The program, in response to the uncertainty in Europe and Ukraine, focused on “defense and emergency preparedness” and “joint focus on culture, health and the green transition.”

On Tuesday, King Frederik and Queen Mary carried out engagements in Helsinki; the King meeting with government officials and the Queen visiting a children’s hospital. In the afternoon, they visited the Riksdag and the Merihaka civil defence shelter before laying a wreath at the Danish memorial for soldiers killed in the Winter War, the Heroes’ Grave, and at the grave of Marshal Mannerheim at Hietaniemi Cemetery.

“We are incredibly happy to be here and to have the opportunity to experience some of all that Finland has to offer. It gives us confidence in the future,” King Frederik said on Tuesday evening.

On their final day in Finland, King Frederik and Queen Mary will visit the Espoo Museum of Modern Art, the Arkki School of Architecture for Children and Youth, Aalto University, Porkkala Garrison, attend a seminar on green financing at Fiskars, and host a return reception at Finlandia Hall.