It was one of those September mornings when the wind was still and the temperature had crawled up above 20 degrees. From the Royal Yacht Dannebrog, The Queen waved back to the people who had lined up on the Langeland bridge or along the coastline. Followed by a tail of small boats in the South Funen Archipelago, the Dannebrog was on its way into the harbour in Rudkøbing. Here, the year’s last visit would begin in a few moments.
During the visit in the Municipality of Langeland, The Queen visited, among other places, the Langelandsfort Cold War Museum and, in the operations bunker, was shown a plot map of the Baltic Sea. On the second day, The Queen visited the islanders on Strynø.
An old tradition
The Royal Yacht Dannebrog was built during the years 1931-1932 and serves to this day as the official and private residence for The Queen during summer cruises in Denmark or on official overseas visits. The tradition of summer cruises is carried on from King Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid, who in the same manner visited Danish towns and regions on the Royal Yacht.
In the fall of 2016, the book “Kongeskibet Dannebrog” was published including pictures from life aboard ship. In the foreword, The Queen articulates the special delight the Royal Yacht gives rise to when it sails or comes alongside the quay:
”A ship such as Dannebrog stirs up memories for everyone who has been on board and among the many who wave to us along the coastlines and from other ships on the sea. It is clear that Dannebrog is special not only to us, but also to many Danes.”
The Royal Yacht plays an important role in the visibility of the monarchy across the country when it goes alongside the quay in numerous Danish port towns, where it is possible for the monarch and the royal family to have direct contact with the local population.
From Lolland farming to the Faroes
Upon sailing into Rudkøbing on the Royal Yacht Dannebrog, The Queen was met by thousands of townspeople with flags in their hands and music at the harbour.
Ahead lay visits to four other municipalities in June. The first took The Queen to the Municipality of Lolland, where The Queen stopped by the organically-operated manor Knuthenlund. Here, The Queen saw their black-and-white Danish-breed pigs and was shown how to grind flour on wooden mills.
In Municipality of Varde on the second day, The Queen saw the plans for the German refugee cemetery and the future refugee museum in Oksbøl.
During the year’s second summer cruise in September, The Queen went to the municipalities of Odsherred, Favrskov and Langeland. Here, The Queen visited, among other places, the nursing home Bobjergcentret, which operates on the “Eden Alternative Philosophy”, Favrskov Gymnasium and the nursery Knud Jepsen, which is the world’s largest producer of the plant kalanchoe, also known as “burning love”.
In 2016, The Queen also used the Royal Yacht Dannebrog in connection with the visit to the Faroe Islands, where a wide-ranging programme included the distinctive nature and culture of the Faroes. The Dannebrog first dropped anchor at the island Suduroy, which is the southernmost island of the Faroes. Afterwards, the tour went on to Tórshavn, where The Queen was greeted at the quay, before sailing on to the fifth largest island, Sandoy.
The Royal Yacht has visited the Faroe Islands and Greenland several times, and as The Queen writes in her foreword to the book “Dannebrog”:
“Even though the view always changes, from small Danish islands and harbours to a look at icebergs in a Greenlandic fjord or past a green rocky coastline in the Faroes, Dannebrog has always been like a home for me.”
Summer cruises
The summer cruises come together in close cooperation between the organisers, which are the State Administration, the municipalities visited and the Royal House. After an invitation is received from a municipality, the planning gets underway. It involves the Captain of the Royal Yacht, who plans the sailing route, and the municipality to be visited as well as the State Administration, which plans the programme in cooperation with the Royal House.
