After much anticipation, King Felipe and Queen Letizia have arrived in Copenhagen to begin their three-day State Visit to Denmark.
Upon their arrival in the Danish capital, the King and Queen of Spain were welcomed by Queen Margrethe, Crown Prince Frederik, Crown Princess Mary and Princess Benedikte, all of whom were waiting on the tarmac when the State plane touched down.
After listening to the two national anthems, King Felipe and Queen Margrethe reviewed the troops that were lined up next to the red carpet, and then went on to introduce their respective delegations, which include, among others, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and representatives of businesses.
The royals then began their journey to Amalienborg Palace by car. However, the last leg of the journey of Queen Margrethe, King Felipe and Queen Letizia was made in horse-drawn carriages through the centre of Copenhagen. Once at the Palace, King Felipe, Queen Letizia and Queen Margrethe, joined by Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary, held a meeting – but not before posing for the traditional official photograph.
On this occasion, the Danish Royal House revealed through a photograph posted on their Instagram account that the Crown Prince and Princess’ youngest son, Prince Vincent, came to the Palace specifically to welcome King Felipe, who is his godfather.
It was also revealed that, during the meeting, Queen Margrethe awarded both King Felipe and Queen Letizia the Danish Order of the Elephant; this was not a reciprocal move, as Queen Margrethe is already a member of the Order of the Golden Fleece, Spain’s highest order – which she received in her last State Visit to Spain in 1983.
However, King Felipe and Queen Letizia did bring Grand Crosses of the Order of Isabel the Catholic for Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary, as well as other orders for members of the Danish delegation.
After a private lunch, King Felipe made the short walk to Christiansborg Palace, where the offices of the Prime Minister are located. There, he led the Spanish delegation in a meeting with the Danish delegation, spearheaded by Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen.
The last engagement for the day will be the traditional State Banquet at Christianborg Palace, where members of the two delegations, as well as representatives of Danish and Spanish societies will be present.
The State Visit is expected to focus on strengthening bilateral ties, as well as diplomatic and economic relations, with a specific spotlight on issues like energy sustainability, Spanish culture in Denmark and healthcare.
