Queen Margrethe received Guðni Thorlacius Jóhannesson, the president of Iceland, and his wife Eliza Jean Reid to Denmark for a three-day state visit that started yesterday.
The queen held an audience for the presidential couple at Amalienborg Castle in Copenhagen.
Following their audience with the queen, the couple visited an Icelandic centre in Copenhagen. Then after a visit to Christiansborg castle the president met with Denmark’s prime minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen.
Sagas for the people
In the afternoon, Guðni presented the queen with a gift for the Danish people, a Danish version of the Icelandic sagas. The sagas are a key source in understanding Viking history in Scandinavia. Queen Margrethe recently received an award for her work to promote Danish and Nordic history.
A dinner in the Icelandic president’s honour was attended by the Royal Family and important government officials.
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Iceland was once part of the kingdom of Denmark. Following Denmark’s occupation by Germany in 1940, Iceland was given responsibility for its own policies and declared itself an independent republic in 1944. Prior to the Occupation, the two countries had been in a union since 1918.
