While most polls show that the Danes support the monarchy, tourists interviewed next to the official residence of the Danish royal family shared more conflicting opinions.
By Ona Šniukštaitė and Emma Nijs
Rebecca from the United Kingdom said that she understood it’s hard to see the lavish lifestyle of the royal family while others struggle but pointed out that the monarchy brings a lot of money through tourism. “As long as your monarchy is kind to people, then that is good – it brings stability,” she summarized. Another UK native Connor was straightforward with his answer: “It’s a waste of time and money.”
The royal family in the UK is a sore subject for many, but negative opinions on the monarchy were prevalent in countries that did not have them. For example, Maike from Germany was critical of the concept: “I really don’t like the monarchy because they have so much money and – historically speaking – they made a lot of mistakes.”
Steven from Switzerland recognized that monarchies do not always work. According to him, the history of a country greatly affects people’s outlook on the monarchy. But he had positive things to say about the Danish monarchy: “It gives a way for people to unite somehow, and it also brings a lot of money from tourism.”
Scott from Scotland was indifferent on the matter. He recognized that it was a controversial subject, but the monarchy didn’t personally affect him. “I don’t really care to be honest. They don’t affect me; I don’t affect them. If one of them comes and kicks my doors in, then I’ll care. But until that happens, I don’t [care].”
This story is for an audience in Belgium who usually reads articles about Belgian politics and their monarchy on www.demorgen.be.