The official landing is marked by The Queen and The Prince Consort sailing in a barge past Batteri Sixtus on Holmen, where 27 shots are fired in salute. Before the landing at Toldboden, The Queen and The Prince Consort pass by The Royal Yacht Dannebrog, where the conscripted seamen who have taken part in the summer’s cruises stand on the port side and shout three cheers for The Queen and The Prince Consort.  

On the occasion of the cruise season’s end, The Queen and The Prince Consort host “strygemiddag” (“strike dinner”) for the Dannebrog’s officers the same evening at Fredensborg Palace. The term “strygemiddag” comes from the fact that the command is struck, which is to say that the command flag (the pennant) is taken down from The Royal Yacht Dannebrog, thus marking the end of the season. 

The Queen and The Prince Consort have carried on the tradition begun by King Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid of taking the annual summer cruises to various Danish towns and islands. The tradition goes all the way back to Christian X, who was the first king to make annual cruises in Danish waters an established part of his official program. 

The Royal Yacht is also used for visits abroad. During this year’s Olympic Games, Dannebrog was docked in London. There, the ship was used in connection with the royal family’s presence during the Olympics, and The Queen and The Prince Consort held receptions on the aft deck for, among others, Danish participants in the Olympics as well as British and Danish business and cultural representatives. 

See photos from The Queen and The Prince Consort’s summer cruise, September 2012.

See photos from The Queen and The Prince Consort’s summer cruise, June 2012.

Read more about The Royal Yacht Dannebrog.