The Danish King's "inheritance" trip

King Frederik X of Denmark is making his first foreign visit as King, a three-day trip to Poland. An unconventional trip…

King Frederik X of Denmark (left), and Polish President Andrzej Duda during a meeting in Warsaw, January 31. (Source: AP)

This is quite an interesting move by the Danish Royal Family. According to tradition, after ascending the throne, the Danish King usually makes his first foreign trip to visit a neighboring Scandinavian country, Sweden or Norway. At the same time, that first trip is usually accompanied by the Queen.

However, King Frederik's first foreign trip was not as usual. The King visited Poland and the Queen did not accompany him.

Continuing tradition, increasing innovation

According to Danish media, this trip by King Frederik X - who ascended the throne on January 14 after Queen Margrethe II, 83 years old, unexpectedly abdicated after 52 years on the throne - is to promote Copenhagen's anti-climate change policies, increase economic cooperation and visit Danish soldiers serving in NATO forces in Poland.

More importantly, the King's trip to Poland was made because it was planned before Queen Margrethe II abdicated to Crown Prince Frederik. Observers believe that, therefore, this is only a "legacy" visit, continuing the Queen's unfinished program and not a trip that begins the official agenda of King Frederik X. Therefore, the King's trip to Poland is not considered a state visit and that is why he went alone without Queen Mary - a beautiful Australian woman.

However, accompanying the King on his visit to Poland was still a high-ranking delegation, including Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, Minister of Climate, Energy and Utilities Lars Aagaard, and Minister of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries Jacob Jensen, along with a number of powerful businesses from the "land of the tin soldiers".

Upon arriving in Warsaw, King Frederik X was welcomed by the host country's President Andrzej Duda with royal ceremonies. One of the King's first activities after arriving in Poland on the afternoon of January 31 was to lay flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a memorial to soldiers who died in World War II. The King then met with Polish President Andrzej Duda, met with the Speaker of the House of Representatives and attended a reception at the Royal Palace in Warsaw hosted by President Duda. During the visit, the King also visited NATO's regional headquarters in Szczecin, a city in northwestern Poland.

According to observers, certainly, in addition to economic cooperation and climate change issues, which King Frederik is a strong supporter of, the conflict in Ukraine and continued support for Kiev may also be discussed by both sides during this visit to Poland. Since the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine, Denmark and the Netherlands were the first two countries to send advanced F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine and pledged strong military and financial support to Kiev.

In the economic field, in Warsaw, King Frederik X and President Duda witnessed the signing of a number of agreements, including a project to reuse heat generated by the Warsaw metro line to convert it into energy for the city's heating system. Speaking in the Polish Parliament earlier, King Frederik said that the Danish-Polish relationship would be strengthened through close cooperation in the field of renewable energy in the coming years.

“Renewable energy, sustainable production and new technology are at the core of our shared vision for the future, bringing benefits to a safe and prosperous world not only for today but also for future generations,” the King affirmed.

The young king’s statements on renewable energy cooperation with Polish leaders are well-founded because Denmark is one of the countries that is very strong in developing renewable energy as well as implementing Copenhagen commitments. In Denmark, more than 50% of the country’s electricity is provided by wind and solar power while the most widely used renewable energy source in this small Scandinavian country is bioenergy.

King Frederik X was given a red carpet welcome by host country President Andrzej Duda with royal ceremonies.

Image building

Like King Charles III of England, King Frederik has always been a supporter of modern ideas, especially when it comes to combating climate change. The 55-year-old Danish king has always been interested in science, technology, innovation and especially environmental issues. In 2000, the then Crown Prince Frederik went on a four-month expedition to Greenland and the Arctic, a trip that he later described as having changed his views on the global climate crisis forever.

Since then, King Frederik has attended numerous climate summits at the United Nations and major international organizations. He is seen as the public face of Denmark’s efforts to promote sustainable energy, and supports green science research projects, either as a patron, explorer or through his Kronprins Frederiks Fond charity. King Frederik is also one of the authors of the book “Polartokt Kongelig”, published in 2009, about the climate challenge with a foreword by the late UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

Pernille Almlund, professor of communication at Roskilde University in Denmark, said that a modern royal family cannot separate itself from climate issues when building its public image.

And, in this aspect, it can be seen that the former Crown Prince Frederik and the current King are doing a very good job of building the Royal “brand” in the eyes of the public, both domestically and abroad.

And with such goals, although it was only a "succession" trip, it can be seen that the Danish King's visit to Poland this time achieved its goal. It was truly a "two-for-one" trip, both preserving the Royal tradition and taking the opportunity to build the image of a new dynasty in Denmark.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/chuyen-di-thua-ke-cua-nha-vua-dan-mach-259668.html