History

Established by King Christian IX, this medal has no official statutes, and is therefore awarded at the monarch's discretion. In previous years, it has commonly been awarded to recognize individuals who have rendered loyal work for the same private employer (excluding self employment and volunteer work) for 40 years and are now unemployed, and individuals who have been working for 50 years.

Since the reign of King Frederick VIII this medal has often been used for the same purpose as the Royal Household Medal.

The first time this medal was awarded to a woman was in 1877.

This medal may be worn with the same ribbon as the Order of the Dannebrog.

The rim of the gold medal is engraved with the recipients name and only in exceptional cases, the silver medal is engraved as well.

Since 1922, during the reign of King Frederick IX, the gold medal may haven been awarded in silver gilt, with and without a crown, to individuals who have rendered services to the King himself as well as rendered services to the Royal Family.

During the years 1889-1906, four new versions of the medal were created. The smaller gold medal with crown, smaller gold medal without crown, smaller silver medal with crown and smaller silver medal without crown. It is not certain whether these versions were awarded to a specific group of people due to the lack of statutes.