Their Majesties the King and Queen of Denmark pay state visit to Finland

Their Majesties King Frederik X and Queen Mary of Denmark payed a state visit to Finland on 4–5 March 2025 at the invitation of President of the Republic of Finland Alexander Stubb.

The aim of the state visit was to further consolidate and deepen cooperation between Finland and Denmark, both bilaterally and as members of NATO. The visit covered issues such as defence, societal resilience and the green transition.

President Stubb and his spouse Suzanne Innes-Stubb received the King and Queen at an official welcoming ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki on Tuesday 4 February.

After the ceremony, the delegations of the two countries held formal talks at the Presidential Palace. The discussions focused on bilateral relations between Finland and Denmark, Nordic cooperation, the security situation in the Baltic Sea region and support for Ukraine.

The discussions were followed by a signing ceremony in the Hall of Mirrors, where a Memorandum of Understanding between the Finnish and Danish Ministries of Defence on bilateral defence cooperation was signed. At the same time, the two countries signed a Letter of Intent on enhanced cooperation in the field of civil preparedness and resilience.

Their Majesties’ programme continued with a luncheon hosted by Mayor Juhana Vartiainen at Helsinki City Hall, a visit to Parliament and a meeting with Speaker Jussi Halla-aho, followed by a meeting with Prime Minister Petteri Orpo and his spouse Niina Kanniainen-Orpo at the Prime Minister’s official residence Kesäranta.

In the afternoon, the Royal couple and the Presidential couple were introduced to the Finnish model of civil protection and community preparedness at the Merihaka civil defence shelter. In the late afternoon, the King and the Queen paid a visit to the Hietaniemi Cemetery and attended a wreath-laying ceremony.

In addition to the joint programme, Her Majesty Queen Mary visited the New Children’s Hospital with Mrs Suzanne Innes-Stubb.

In the evening, President Stubb and Mrs Innes-Stubb hosted a gala dinner at the Presidential Palace. Guests were entertained by the Guards Band, the Guards Quintet, the a cappella group Club for Five, and a pianist from the Navy Band.

Culture, technology and national defence

On the morning of Wednesday 5 March, the King and the Queen, together with the President and his spouse, visited EMMA, the Espoo Museum of Modern Art, and the Arkki School of Architecture for Children and Youth.

The programme continued with a visit to Aalto University and a presentation of research and companies in quantum and space technology, as well as a demonstration of the Aalto Ice and Wave Tank, designed to test ships and other maritime structures in ice conditions.

In the afternoon, the Royal couple and the Presidential couple attended a seminar on green financing, bringing together Finnish and Danish investors and companies operating in the value chain of the green transition. The seminar held at Fiskars Group headquarters included lunch.

Later in the afternoon, there was a visit to the main base of the Coastal Brigade in Upinniemi and a presentation of maritime surveillance, combat diver training and armoured personnel carriers.

The visit concluded on Wednesday evening with a reception hosted by the Their Majesties the King and Queen of Denmark at Finlandia Hall in honour of their Finnish hosts.

The King and Queen were accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Troels Lund Poulsen, Minister for Foreign Affairs Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Minister of Environment and Gender Equality Magnus Heunicke and Minister for Resilience and Preparedness Torsten Schack Pedersen.

Former President of the Republic of Finland Sauli Niinistö and his spouse Jenni Haukio last paid a state visit to Denmark in April 2013.