After the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday 8th September, Nordic heads of state, on behalf of their nations, have been sending letters of condolence to King Charles III…
Xander Brett
The world is in mourning, and the death of Queen Elizabeth on Thursday has spread, despite preparation, quite understandable shock to every corner of the globe. The Commonwealth’s longest serving monarch, the Queen was a regular visitor to the Nordic countries. She was, indeed, related back and forth to the Scandinavian royal families: second cousin to King Harald V of Norway, and third cousin to Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.
Norway was one of the Queen’s first foreign trips as a reigning monarch, visiting Oslo from 24th to 26th June 1955. She visited Sweden a year later, and would go on to revisit Norway in 1981 and 2001, and Sweden in 1983. The Queen visited Denmark in 1979, and toured Finland in 1976 and Iceland in 1990. Norway would repay the honour by visiting the Queen in 1962, 1988 and 1994, Sweden visited in 1954 and 1975, Denmark in 1974 and 2000, and Finland in 1969.
Queen Elizabeth II with other European monarchs during her Golden Jubilee in 2002
Soon after the Queen’s death, announced at 18:30 from Balmoral, tributes poured in from Nordic heads of state. Norway, Sweden and Denmark’s monarchs paid tribute to her long reign, with Denmark’s Queen Margrethe writing to King Charles to send her prayers. The presidents of Finland and Iceland also thanked the Queen for her devotion, with Finland’s president saying, “she witnessed and shaped history like few others”.
These statements confirm, as a monarch for all seasons, and for all countries, Queen Elizabeth will be both fondly remembered, and sorely missed, in this corner of northern Europe. The Nordic countries join the world in mourning, and in hoping for a prosperous reign under King Charles.
This article is a Fika Online exclusive.
Fika 