The curious tale of the Danish royals, the British soldier and a horse called Lillebror

As Queen Margarethe steps down, Caroline Jones recalls how Denmark expressed its gratitude to her grandfather

During the second world war, Richard Dewing made a trip from his home in England across the North Sea to become the allies’ head of mission to Denmark. His goal? To prevent the occupied country, which had been neutral until the Nazis invaded in 1939, from turning into a battlefield.

Maj Gen Dewing liaised with locals, kept the peace, became friendly with the Danish royal family and, upon hearing that surrender was imminent, helped mastermind the liberation of Denmark.