Danish monarch King Frederik X began his first foreign trip to Poland this week after succeeding his mother, Queen Margrethe II, last January.
According to the Associated Press, Danish monarchs traditionally traveled to another Scandinavian country for their first state visits, but Frederik's visit to Poland was planned before Margrethe's surprise abdication.
This meant that the trip was technically more of a diplomatic visit than a state one, as Frederik's wife, Queen Mary, was not with him for the trip. In her place were several ministers in Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen's cabinet as well as Danish business representatives.
Meanwhile, Frederik's son, Crown Prince Christian, has been named regent of Denmark in his absence for the first time in his reign.
Frederik's 3-Day Trip
Frederik's trip began on Wednesday (Jan. 31) in Warsaw, where he was greeted by Polish President Andrzej Duda and an honor guard. He also laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and attended an evening dinner at the Royal Palace alongside Duda.
On Thursday (Feb. 1), He witnessed a signing agreement for a project designed to collect and reuse excess heat from the Warsaw metro by sending it into the city's district heating system, while on Friday, he visited NATO's regional headquarters in Szczecin, a city in northwest Poland.
In his arrival speech on Wednesday, the king said that the diplomatic relations between the Poles and the Danes would be strengthened by renewable energy partnerships in the coming years.
"Renewable energy, sustainable production, and new technologies are at the core of our shared vision for the future, a safe and thriving world for future generations," he said.
Denmark is known for its commitment to renewable energy, with the country claiming that over 50% of its electricity is supplied by wind and solar power, but the most widely used source is bioenergy.
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