Donald Trump’s ambition to buy Greenland took a dent after the Danish king appeared to send a coded message that the territory is not for sale.

King Frederik changed the royal Coat of Arms to amplify the significance of Greenland, represented by a polar bear. The emblem shows two men holding a shield which itself holds four symbols, including the bear.

The new version makes the animal bigger and more prominent, indicating Frederik anticipates the island will remain a Danish territory in the future.

Why It Matters

Frederik’s move sets him at odds with Trump, who in December said The king’s message to the incoming president follows earlier comments by Greenland’s prime minister suggest it is not for sale.

However, is , suggesting his father is unlikely to tone down his rhetoric on the subject any time soon.

What To Know

The coat of arms always contained a picture of a polar bear, long said to have represented Greenland.

However, it previously had to share its quarter of the shield with a ram, to represent the Faroe Islands, and three crowns to represent the Kalmar Union between Denmark, Norway and Sweden, The Guardian reported.

Now though, the polar bear has its quarter of the shield all to itself while the ram gets another quarter and the crowns have been removed altogether.

Had Denmark anticipated losing a battle of wills with Trump over Greenland, then an update to the Coat of Arms would have been a useful moment to quietly drop the bear.

Giving the arctic predator a new, more prominent position therefore appears to signal the opposite—that the king expects Trump to fail in his bid to buy the territory.

What People Are Saying

In December, Donald Trump signaled his strength of feeling over Greenland on Truth Social: “For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.”

“Greenland is an incredible place,” he later added. “And the people will benefit tremendously if, and when, it becomes part of our Nation. We will protect it, and cherish it, from a very vicious outside World. MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN!”

Greenland’s Prime Minister Múte Egede responded: “Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale. We must not lose our long struggle for freedom.”

Dick Harrison, a history professor at the Swedish University of Lund, told The Guardian the three crowns symbol had survived multiple wars, including Nazi occupation and added: “From the point of view of history, the fact that King Frederik X has decided to remove the symbol is a sensation.”

The king himself last week said in a new year speech: “We are all united and each of us committed for the kingdom of Denmark. From the Danish minority in South Schleswig—which is even situated outside the kingdom—and all the way to Greenland. We belong together.”

What Happens Next

Trump Jr.’s visit to Greenland will likely renew the diplomatic tensions, with the Danish government confirming his arrival was expected but adding that it was “not an official American visit,” the Independent reported.

Williams Brown is chief royal correspondent for Regalrumination.com, based in London. You can find him on X, formerly , at and read his stories on Regalrumination.com‘s

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