“Forbundne, forpligtet, for kongeriget Danmark” (connected and committed to the Kingdom of Denmark) = the “valgsprog” of King Frederik X
Welcome to the first newsletter of 2024! We started the new year with a royal surprise: the voluntary abdication of Queen Margrethe II, a first in modern Danish history. This led to the succession of King Frederik X to the throne of Denmark last Sunday, January 14 (there is no coronation ceremony). With the ascension of Queen Mary, the world’s first Australian-born queen, it’s clear that nothing is impossible for internationals living in Denmark.
Since Sunday, Denmark has experienced royalist mania. In the past, being a royalist represented a political choice, while today it’s just a manifestation of Danish identity. The Royal House has become a symbol of Danish culture. No wonder that tens of thousands of people filled the streets of Copenhagen to witness the succession, or that the king’s manifesto, “Kongeord,” has sold 25 books per minute since its launch.
While we celebrate the new era, the Ølst village (Randers) risks disappearing from the map as a landslide of 3 million cubic meters of contaminated soil moves slowly (30-40 cm per hour) towards them. The company responsible, Nordic Waste, filed for bankruptcy. The state has allocated 205 million DKK to stop the environmental disaster.
Thank you for reading Last Week in Denmark!
P.S. Remove ice and snow from your car’s windows! You risk losing your license otherwise!
Word of the Week
“Valgsprog” = the chosen words of the monarch that illustrate the main values they want for the country. In the past, the king’s words were used on coins (in Latin). In business terms, you can see it as a mission statement.
Resource of the week
If you want to share a valuable resource (book, movie, website, location, podcast, etc.) for your fellow internationals, please write to us at lastweekdk@gmail.com
On this occasion, we also want to welcome the Italian version of the newsletter. You can subscribe here. The team is led by Martino Torrone and Chiara Marmugi and they still have open positions – lastweekindenmarkit@gmail.com
