The Icelandic state visit is the first incoming state visit for The King and The Queen and the first outward-bound state visit for the newly elected Icelandic President. The state visit emphasises the historical ties and the close relationship between Denmark and Iceland.

During the visit, the Presidential Couple will be accompanied by a business delegation with a focus on strengthening of Danish-Icelandic cooperation and on shared ambitions on the broad sustainability agenda. In addition, there will be a joint focus on technological solutions in connection with digital and green transformation.

Programme

Tuesday, 8 October

Arrival at the North Custom House
10:00
The King and The Queen welcome the President of Iceland, HE Halla Tómasdóttir, and her husband, Mr. Björn Skúlason, at the North Custom House in Copenhagen, where the Presidential Couple arrive by boat. 

Also present are, among others, Minister for Transport Thomas Danielsen, Minister for Cities and Rural Districts, Minister for Ecclesiastical Affairs and Minister for Nordic Cooperation Morten Dahlin and Denmark’s Ambassador to Iceland, Erik Vilstrup Lorenzen.

After the greeting, The King and The Queen ride together with the Presidential Couple by coach to The Citadel, escorted by the Guard Hussar Regiment’s Mounted Squadron.

Wreath-laying ceremony at The Citadel
10:20
The King and The Queen and the Presidential Couple take part in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Monument at The Citadel.

Official reception at Amalienborg
10:50
The King and The Queen and the Presidential Couple ride by coach from The Citadel to Christian VII’s Palace at Amalienborg, escorted by the Guard Hussar Regiment’s Mounted Squadron.

Visit at Jónshús
11:55
The King and The Queen and the Presidential Couple visit Jónshús, which is an Icelandic cultural centre in Copenhagen. In the ceremonial hall, The King and The Queen and the Presidential Couple meet, among others, Icelandic women from the women’s organisations Foreningen af ​​Kvinder i Erhverv i Danmark (FKA-DK) and young Icelandic businesswomen in the North from the organisation Katla Nordic as well as representatives from the Icelandic parliament, Altinget. The director of Jónshús, Halla Benediktsdóttir, escorts The King and The Queen and the Presidential Couple through the exhibition “Jón Sigurdsson’s home”, and the guestbook is signed.

During the visit at Jónshús, The King and The Queen and the Presidential Couple participate in a luncheon.

Visit at the Danish Parliament
13:45
The Presidential Couple meet with the Speaker of the Danish Parliament, Søren Gade. In the Conversation Room, the Presidential Couple greet members of the Danish Parliament, after which the Presidential Couple sign the guestbook and see the exhibition of Danish constitutions.

Visit at The Arnamagnæan Collection
14:35
The King and The Queen and the Presidential Couple visit The Arnamagnæan Collection at the University of Copenhagen. The King and The Queen and the Presidential Couple are greeted by, among others, Rector Henrik C. Wegener, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities Kirsten Busch Nielsen and the leader of the Department of Nordic Studies and Linguistics, Anne Jensen.

The Arnamagnæan Collection is a collection of manuscripts that can be dated back to the Middle Ages. Today, the manuscripts are used to conduct research in, among other things, textual and linguistic studies within older Nordic languages.

Associate professor Annette Lassen introduces The King and The Queen and the Presidential Couple to the manuscript “Reykjabók”. After the presentation, The King and The Queen and the Presidential Couple visit the safe where The Arnamagnæan Collection is kept.

Visit at CopenHill
15:55
The Presidential Couple visit the waste-to-energy plant CopenHill. Amager Ressourcecenter’s Managing Director Jacob H. Simonsen gives the Presidential Couple a tour around the facility, and, along the way, they cross “the Star Wars bridge”. The visit concludes at the top of CopenHill with a view over Copenhagen.

Meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence
17:15
The Presidential Couple meet with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Troels Lund Poulsen at the Ministry of Defence. 

State dinner at Christiansborg Palace
20:00
The King and Queen host a state dinner at Christiansborg Palace in honour of the Presidential Couple with the participation of HRH Princess Benedikte, the government, representatives from the Danish and Icelandic business sectors, representatives from culture and sport, the Icelandic delegation, representatives from the Court, and others.

At the state dinner, there will be speeches by The King and The President.

Wednesday, 9 October

Visit at State of Green
08:10
The Presidential Couple visit State of Green, which is a public-private partnership between the Danish government, relevant companies and key players in the energy sector. State of Green works to make Denmark a pioneering country in green growth and to make Denmark independent of fossil fuels by 2025.

Business conference at the Confederation of Danish Industry
08:55     
The King and The Queen take part together with the Presidential Couple in the opening of a business conference at the Confederation of Danish Industry, where His Majesty and The President give speeches by way of introduction. After a panel debate on “Energy and Geopolitics”, State of Green and Green by Iceland sign an agreement.

Also taking part at the conference are, among others, Iceland’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Þórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörð Gylfadóttir and Denmark’s Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities Lars Aagaard.

Visit at Copenhagen Business School (CBS)
09:55
The Presidential Couple visit Copenhagen Business School, which is Denmark’s fourth largest university with approximately 20,000 students. During the visit, The President gives a speech and meets with some of the many Icelandic researchers and students at Copenhagen Business School. 

Business luncheon and conference at the Confederation of Danish Industry
12:00
The Presidential Couple take part in a business luncheon followed by the conference “Iceland and Denmark’s Path to Shared Success” at the Confederation of Danish Industry. Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities Lars Aagaard also participates.

The King and The President participate in a roundtable discussion at Icelandic ambassador’s residence
14:00
The King and The President pay a visit to the Icelandic ambassador’s residence, where The King and The President participate in a roundtable discussion with representatives from the business community. Also taking part during the visit are, among others, Iceland’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Þórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörð Gylfadóttir and Minister for Cities and Rural Districts, Minister for Ecclesiastical Affairs and Minister for Nordic Cooperation Morten Dahlin.

Visit at Too Good To Go
14:05
The President’s husband, Mr. Björn Skúlason, visits the company Too Good To Go, which has existed since 2016 and works to combat food waste by helping food businesses with selling their surplus food.

Reciprocal arrangement at the North Atlantic House 
17:30
The Presidential Couple hold a reciprocal arrangement at the North Atlantic House with the participation of The King and The Queen as well as Princess Benedikte.

Also taking part at the arrangement are, among others, Iceland’s ambassador, Pétur Ásgeirsson.

Thursday, 10 October

Official farewell
09:15
The King and The Queen bid farewell to the Presidential Couple in Christian VII's Palace at Amalienborg, where window panes will be signed.