King Frederick X of Denmark begins his first overseas trip as a monarch with a three-day visit to Poland.
WARSAW, Poland — Denmark’s King Frederik X began his first overseas trip as a monarch on Wednesday with a three-day visit to Poland focused on promoting his country’s business and climate change policies.
Frederick, who was proclaimed king on January 14, received a red carpet welcome at the presidential palace in Warsaw, where he was greeted by Polish President Andrzej Duda and a guard of honor.
Danish monarchs traditionally visit another Scandinavian country first, but Frederik’s visit to Poland was planned before his mother, Queen Margrethe II, abruptly announced her abdication in a New Year’s Eve speech.
Therefore, the king’s trip was not treated as a state guest. He arrived without his Australian-born wife, Queen Mary, at the head of a delegation of government and business officials.
Late on Wednesday, Mr. Frederik laid flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a memorial to soldiers who died defending Poland, and met with Speaker of the House of Commons Seim. He and Duda will attend a banquet at the Warsaw Royal Palace.
Denmark’s foreign minister, defense minister and climate, energy and public works minister were accompanying the king, and representatives of Danish companies were also scheduled to attend the dinner.
On Thursday, Frederic will inspect the signing of an agreement for a project to capture and reuse surplus heat from the Warsaw Metro by sending it to the city’s district heating system. Friday’s schedule includes a visit to NATO’s regional headquarters in Szczecin, a city in northwestern Poland.
In his arrival speech, the King said that relations between Poland and Denmark will be strengthened in the coming years through renewable energy partnerships.
“Renewable energy, sustainable production and new technologies are at the heart of our shared future vision of a safe and prosperous world for future generations,” he said.
Denmark is proud of its commitment to renewable energy. This small Scandinavian country claims that over 50% of its electricity is supplied by wind and solar power. However, the most widely used renewable energy source in Denmark is bioenergy.