Copenhagen, Jul. 5, (dpa/GNA) – Denmark’s King Frederik X said he had taken Greenland deep into his heart, during a visit to the island territory.
“Can you lose your heart to a people and a country?” asked the monarch during a trip to Greenland at a gala dinner in the capital Nuuk on Thursday evening. “Yes, I can confirm that. Greenland has a very special meaning for my family and for me.”
According to the speech manuscript, Frederik said that experiences from previous trips to Greenland, including a month-long dog sled expedition, had helped prepare him for his time as king.
“Part of the preparation took place in the fjord off Nuuk. Part of the preparation took place on a dog sled in northern Greenland. Part of the preparation took place when I lost my heart to Greenland and the Greenlanders,” Frederik said.
He ascended the throne in January following the voluntary abdication of his mother Queen Margrethe II (84).
Greenland is largely autonomous, but officially belongs to the Kingdom of Denmark. Frederik, his wife Queen Mary (52) and two of their four children, the twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine (both 13), have been guests there for almost a week.
Official appointments in Narsaq and Qassiarsuk in the south of the world’s largest island are planned for Saturday.
The royal family experienced a brief moment of tension in Nuuk. A video published by the tabloid Ekstra Bladet shows how a man in an electric wheelchair suddenly crashed into Mary in a crowd of people. The Danish court said the queen remained standing and was unharmed in the minor collision, as was the wheelchair user.
GNA