Editing Solvang, California (section)

===Royal visits===

On April 7, 1939, Danish [[Frederik IX of Denmark|Crown Prince Frederik]] and [[Ingrid of Sweden|Princess Ingrid]] visited Solvang; at the time, a large number of the town's 400 residents were Danish immigrants. They drove through the grounds of Atterdag College and attended a Good Friday service at Bethania Church. The crown prince spoke of their reception favorably: "To find out traditions in our fatherland in new surroundings makes them only more beloved to us. We have been bathed in sunlight ever since we began this memorable day and now we have driven into a bit of Denmark tucked into this beautiful California."{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}

On June 5, 1960, [[Margrethe II of Denmark|Princess Margrethe of Denmark]] paid a visit which included a reception at Palacio del Rio, lunch at Bethania Church and a tour of downtown Solvang. She returned on May 23, 1976, as Queen of Denmark together with her husband, [[Henrik, Prince Consort of Denmark|Prince Henrik]]. After a formal luncheon in the Parish Hall, the couple visited Bethania Church and the Solvang Lutheran Home before greeting residents on Copenhagen Drive. Shortly after her visit, the queen awarded Solvang developer Ferdinand Sorensen the [[Order of the Dannebrog]] for strengthening ties between the United States and Denmark.<ref>[http://www.elverhoj.org/history.html "History of Solvang"] ''Elverhøj Museum'' Retrieved September 12, 2010. Additional details from panels in Elverhøj Museum in September 2010.</ref><ref>William P. Jones,[http://www.dkmuseum.org/fhgc/documents/Danish-American_medals1.pdf "North American Medal Recipient Index (Being a nominal roll of known Americans and Canadians bestowed the Order of Dannebrog and other royal Scandinavian medals)".] Retrieved September 17, 2010.</ref>

During Solvang's centennial celebrations in 2011, the city was visited by [[Friis Arne Petersen]], the Danish ambassador to the United States, and by [[Prince Henrik of Denmark]].<ref>[http://www.newspress.com/"Danish ambassador makes stop in Solvang", ''Santa Barbara News Press''], July 12, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2010.</ref><ref>[http://solvang100.com/events.htm "Solvang Centennial 2011 Calendar"], ''Solvang Centennial''. Retrieved May 26, 2011.</ref>