‘You Need to See Your Leader in Times of Crisis’#

While several Greenlanders would have liked the King to have come to visit earlier in the year, the timing is “excellent” according to a former head of department in Greenland.

After a period of increased focus on Greenland, King Frederik X sets foot on Greenlandic soil today and begins a three-day tour of the country.

For many Greenlanders, the visit is much-needed and welcome after months in which the conflict over who should have control of Greenland has only intensified.

Nevertheless, some believe that the King could have come at an earlier time in the current situation.

This is according to Julie Rademacher, who is the representative of Uagut, the national association for Greenlanders in Denmark.

“The King’s visit means a lot to Greenlanders, because they would have liked it to have happened earlier,” she says.

“I actually think that it is a desire that you need to see your leader in times of crisis.”

’Better Late Than Never’#

One of those who has somewhat mixed feelings about the King’s visit is Kunok Kriegl, whom DR meets in Nuuk, where he works at a local school.

He basically believes that it is good that the King is coming to visit, but:

“I am a little sad that he is coming so late. Because it could have been better if he had come while it was still burning, and left a footprint in the snow and shown that he also had an opinion on it—that it should not all be about politics, but that he would also like to have shown some emotion.”

“Because I know how he feels. He would also like to have shown that,” he says.

Another is Paornanguak Berthelsen, who works as a teacher.

She is also happy about the prospect of a royal visit, as it shows “unity” and “sympathy” with Greenland.

But she says about the timing:

“Better late than never. Fortunately, the situation has changed,” she says, elaborating:

“We have lowered our shoulders a little further, but still. There is no solution to it. So I think it is good that he is taking this up.”

Ten Months Since Last Visit#

This is the third time that the King has visited the northernmost part of the Kingdom since he became regent just over two years ago in January 2024.

The last time he visited Greenland was in April 2025.

Here too, the visit came after the unrest that US President Donald Trump created in the population with his repeated statements about control over Greenland.

The King himself has not directly linked the visit to Greenland with the American interest in the island and Trump’s statements.

“We feel very much for the Greenlandic people, and what has happened in Greenland in recent weeks has touched us a lot,” he said during a press conference on a royal state visit to Lithuania in late January, according to Ritzau.

Royal Visit ‘Boosts Morale’#

After the most recent visit, the conflict between the US, Denmark and Greenland calmed down for a period—at least externally.

But a few months ago it flared up again.

Now the intensity has subsided again, but that does not mean that the concern in Greenland has disappeared.

This is emphasized by Kaj Kleist, former director of Greenland’s home rule and head of department in the Prime Minister’s department. Today he is chairman of the association People and Security in Greenland.

He does not believe—like others—that the King’s visit is too late.

“With the speed with which the political system has been running in January and February, he has not had much time to come here either. Therefore, the timing is excellent. It is not too late,” says Kaj Kleist.

“He is not a politician and is not supposed to behave like a politician, so it is very nice that he is coming when things have calmed down a bit.”

Kaj Kleist believes that King Frederik’s visit is helping to “boost morale” among Greenlanders. This is especially true among the older part of the population, who are more loyal to the monarchy than the young.

“The King has a great importance, precisely because he has been involved in using the famous sled dogs in the Sirius patrol, and he has many friends here in Greenland as well,” says Kaj Kleist, referring to when Frederik as Crown Prince completed the 2,500-kilometer sled journey Expedition Sirius 2000.

“He is straightforward and not such a pompous person. But a person who says ‘hello’ and is human like everyone else,” he adds.

The King Travels to Greenland as a Unifying Figure#

King Frederik is in Greenland from Wednesday to Friday. This is in the wake of unrest due to Trump’s statements.

King Frederik will act as a unifying figure for the entire Kingdom of Denmark when he arrives in the Greenlandic capital, Nuuk, on Wednesday morning Greenland time.

That is the assessment of historian Emma Rønberg Paaske.

The King’s frequent visits to Greenland come as a result of the unrest that US President Donald Trump has created among the population with his repeated statements about control over Greenland.

“It is of course important that the King, who is also the King of Greenland, steps up and ensures that everything is as it should be and instills hope in turbulent times,” says Emma Rønberg Paaske.

The royals are limited in terms of acting or expressing themselves politically, as the Danish monarchy is constitutional and therefore does not have real power in the traditional sense.

“But he has what you can call soft power, which means that he can step up and be a symbol of our cohesion in the realm,” says Emma Paaske.

Feels for the Greenlandic People#

The King himself has not directly linked the visit to Greenland with the American interest in the island and Trump’s statements, which is obviously related to the fact that the King cannot or should not carry out political actions on his own.

The relationship between the Greenlanders and the Danish royal family goes back to 1921, when Christian X traveled there on the first official trip, after which successive rulers have had a close relationship with the island.

The Desire for More Attention#

But King Frederik’s is particularly strong.

He has traveled the country sparingly both as a child and an adult. Both in official contexts as Crown Prince and King, as a naval officer in 1996 on the inspection ship Vædderen, and not least when he completed the 2,500-kilometer sled journey Expedition Sirius 2000.

According to Emma Rønberg Paaske, he is the regent who has had the closest ties with the Greenlanders.

“It is certainly an advantage, because he knows the country and the Greenlandic people,” she says, emphasizing that he is enormously loved by the Greenlandic population.

Greenland Cannot Be an Independent State#

It is important to have a Greenlandic point of view on the current geopolitical situation, says co-founder and former chairman of Inuit Ataqatigiit and long-time president of the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC), Aqqaluk Lynge, who is among the speakers at the Future Greenland business conference in May.

Aqqaluk Lynge was a co-founder of the Inuit Ataqatigiit (IA) party in 1976 and a member of the Greenlandic Parliament and the Minister for Housing and Infrastructure (1984–88).

Back in 2023, Aqqaluk Lynge warned Greenlandic politicians in a sensational column in Sermitsiaq against seeking further independence for fear that Greenland would then be swallowed up by a larger power.

In the past year, Aqqaluk Lynge has toured the world’s media with the message that Greenland is not in a constitutional crisis, and that Greenland is already part of a commonwealth with Denmark and the Faroe Islands.

“An independent Greenland is the same as a power vacuum in the Arctic, and that cannot be accepted by the USA. Therefore, the only way forward for Greenland is to stand clearly and distinctly with Denmark. It is within the framework of the Commonwealth that we can talk about Greenlandic self-determination,” says Aqqaluk Lynge, who believes that it is important that we are realistic in our view of our own strength and capabilities.

“We are only 57,000 people, and we lack both capital and labor to build an independent state. In terms of education, we are also in a difficult place, because there are too many young people who are not in work or in education.”

Forgiving Centuries of Violence#

“We must fight the forces that constantly pull us back in time and talk about how we have been treated badly. I have noticed that many in the younger generation have a tendency to take over the traumas of the older generations. We must stop doing that.”

“We cannot build a society on being victims. We must focus on the fact that we have been given real opportunities within the Commonwealth to retain our language and culture and to build our own society centered on Christian values that go back several hundred years.”

“We have created the Greenlandic society ourselves—in cooperation with Denmark. There is no other place in the world where an indigenous people—a previously colonized population—governs their own country as we do. We should be grateful for that, and we should build on that,” says Aqqaluk Lynge.

Denmark’s Financial Aid to Greenland Has Not Increased Since 2009#

According to Aqqaluk Lynge, however, a conversation should be initiated with Denmark about an increase in the block grant, which has been frozen since 2009. In reality, this has meant that the country is short of money year after year.

“We do not have the capital needed to run a society. The same money becomes less valuable as the years go by. I believe that when we are part of a Commonwealth, there are also some common expenses that must be paid by Denmark. And there is no doubt that savings have been made in many places, including on defense and security, and that there is a need for the Greenlandic business community to be involved in the defense’s future task solving in Greenland and the Arctic.”

Recruitment of Labor#

According to Aqqaluk Lynge, we also need to look at how we can get the business community into a higher gear and attract more labor from outside without affecting our social structure.

“You must always be aware that when we are such a small population, we can quickly become a minority if, for example, a large mine is opened, where several thousand workers are to be brought in from outside. Many small projects are better than a few large-scale projects.”

Increased Cooperation with the EU#

Closer cooperation must be established with the EU and countries such as France and England, which have already shown interest in protecting Greenland’s right to self-determination, says Aqqaluk Lynge.

“But right now everything depends on the agreement that ends up being concluded between the USA, Greenland and Denmark. We risk being tied hand and foot by the USA. And I am worried about whether this is a slow takeover process of Greenland. If the US midterm elections end up being canceled by the president, then we know that the dictatorship has begun in the USA, and then there is no way back for Greenland.”

The World Is With Greenland#

However, Aqqaluk Lynge is full of admiration for the young generation of politicians, who manage to stay the diplomatic course in the midst of a raging geopolitical storm.

“I would like to give the young generation of politicians a big pat on the back. I don’t think I would have been quite so diplomatic if I had been facing President Trump. They are doing well, and have my full support.”

And according to Aqqaluk Lynge, we are in a better place today than we were six months ago.

“The world is with us. You would rather protect a small people like us than a madman in the most powerful country in the world.”

Source:

• DR (in Danish)
• KNR (in Danish)
• Sermitsiaq (in Danish)