Macon attorney Christopher Smith, the honorary consul of Denmark in Georgia, has been appointed as a Knight of the Order of Dannebrog for his faithful service to the Danish government.
Denmark’s queen, Margrethe II, appointed Mr. Smith to the order, which was established in 1671 and is named for the Danish national flag, the Dannebrog. According to Danish legend, the red and white flag dates back to 1219 when it was adopted following a battle with the Estonians. It remains in use today.
Mr. Smith told Global Atlanta that he was informed of the honor through the Danish embassy on Feb. 17. The knighthood, he added, may be extended to honorary consuls following a period of at least nine years of service.
He has made a dozen visits to Denmark and often gives lectures about the country and is involved in activities of Georgia’s Danish communities. Most recently, he hosted in Macon a reception Feb. 6 honoring a portrait of Denmark’s crown princess, Mary, which was painted by the Athens, Ga.-based artist Stan Mullins, a friend of Mr. Smith’s since their days as undergraduates at the University of Georgia.
Mr. Mullins was inspired to paint the portrait of the crown princess upon learning from Mr. Smith that Andy Warhol had done portraits of her mother-in-law, Margarethe II. The crown princess is the wife of Frederik, crown prince of Denmark, heir apparent to the throne of Denmark. When Frederik inherits the throne, Mary will automatically become queen consort of Denmark.
The couple met at a pub in Sydney when the prince was visiting Australia during the 2000 Summer Olympics. Their wedding three years later was the subject of extensive attention from Australian and European news media, which portrayed the marriage as a modern “fairytale” romance between a prince and a commoner.
Although not born into nobility, the crown princess often is cited as the most fashionably dressed of young royals throughout the world. A map of Denmark is incorporated in the painting. along with flowers representing the Danish realm including the daisy, the national flower, the buttercup of the Faroe Islands and the niviarsiaq of Greenland.
“We have over 200 years of friendship and interaction in the fields of commerce, science, educational, athletic and artistic exchange between Georgia and Denmark,” Mr. Smith said of Denmark’s relations with the state, citing the opening of a consulate in 1802. “Danish companies employ over 1,000 Georgians and bi-lateral trade is strong”.
Mr. Smith, a graduate of the Mercer University Walter F. George School of Law, established in 1993 his private practice focused on civil matters including business and personal injury law. He was appointed Denmark’s honorary consul in 2006.
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