The King and Queen have been invited by HE The President of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda to pay a state visit. There will be particular focus on defence preparedness, including visits with Lithuania’s home guard (KASP) and the voluntary defence force Riflemen’s Union. In addition, The King and Queen and The President will participate in the opening of a business forum focused on energy security and defence. Official programme items include a wreath-laying ceremony at Antakalnis Cemetery, a state banquet, and meetings with The President and First Lady, HE The Prime Minister of Lithuania Inga Ruginienė, and representatives from Lithuania’s parliament. The state visit concludes with visits at a basketball academy and the opening of the exhibition “Friends in Need” at the National Library of Lithuania in Vilnius.

The King and Queen paid the first of three state visits to the Baltic countries in Latvia in October 2025. Denmark has strong historical ties to all three countries and established diplomatic relations for the first time in 1921. Denmark never recognised the Soviet annexation of the Baltic countries and, in August 1991, was among the first to re-establish diplomatic relations following their breakaway from the Soviet Union. The relationship between Denmark and the three countries is characterised by joint interests, mutual respect, and a shared vision of a free, secure and prosperous Europe.

 

PROGRAMME

The programme may be subject to changes.

 

Wednesday, 28 January

Official arrival at Vilnius Airport
13:30
The King and Queen arrive at Vilnius Airport, where Their Majesties will be received by the host delegation and a guard of honour. 

Official welcoming ceremony at the Presidential Palace
15:15
The King and Queen are received by HE The President of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda and First Lady Diana Nausėdienė at a welcoming ceremony outside and inside the Presidential Palace. 

Tête-à-tête meeting at the Presidential Palace
15:40
The King and Queen have a short tête-à-tête meeting with The President of Lithuania and First Lady Diana Nausėdienė.

Expanded meeting between the delegations at the Presidential Palace
16:00
The King continues the official programme in the Presidential Palace with an expanded meeting between the Lithuanian and Danish delegations.

Visit at the Ukrainian Centre
16:05
The Queen, together with First Lady Diana Nausėdienė, visits the Ukrainian Centre in Vilnius. The Ukrainian Centre is a social and cultural meeting place for Ukrainian children and families residing in Lithuania. Through a tour and meetings with the children, The Queen and The First Lady will get insight into the centre’s work with creating normality, joy and community for Ukrainian children and their families.

Meeting with Lithuania’s prime minister
16:55 
The King has a meeting with The Prime Minister of Lithuania Inga Ruginienė.

State banquet at the Presidential Palace
19:30
The King and Queen take part in a state banquet at the Presidential Palace hosted by Lithuania’s President and First Lady. During the banquet, The President of Lithuania will speak first, followed by His Majesty The King’s speech.

Thursday, 29 January

Opening of business forum and visit to the exhibition at the Energy and Technology Museum
10:20
The King and The President each speak to open a Danish-Lithuanian business forum focused on energy, defence, and security as well as space.  During the forum, Danish and Lithuanian companies and stakeholders will present their solutions and cooperation possibilities, after which The King and Queen and The President and First Lady will take part in a tour of the Energy and Technology Museum.

Meeting with the Speaker of the parliament and tour of the parliament 
11:20
The King and Queen visit Lithuania’s parliament, the Seimas, where Their Majesties are received by HE The Speaker of the Seimas Juozas Olekas. The tour will focus on Lithuania’s independence and the historical elements in the building, including the Plenary Chamber where Lithuania declared itself as independent from the Soviet Union on 11 March 1990. The visit concludes at the January 13, 1991 Memorial outside the Seimas.

Wreath-laying ceremony at Antakalnis Cemetery
12:25
The King and Queen participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at Antakalnis Cemetery in memory of the victims of Lithuania’s struggle for independence. The wreath-laying ceremony starts out with a walking tour through the cemetery to the monument to those killed in the fight for Lithuania’s independence, where the wreath will be handed over to two officers, followed by a minute of silence.

Meeting with Lithuania’s National Defence Volunteers and the Riflemen’s Union
13:20 
The King and Queen and The President and First Lady visit Lithuania’s home guard (KASP) and the Riflemen’s Union and meet with representatives from the voluntary defence force. The visit focuses on civil engagement in the defence of democracy and on the close cooperation between the Danish and Lithuanian home guards. The programme includes a short briefing about KASP and the Riflemen’s Union, demonstration of drone training and conversations with the volunteers. 

Visit at the NBA Basketball School
15:00
The King and Queen and The President and First Lady visit the NBA Basketball School in Vilnius, which is a modern training and development school for children and young people, established in cooperation with the NBA and local Lithuanian partners. The school offers NBA-inspired training courses, camps, and tournaments for young people in the 6-18 age range and has the goal of both developing talent and promoting joy of the sport. Basketball has a very special status in Lithuania and is considered as a national sport, and the school plays an important role in strengthening talent development and grassroots sports. 

During the visit, The King and Queen and The President and First Lady will watch young players train and gain insight into the school’s daily work, community and significance for Lithuanian youth sports.

Opening of the exhibition “Friends in Need”
18:00
The King and Queen and The President and First Lady open the exhibition and the programme year “Friends in Need” at the National Library of Lithuania. The exhibition, which focuses on the Danish-Lithuanian friendship, consists, among other things, of the installation “A Fleet of Friendship, Light and Hope”, which consists of lantern ships made by Danish and Lithuanian children and adults.
The exhibition marks the start of a year-long programme celebrating the long-lasting friendship between Denmark and Lithuania. 

Reciprocal reception at the National Library of Lithuania
18:45
The King and Queen host a reciprocal reception at the National Library of Lithuania that marks the conclusion of the state visit. At the reception, Det Unge VokalEnsemble (DUVE), or Copenhagen Young Voices, performs together with the Vilnius Municipal Choir Jauna Muzika.

DUVE is a Danish amateur choir with 24 singers aged 18-35, and the choir’s performances are a part of a parallel musical initiative in Denmark and Lithuania.