Royal Aarhus

The sun was shining on Aarhus city centre while thousands of Danish and Australian flags added colour to the sea of people who had come to cheer Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary on one of the last days of July 2004. The festive event was a celebration of Frederik and Mary’s wedding in Copenhagen on 14 May, and in Aarhus the visit was a cause of great joy, confirming that Aarhus is not just the capital of Jutland for Queen Margrethe, but for the entire royal family.

The Crown Prince and Princess travelled in an open carriage from Dannebrog, the royal yacht, which docked at the Port of Aarhus, to the town hall, and were cheered by thousands of onlook-ers. Following the official reception at the town hall, Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary were cheered again as they appeared on the town hall balcony. The crowd was rewarded with a kiss which caused great jubilation. The visit was a tremendous success and drew more crowds than any other such event in Aarhus ever.

Aarhus enjoys a special relationship with the royal family because Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik have established strong family traditions at Marselisborg Slot, a manorhouse originally built as a present from the people to Queen Margrethe’s grandfather and grand-mother, the then Prince Christian and Princess Alexandrine. With very few exceptions, the pre-sent royal family spends its summer holidays at their Aarhus residence, while often also cele-brating Christmas and Easter there.

These visits are greatly enjoyed by the citizens of Aarhus, especially when Queen Margrethe visits, for example, the cathedral, Aarhus Theatre, the Concert Hall Aarhus or the ARoS art museum or strolls down the central shopping street, while tennis enthusiasts can see the prince con-sort, Prince Henrik, at the tennis courts near Aarhus Stadium.

Queen Margrethe’s love of Aarhus stems from her childhood when she spent many holidays with her grandparents at Marselisborg Slot.

It therefore came as no surprise when she later decided to study at the University of Aarhus. Crown Prince Frederik has since followed in his mother’s footsteps, becoming the first academic in the royal family.

The royal family’s long-standing affiliation with Aarhus has entailed many patronages, and Queen Margrethe has opened virtually all the Aarhus festivals. In gratitude of so many years of devoted efforts, a celebration was held for the Queen and the Prince Consort in 1997 to mark Queen Margrethe’s 25th jubilee. This was a festive event which the city was happy to repeat when the Crown Prince presented his Crown Princess on a beautiful summer’s day in July 2004.