King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima appeared at Remembrance Day, an event that was held without an audience. They placed a wreath and marked two minutes of silence to honor the Dutch lives lost in World War II and all conflicts that have occurred since.
The Danes are celebrating 75 years since the liberation of the country after World War II. Queen Margrethe marked the event by laying wreaths at Mindelunden, a large burial ground where many of those who fought in the resistance are buried. The Queen was described as “visibly moved”.
Her grandfather, Christian X, was considered a wartime symbol of courage and remained highly visible to the Danish public. He appeared in public, without guards, riding his horse through Copenhagen almost daily. In 1943 he was placed under house arrest, and Crown Prince Frederick was declared regent. Queen Alexandrine and Crown Princess Ingrid provided consistent support to the crown, projecting public calm while the country was underattack.
The Danes have reason to be proud of their country during the German occupation. The government protected most of their Jewish population through 1943 with a series of negotiations and policies. The Danish populace also showed great courage during the historic evacuation of 7,200 Jews across the Baltic to neutral Sweden.