Trump's Gaze Highlights Greenland's Symbolic Polar Bear
The King of Denmark has unveiled a new royal coat of arms emphasizing territorial sovereignty over the autonomous regions of Greenland and the Faroe Islands. This move is interpreted as a measure to counter Donald Trump, the President-elect of the United States, who has recently shown interest in purchasing Greenland.
On the 6th (local time), the Danish royal family announced on their website, "On December 20th last year, His Majesty the King of Denmark established a new royal coat of arms and accordingly introduced a new royal flag," adding, "The new coat of arms will soon be updated on the English site as well."
Looking at the newly revealed coat of arms, the place where three crowns used to be has been replaced by a larger polar bear. The ram has also been relocated and prominently emphasized. The royal family explained, "The upright polar bear became a symbol of Greenland in the 1960s," and "The ram symbolizes the Faroe Islands." They further added that the three crowns in the previous coat of arms represented the Kalmar Union, a union of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, but since these three crowns are no longer relevant, they were removed.
This change in the royal coat of arms was made following the recommendations of a committee appointed after the accession of King Frederik X in January last year. Since the initial design of the Danish royal coat of arms was established in 1819, the design has been altered four times, including in 1903, 1948, 1972, and now.
Foreign media view the sudden change in the Danish royal coat of arms as closely related to pressure from President-elect Trump regarding the purchase of Greenland. Since his first term in office in 2019, Trump has consistently expressed his intention to buy Greenland. Last month, when nominating the U.S. ambassador to Denmark, he stated, "For national security and global freedom, the United States absolutely needs ownership and control of Greenland," showing his keen interest.
On the same day, AP News reported that Trump's eldest son, Trump Jr., would visit Greenland for one day on the 7th to shoot video content for a podcast, drawing attention. Greenland, located between the Atlantic Ocean and the Arctic Ocean, has a small population of 57,000 but is rich in underground resources such as rare earth elements, oil, and natural gas, and hosts a large U.S. military base.
Conscious of the pressure from President-elect Trump, King Frederik X has emphasized territorial sovereignty from his first speech this year, stating, "We are all united, from the Danish minority in Schleswig located outside the kingdom to Greenland, we belong together."
Lars Hovbakke Sørensen, a Danish royal expert, interpreted the change in the coat of arms as reflecting Frederik X's interest in the Arctic and as a message to the world. He told local broadcaster TV2, "It is important for Denmark to clearly communicate that Greenland and the Faroe Islands are part of the Kingdom of Denmark, and this is not up for discussion," adding, "This is exactly the way to express that."
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