Denmark (royal anthem)
"Kong Christian stod ved højen mast" (King Christian stood by lofty mast)

Words by: Johannes Ewald
Music by: Ditlev Ludvig Rogert
Adopted: 1780

Denmark is one of a handful of nations which have a separate "royal" anthem from the people's "national" anthem. The royal anthem is one of the oldest in the world; adopted in 1780. The lyrics first appear in Johannes Ewald's historical drama "The Fishermen". Special events for the royal house are marked with the royal anthem.

Denmark is also unique in that it and New Zealand are the only two nations in the world with two official national anthems. Officially, "Kong Christian" is both the national and royal anthem and has equal status with "Der er et yndigt land", the national anthem.

Special thanks to: Josh Lim for some of this information.

See also: Denmark, Faeroe Islands, Greenland.