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Denmark–United Kingdom relations are foreign, economic, diplomatic, and historical relations between theKingdom of Denmark andUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Both countries share common membership of theCouncil of Europe, theEuropean Court of Human Rights, theInternational Criminal Court, theJoint Expeditionary Force,NATO, theOECD, theOSCE, theUnited Nations, and theWorld Trade Organization. Bilaterally the two countries have a Double Taxation Agreement,[1] and a Voting Participation Agreement.[2] In addition, both countries' royal families are descended from theHouse of Glücksburg.
During theMigration Period, theAngles andJutes migrated from areas in present-day Denmark andSchleswig-Holstein to theBritish Isles in the 5th century AD. In the late 9th century,Danish Vikings conquered and settled large parts of northern and eastern England (the so-calledDanelaw) and left behind many permanent traces of settlement. In the early 11th century, the Danish kingCnut the Great established a “North Sea Empire” by ruling over a united kingdom as king of England, Denmark, and Norway.[3] After the end of Danish rule in England (1042), relations gradually normalized and shifted to trade and dynastic ties. In 1472, theParliament of Scotland absorbed the Lordship ofShetland into theKingdom of Scotland, following the failure to pay adowry promised toJames III of Scotland by the family of his bride,Margaret of Denmark[4] Official diplomatic contacts were documented in thelate Middle Ages; in 1401, for example, QueenMargaret I of Denmark sent a letter to KingHenry IV of England.[5] Early economic ties between the two empires also existed via trade routes across theBaltic andNorth Sea (e.g., as part of theHanseatic League).
Political and family ties intensified in theearly modern period. Both countries underwent theReformation in the 16th century (England becameAnglican, DenmarkLutheran) and at times maintained alliances on a Protestant basis. In 1589, KingJames VI of Scotland (later James I of England) married PrincessAnne of Denmark, which strengthened the dynastic ties.[3] In the 17th century, there were mutual embassies and coalitions, for example in theThirty Years' War, when Denmark and England pursued Protestant interests on the European continent. During theGreat Northern War (1700–1721), Great Britain (inpersonal union with Hanover) and Denmark fought at times as allies against the supremacy ofSweden in the Baltic Sea region. In 1715, Great Britain supported Denmark's claims toSchleswig with diplomatic guarantees, and in 1727 Denmark joined theHanoverian alliance led by Great Britain. To strengthen relations, the British princessLouise (daughter of KingGeorge II) was married to the Danish crown prince (later KingFrederick V) in 1743. In the second half of the 18th century, Denmark pursued a strict policy ofneutrality in European conflicts. However, this Danish neutrality led to growing tensions with the British towards the end of the century.[6]
Peace between Denmark and Great Britain was interrupted during the Napoleonic Wars. Denmark's participation in the anti-BritishSecond League of Armed Neutrality worsened Anglo-Danish relations, and in 1801 a British fleet under AdmiralHyde Parker was sent toCopenhagen where itdefeated the Danish navy; Denmark left the league after learningPaul I of Russia had died. Denmark nonetheless managed to remain uninvolved in the Napoleonic Wars until 1807. The British, who feared Denmark would ally with France, sent a fleet to Copenhagen; after the Danes refused to negotiate, the fleetbombarded Copenhagen and captured the entire Danish fleet so that it couldn't be used by France to invade Britain (as the French had lost their own fleet at Trafalgar in 1805), leading to theGunboat War. The British navy began a blockade of the Danish and Norwegian coasts.[citation needed]
In 1809, Danish forces fighting on the French side participated in defeating the anti-Bonapartist German rebellion led byFerdinand von Schill, at theBattle of Stralsund. By 1813, Denmark could no longer bear the war costs, and thestate was bankrupt. When in the same year theSixth Coalition isolated Denmark by clearing Northern Germany of French forces,Frederick VI had to make peace. Accordingly, the unfavourableTreaty of Kiel was concluded in January 1814 with Sweden and Great Britain, and another peace was signed with Russia in February.[citation needed]
TheTreaty of Kiel transferredHeligoland to Great Britain andNorway from the Danish to the Swedish crown, Denmark was to be satisfied withSwedish Pomerania. But theNorwegians revolted, declared their independence, and elected crown-prince Christian Frederick (the futureChristian VIII) as their king. However, the Norwegian independence movement failed to attract any support from the European powers. After a brief war with Sweden, Christian had to abdicate in order to preserve Norwegian autonomy, established in apersonal union with Sweden. In favour of theKingdom of Prussia, Denmark renounced her claims to Swedish Pomerania at theCongress of Vienna (1815), and instead was satisfied with theDuchy of Lauenburg and a Prussian payment of 3.5 million talers, also, Prussia took over a Danish 600,000 talers debt to Sweden.
After these events, relations improved throughout the rest of the 19th century. In 1863, Danish PrincessAlexandra married the British heir to the throne (later KingEdward VII), which deepened the family ties between the royal houses. During theGerman-Danish War of 1864, Great Britain tried in vain to mediate; ultimately, Denmark was forced to cede the duchies of Schleswig andHolstein toPrussia andAustria.[7]
Denmark remained neutral when Great Britain fought on the side of theTriple Entente against theCentral Powers inWorld War I. After the war, British diplomats supported the1920 referendum that returnedNorth Schleswig (Sønderjylland) to Denmark. InWorld War II, Denmark was occupied by Germany in 1940, with theDanish government-in-exile finding refuge in London. To prevent a German takeover, British forces occupied the DanishFaroe Islands in April 1940[8] andIceland, which was also Danish at the time,[9] in May, promising to protect them until Denmark was liberated. On May 4, 1945, Field MarshalBernard Montgomery announced the surrender of German troops in Denmark. The following day, British units entered Copenhagen to cheering crowds, ending five years of occupation.[10]
After 1945, British-Danish relations developed within a framework of partnership based on mutual alliances. Both countries were founding members of NATO in 1949 and worked closely together in the Western Alliance during theCold War. Denmark joined theEuropean Free Trade Association (EFTA) together with the United Kingdom in 1960. In 1973, Denmark and the United Kingdom jointly joined theEuropean Community (EC).[11] In the decades that followed, both countries were seen as pro-Atlanticism andEurosceptic; they often pushed for cautious integration and transatlantic cooperation within the EU. Like the UK, Denmark had a lot of reservations about deepening the EU and got opt-outs (for example, from themonetary union). London and Copenhagen worked closely together on security issues. Denmark participated alongside the UK in several international military missions, such as theKosovo War in the 1990s and thewar on terror. In particular, Denmark supported the US- and UK-ledcoalition of the willing in 2003 and sent a frigate, a submarine, and around 400 soldiers to theIraq War. Denmark noted with regret theBrexit referendum in 2016 and the subsequentwithdrawal of the United Kingdom from the EU in 2020, as it meant that an important partner was leaving the EU.
The2021 Baltic Sea incident was between British and Danish boats.[12]
In June 2023, the foreign ministers of both countries signed a joint declaration in London to further expand cooperation after Brexit. This agreement provides for a deepening of the partnership in areas such as foreign and security policy, economics, science and technology, migration, and the energy transition.[13]
Economically, the United Kingdom and Denmark have been closely intertwined since the 19th century. By 1900, Great Britain was already one of the most important markets for Danish agriculture: around 90% of Danish meat exports (mainlyham andbacon) went to Great Britain at that time, accounting for around a fifth of total Danish exports. Danish butter and "Danish bacon" gained such a good reputation in the United Kingdom that they maintained a significant market share well into the 20th century.[14] Since joining theEuropean Single Market in 1960, economic relations have deepened and diversified even further. The UK has become one of Denmark's largest export markets (ranked fourth in 2021 with a share of approximately 6% of Danish exports).[15] Conversely, Denmark is only a medium-sized trading partner for the much larger United Kingdom, but is one of the most important Nordic supplier countries there (ranked 23rd in British foreign trade, accounting for around 1% of total UK trade volume in 2024).[16]
Both countries also invest heavily in each other – there are numerous British company branches in Denmark and vice versa. Denmark and the United Kingdom work closely together in the energy sector: Danish companies are playing a leading role in the expansion of Britishoffshore wind (for example, the Danish companyØrsted supplies electricity to millions of British households with theHornsea 2 offshore wind farm in the North Sea).[3]
The historical and cultural ties between the British and Danish people are manifold. Both monarchies are linked by several dynastic marriages and originate from theHouse of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, which is why the royal families of both countries still maintain close relations today. There is a mutual presence ofexpat communities in both countries, which contributes to cultural exchange: an estimated 30,000 Danish citizens live in the United Kingdom, while around 19,000 Britons reside in Denmark.[17][18] Denmark is one of the countries with the highest level of English proficiency, which facilitates the reception ofBritish culture—British music, literature, and media have a broad following in Denmark. At the same time, Danish culture and lifestyle are attracting interest in the United Kingdom: in the 2010s, the Danish concept ofhygge (cosiness) also gained popularity in Great Britain, and Danish companies expanded into the British market with design, gastronomy and fashion. London is home to Danish bakery chains and annual cultural festivals showcasing Danish cuisine and traditions.[3] There are also close ties in sports—especially infootball, where several Danish football players (e.g.,Christian Eriksen andRasmus Højlund) have played in England, andEnglish football is very popular in Denmark.
Danish forces fought alongsideBritish forces in operations inIraq and they continued this cooperation inAfghanistan. Denmark and United Kingdom work closely together oncounter-terrorism issues.[19]
In 1961, a maritime dispute over fishing rights off theFaroe Islands, led to theRed Crusader incident.[20][21]
QueenMargrethe II of Denmark paidstate visits to the United Kingdom in April/May 1974, and in February 2000.[22] QueenElizabeth II of the United Kingdom paid state visits to Denmark in May 1957, and in May 1979.[23]
On 19 August 2010,Danish Prime MinisterLars Løkke Rasmussen visitedLondon, to meetBritish Prime MinisterDavid Cameron.[24]On 1 October 2022, British Prime MinisterLiz Truss welcomed Danish Prime MinisterMette Frederiksen to10 Downing Street.[25]
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