Good evening,

The first time I came to Denmark was when I visited a friend in “Fyn” many years ago. My initial thoughts were that Denmark is quite different from my own country and it made me curious and interested. After getting to know this country better, I discovered that the Danes are very welcoming, active, easy going, happy and proud people with a long history with many traditions…

Today I am a Danish citizen and my role is to represent my new country. As a member of the Danish royal family, I am patron of several organizations and institutions, spanning from humanitarian, cultural, educational and social. Together with those organizations I represent Denmark worldwide and try each time to promote Denmark’s efforts and commitment in many different causes and businesses.

I feel very lucky to be able to use my position to bring visibility and awareness on important issues. I always do my upmost to show the best possible face of our country. One should not underestimate the impact we, as citizens, have on the image of our own country.We all carry out a certain image that mirrors our culture.

I consider myself a global citizen, I have spent most of my life abroad…However, I still have a strong connection to my roots. In that sense, my life is very similar to yours.

When you meet people from different cultures and you experience new ways of thinking, you are enriched with insight and knowledge. I use that knowledge for my own development but also in my work and especially in my role as a representative for Denmark. My knowledge also gives me a global perspective on both France and Denmark. When you see the image of your country from an outside perspective, you learn to appreciate some of the values you might have taken for granted.

When I give a speech abroad and meet up with significant people, I always try to bring forward the things I have learned on my travel through life and across the world, for example that we are all human beings and need to respect each others differences. Those differences are an asset to our society.Those differences are what make us interesting!

In Denmark, we have a proud history and a long tradition of respect and it is the reason why we are where we are now on important subjects such as: equal rights, freedom of speech, tolerance or even on another level the balance between work life and family life. These are values that I always include when possible.

When I meet people outside of Denmark they often tell me positive things about our country, how safe Denmark is and that people are very friendly and open-minded. It makes me feel proud and gives me an insight in how people perceive Denmark.

I am a public figure and a representative for Denmark and you are appointed Goodwill Ambassadors, and are therefore also acting as representatives of Denmark and Copenhagen.

Our role is to promote both our capital and country and to spread the good news. It is to make people realize that our small country is valuable to the world, and that the world is valuable to Denmark.

We can’t be real ambassadors if we are not ambassadors from our hearts!

This country has a significant meaning to all of us. In fact, all Danes and especially those living abroad are ambassadors to Denmark. I find it very important that we all think about this in our daily life when upbringing the next generation. Both Danes in Denmark and Danes living abroad are privileged people and it is important to share our values with our own children as well as with people abroad. 

I believe that we make a difference to Copenhagen and Denmark, and I know that all the work YOU carry out as Goodwill Ambassadors makes a significant contribution!

Thank you