Kongehuset.dk
Comparison between the old coat of arms (left) and the new one (right)
The Danish royal family’s new emblem gives more details to the territory of Greenland, which is being interpreted as a message to Donald Trump that the island is not for sale.
In a decision that caught historians by surprise, King Frederik X of Denmark changed the Danish royal coat of arms to highlight Greenland and the Faroe Islands.
The change, which replaces the centuries-old symbol of the three crowns with a polar bear and a ram, reflects the king’s commitment to highlighting all of Denmark’s territories, in the midst of geopolitical tensions caused and Donald Trump’s greed for Greenland.
This is the first significant change to the royal emblem since Frederik’s accession on January 14, 2024, following Queen Margaret’s abdication. The new design, officially revealed by the royal family, highlights the importance of Denmark’s autonomous regions in the kingdom. The three crowns, a legacy of the Kalmar Union between Denmark, Norway and Sweden (1397-1523), were considered “no longer relevant”, signaling a decisive break with the past.
The update comes at a time of tense relations between Greenland and Denmark. Greenland’s Prime Minister Múte Egede recently accused Denmark of genocide because of the forced contraception programs of the 1960s and 1970s. In his New Year’s speech, Egede reiterated Greenland’s desire for independence, referring to the “colonial-era shackles“.
To further complicate the situation, the president-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, has publicly expressed his interest in purchasing Greenlandhaving even suggested resorting to force to guarantee annexation . Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., also recently visited the island, although he did not meet any political officials.
The removal of the three crowns elicited mixed reactions. For more than 500 years, crowns have symbolized Denmark’s ties with Sweden and Norway within the Kalmar Union. Dick Harrison, a history professor at Lund University in Sweden, described the decision as “a sensation,” noting that the symbol endured major historical changesincluding territorial losses and German occupation during the Second World War, says .
The new coat of arms highlights a polar bear to Greenland and a ram for the Faroe Islands, noting the importance of the Arctic to the kingdom. Sebastian Olden-Jørgensen, a historian at the University of Copenhagen, considers this a strategic statement in the context of Greenland’s calls for independence. “The royal house shows that it supports the State’s policy to preserve the unity of the kingdom“, these ao Berlingske.
In his first New Year’s speech, King Frederik also highlighted the unity of the Danish territories, stating: “We are all united and each of us committed to the kingdom of Denmark… We belong to one another.”
The Greenland government has not yet commented on the redesign, but the change has already sparked discussions about Denmark’s historical legacy and its future with its autonomous regions.
