A memorial to the 11 Royal Guards from Høvelte Barracks who have died in action was unveiled yesterday

Both Queen Margrethe II and Crown Prince Frederik were on hand in Allerød yesterday to unveil the new memorial honouring members of the Royal Danish Guard killed in battle.

The ceremony at Høvelte Barracks in northern Zealand paid homage to the 11 guard members from the camp who lost their lives during international missions.

Bjørn Nørgaard designed the more than two metre-high, slightly tilting, wide column structure, made of granite from the island of Bornholm.

Defence Minister Søren Gade was also on hand yesterday, saying the victims should never be forgotten.

‘It’s moving to see so many of the guards’ relatives here today, and we have suffered and cried with you in your sorrow,’ the minister said at the ceremony.

The monument at Høvelte Barracks serves as a supplement to the memorial statue at the Royal Guard’s headquarters at Rosenborg Palace in Copenhagen, erected in 1958 in memory of the more than 2000 guards who have lost their lives in battle since the regiment’s creation in 1659.

More members of the guard are expected to be included in the additional troop dispatches to Afghanistan scheduled for Monday.