When The King and The Queen open a two-day visit in Finland at the beginning of March, Their Majesties will be welcomed by the Finnish President and Mrs. Innes-Stubb and together take part in a number of visits in the Finnish capital region.

Denmark and Finland have a close collaboration based on shared Nordic values and a common history. The state visit thus marks the strong ties between the two countries as Nordic neighbours and the close partnership across historical, political and cultural areas.

The visit will also highlight the close Danish-Finnish cooperation on current challenges and in the UN, EU, the Nordic region, and now also as allies in NATO. Among other things, the programme will focus on defence and societal resilience. There will be several business elements attached to the programme, and a shared focus on culture, health and on how to support the green transition.

The King and The Queen will be accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Troels Lund Poulsen, Minister for Foreign Affairs Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Minister for Environment and Gender Equality Magnus Heunicke and Minister for Resilience and Preparedness Torsten Schack Pedersen, all of whom will take part in various activities during the state visit.

 

PROGRAMME

The programme may be subject to changes. 

Tuesday, 4 March

Official welcome at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki
The King and The Queen arrive at the Presidential Palace, where The King and The Queen are welcomed by The President of the Republic of Finland, Alexander Stubb, and his spouse, Mrs. Suzanne Innes-Stubb.

Upon the arrival at the Presidential Palace, the Danish and Finnish national anthems will be played. The King and The Queen will greet the Finnish delegation, and the Finnish President and Mrs. Innes-Stubb will correspondingly be introduced to the Danish delegation. The King and The President will inspect the guard of honour.

Welcoming reception at the Presidential Palace
The King and The Queen and The President and spouse take part in a welcoming reception in the Yellow Room, where The President proposes a toast to welcome Their Majesties. The King and The Queen and The President and Mrs. Innes-Stubb greet the public from the Presidential Palace’s balcony. Afterwards, The King and The Queen sign the guest book, and official gifts will be presented.

The Presidential Palace was built in 1845. From 1919 until 1993, the Presidential Palace was the official residence for the Finnish president, and the palace’s rooms are now used for official representation and other purposes.

Delegation discussion in Dining Hall
The King and The President participate in a delegation discussion in the Dining Hall together with, among others, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Troels Lund Poulsen, Minister for Foreign Affairs Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Finland’s Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen and Finland’s Minister of the Interior Mari Rantanen.

Visit at Helsinki New Children’s Hospital
The Queen and Mrs. Innes-Stubb visit Helsinki New Children’s Hospital.

The hospital was opened in 2018 and is the largest children’s hospital in Finland. The hospital treats patients from all around Finland, from new-borns to 15-year-olds for complicated paediatric illnesses. During the visit selected areas of expertise will be demonstrated. There is existing cooperation and knowledge-sharing between Rigshospitalet and the New Children’s Hospital.

The hospital has won both the Finlandia Prize for Architecture in 2018 and the Grand Prix Award of the International Sound Awards in 2019.

Signing ceremony in Hall of Mirrors 
Following the delegation discussion, The King and The President attend a signing ceremony in the Hall of Mirrors, where the defence ministers of Denmark and Finland sign a Memorandum of Understanding on bilateral defence cooperation.

Luncheon at Helsinki’s City Hall
The King and The Queen and The President and Mrs. Innes-Stubb take part in an official luncheon at City Hall, hosted by the Mayor of Helsinki Juhana Vartiainen.

Visit at Parliament of Finland 
The King and The Queen and the accompanying Danish ministers will meet with the Speaker of the Parliament of Finland Jussi Halla-aho, the two deputy speakers as well as the chairs of the parliamentary groups in the Finnish Parliament. Afterwards, The King and The Queen sign the guest book.

During the visit, The King and The Queen and the accompanying Danish ministers will also participate in a discussion with the Speaker of the Parliament of Finland and selected members of the Finnish parliament.

Meeting with HE The Prime Minister of Finland Petteri Orpo
HE The Prime Minister of Finland Petteri Orpo and Mrs. Niina Kannianen-Orpo will receive The King and The Queen at Kesäranta, which is the Prime Minister’s official residence. Kesäranta is located in the Meilahti neighbourhood in Helsinki, overlooking the bay Seurasaarenselkä. During the visit, The King and The Queen and the Minister for Foreign Affairs will also take part in an informal discussion with the Finnish Prime Minister and his spouse.

Kesäranta was built in 1873 and was originally the summer residence of the Finnish architect Frans Ludvig Calonius.

Visit at Merihaka civil defence shelter
The King and The Queen visit the Merihaka civil defence shelter together with The President and Mrs. Innes-Stubb as well as Minister for Resilience and Preparedness Torsten Schack Pedersen, among others. Their Majesties are welcomed by the Helsinki City Rescue Department’s Rescue Commander, Jani Pitkänen, and the Mayor of Helsinki Juhana Vartiainen, after which they are taken on a tour of the shelter.

The shelter is a part of Finland’s civil defence and serves as protection for the residents of Helsinki during crises but is also used in peacetime for recreational purposes such as sports activities.

During the visit, The King and The Queen will start a floorball match between school children from the two Finnish cities Turku and Kuopio in the context of the Cities for Better Health network, focusing among other things on sporty and healthy urban living environments for children.

Wreath-laying ceremony at Hietaniemi Cemetery
Late in the afternoon, The King and Queen pay a visit at Hietaniemi Cemetery. At the Square of Heroes, Their Majesties will first lay a wreath at the Hero’s Cross, after that a wreath at Marshal Mannerheim’s grave and, finally, a wreath at the monument honouring Danish volunteers who fell during the Winter War in 1939-1940.

State Banquet at the Presidential Palace
The King and Queen participate in a State Banquet at the Presidential Palace in the State Hall hosted by The President and Mrs. Innes-Stubb.

There will be speeches by The President and The King during the gala dinner.

Wednesday, 5 March

Visit at Espoo Museum of Modern Art (EMMA)
The King and The Queen and The President and Mrs. Innes-Stubb visit EMMA and are welcomed by Museum Director Pilvi Kalhama. During the visit, The King and The Queen are given a tour of the museum and will open a permanent display with 15 paintings by the Danish artist Poul Gernes.

Poul Gernes (1925-1996) is internationally recognised for integrating art into public spaces – especially his work with decorating buildings with large, colourful murals and mosaics.

Visit at Arkki School of Architecture for Children and Youth
The King and The Queen and The President and Mrs. Innes-Stubb visit Arkki School of Architecture for Children and Youth, which has the goal of introducing children and young people to the world of architecture in a creative and educational way. Principal Jaana Räsänen welcomes the visitors.

The teaching methods at Arkki are practically oriented and include projects in which children and young people work to create their own simple design projects to more complex topics in the areas of urban planning, architectural design and sustainability.

During the visit, some of the school’s students display their projects for The King and The Queen and The President and Mrs. Innes-Stubb.

Visit at Aalto University
The King and The Queen and The President and Mrs. Innes-Stubb visit Aalto University and are received at the Micronova building by the university’s President, Ilkka Niemelä. Their Majesties will be introduced to the university’s work, including Finland’s first quantum computer and satellite projects. Their Majesties and The President and Mrs. Innes-Stubb will also witness the signing of a Letter of Intent between the Niels Bohr Institute and Aalto University.

During the visit, The King and The Queen and The President and Mrs. Innes-Stubb will also see the university’s Ice and Wave Tank, which is the largest of its kind in the world, presented by laboratory manager Otto Puolakka. Their Majesties and The President and Mrs. Innes-Stubb will also meet a small group of Danish students who study at the university.

Seminar about green financing followed by a business luncheon
The King and The Queen and The President and Mrs. Innes-Stubb take part in a seminar about how to finance the green transition at the Fiskars headquarters in Helsinki. Upon arrival, The King and The Queen will be received by, among others, Fiskars President and CEO Nathalie Ahlström and Chairman of the Board of Directors Paul Ehrnrooth.

Afterwards, The King and The Queen and The President and Mrs. Innes-Stubb will participate in a luncheon where Danish-Finnish business partnerships will be highlighted.

Visit at the Porkkala Garrison in Upinniemi
The King and The Queen visit the Porkkala Garrison together with The President and Mrs. Innes-Stubb. The base is the Finnish navy’s largest by the Gulf of Finland and consists primarily of the coastal brigade and a special operations detachment.

The visit marks the many new opportunities for defence cooperation between Denmark and Finland after Finnish NATO membership. During the visit, Finnish combat diving capabilities and an example of Finnish – Danish defence industrial collaboration in the form of Finnish military vehicles with a Danish-produced tower (ring mount) will be displayed.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Troels Lund Poulsen, Minister for Foreign Affairs Lars Løkke Rasmussen, and Minister for Environment and Gender Equality Magnus Heunicke will participate in the visit

Reciprocal arrangement in Finlandia Hall 
The King and The Queen will host a reciprocal arrangement in Finlandia Hall with the participation of The President and Mrs. Innes-Stubb. The King will deliver a short welcoming speech, and there will be a cultural program, including musical features by the Copenhagen Boys’ Choir and the Finnish boys’ choir Cantores Minores.

At the reception, Denmark’s ambassador to Finland, Jakob Nymann-Lindegren, and the accompanying ministers will also take part, among others.

Finlandia Hall is an iconic building designed by the Finnish architect Alvar Aalto.