[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1991, Book I)]
[February 20, 1991]
[Pages 162-164]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Toasts at the State Dinner for Queen Margrethe II of Denmark
February 20, 1991

    The President. Prince Henrik, and ladies and gentlemen, it is indeed
a pleasure for Barbara and me to salute Queen Margrethe II, the heir to 
a thousand-year-old monarchy and the head of state of our very close 
friend and ally Denmark.
    We honor her tonight as a superb queen and ruler. And yet we also 
honor her as an artist, translator, and scholar whose work aptly 
reflects the civilized and humane qualities of the Danish people.
    And we also welcome and honor this evening Prince Henrik, our very 
special guest, an accomplished and energetic man whose contributions in 
business and in the environment and in charitable work have brought 
great credit to Denmark from all around the world.
    We've been delighted that Her Majesty and the Prince Consort have 
chosen to send their sons Crown Prince Frederik and Prince Joachim to 
travel and study in our country. In fact, we take it as a great national 
compliment that Prince Henrik, who owns a vineyard in France, sent the 
Crown Prince to study and work at a California winery. [Laughter] Very 
broadminded Prince we have here. [Laughter]
    And from her birth during the darkest days of World War II, when she 
was seen as a symbol of hope for a nation under occupation, Queen 
Margrethe has been a source of inspiration to her country. She 
personifies the spirit of the Danish people, their courage during World 
War II, their many achievements today, and overall, their love of 
freedom.
    Throughout its history, Denmark has been a guardian of liberty in 
both peacetime and war. Since President Jefferson and King Christian VII 
first established diplomatic relations, our nations have jointly 
fostered the liberty which sets and keeps men free. We saw that in World 
War II when Denmark smuggled virtually all of its Jews to freedom and 
when, even under occupation, almost your entire Danish merchant fleet 
willingly helped the Allies.
    And tonight, your Navy and ours sail together in the Gulf. And this 
time we stand together against another brutal dictator, against another 
aggressor. Your Majesty, I am very proud that tonight with us is not 
only General Powell, who you met--the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, but 
also the two ranking enlisted men in both our Navy and our Army, Master 
Chief Petty Officer Bushey and Sergeant Major of the Army Gates. And 
they and their colleagues from all our services are doing a superb job, 
just as your military people aboard your vessel are.
    And I must tell you, Your Majesty, that our country is united behind 
them totally today, exactly as we were united in World War II. And 
patriotism is high here now--and for our purpose, you see, is clear and 
our mission is just. And we are going to prevail. And your forces and 
ours will guarantee that the torch of freedom will illuminate Kuwait.
    Thirty-one years ago, one of Denmark's greatest leaders, your 
father, said it best: ``Let us unite,'' said King Frederik in a toast to 
President Eisenhower, ``in the hope that

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the torch of freedom which we received from our fathers may also 
illuminate the path of our descendants for generations to come.'' And in 
that spirit I ask all of our guests tonight to raise their glasses to a 
third century, a third century of Danish-American friendship; to the 
peace we seek to win, the peace we intend to keep; and especially to Her 
Majesty and His Royal Highness and what they symbolize both for Denmark 
and to the United States and for the entire world.
    To your health, Your Majesty.
    Queen Margrethe. Mr. President, Mrs. Bush. The Prince Consort and I 
are deeply moved by the warm words of welcome which the President of the 
United States has just addressed to us and by the friendship towards 
Denmark which he has so beautifully expressed.
    We are very much aware that our first state visit to the United 
States coincides in time with a serious war involving American forces as 
well as forces from many other nations under the auspices of the United 
Nations. We all hope that the suffering and the sacrifices of the war, 
brought into every home and all too vividly impressed on every mind by 
modern means of communication, will lead to respect and furtherance of 
the ideals of the United Nations.
    Mr. President, the position of your office is unique among heads of 
state, not only because the United States is a world power but because 
the President is obliged to lead his country and fulfill his duties 
under the constant eye of the public--indeed, in the glare of global 
publicity.
    You have impressed us all, Mr. President, by the way in which you 
perform your functions in the face of these demanding conditions, 
dedicated to your high office and conscious of its obligations. You have 
come across as a man of integrity and a fellow human being not only to 
your own people but to so many others as well. And nobody can fail to 
notice the warm relationship and the personal support that you receive 
from Mrs. Bush.
    The United States of America belongs to what is known as the New 
World, and that is the way you often like to characterize yourselves. 
But anyone who, like myself, has visited your country in 1976 when the 
American people celebrated the bicentennial is also aware of the long 
and proud tradition which you have established and that you so rightly 
cherish.
    The Declaration of Independence and the American Constitution were 
directly inspired by political and philosophical thought as expounded by 
enlightened circles in Europe of that day. But the American contribution 
was unique. It kindled that spark which sooner or later gave rise to 
constitutional reform in countries all over Europe, including Denmark. 
The ideas of a just and humane society that caused such profound changes 
more than a century ago have never lost their relevance nor their 
impetus.
    They lie behind the charter of the United Nations, and they have 
been reaffirmed in a number of international instruments for the 
protection of human rights. Only recently we have seen how people in 
Eastern Europe, under an intolerable pressure, found strength precisely 
in those values and ideas in order to realize their hopes for a better 
existence. Indeed, did not an echo of the opening words of your 
Constitution ring through their streets: ``We, the people.''
    The ideals which inspired the Founding Fathers of the United States 
are as challenging today as they were more than 200 years ago. They are 
an everlasting spur to us all who try to follow them and to see them 
implemented. Sometimes we may almost despair of living up to them in 
practice. But we should never forget that they are ideals--and ideals 
are never attained though we constantly attempt to fulfill them.
    Generations of Americans and generations of Danes have lived in that 
attempt. Sometimes we've felt that we did succeed. Sometimes we've 
seemed to have fallen far, far short. Maybe those shared ideals and 
parallel experiences are part of the reason why we understand each other 
and like each other.
    Ladies and gentlemen, I raise my glass in honor of the President of 
the United States and Mrs. Bush, and drink to the deep and warm 
friendship between our two countries and to the continued prosperity and 
happiness of the people of the United States of

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America.

                    Note: President Bush spoke at 8:15 p.m. in the State 
                        Dining Room at the White House. In his remarks, 
                        he referred to Prince Henrik, the Queen's 
                        husband, and her sons, Crown Prince Frederik and 
                        Prince Joachim; President Saddam Hussein of 
                        Iraq; Colin L. Powell, Chairman of the Joint 
                        Chiefs of Staff; Duane R. Bushey, master chief 
                        petty officer of the Navy; and Julian Gates, 
                        sergeant major of the Army.