Dutch Princess Margriet visiting Ottawa this week

Princess Margriet of the Netherlands is in Ottawa this week, where she plans to visit her birthplace and attend the Canadian Tulip Festival.

The Dutch princess and her husband Professor Pieter van Vollenhoven met with Prime Minister Mark Carney today, who thanked the princess for her lifelong commitment to Canada and the friendship between the countries.

Princess Margriet will also visit the Canadian War Museum today, where she will take part in a wreath-laying ceremony and visit an exhibit on the liberation of the Netherlands during the Second World War.

This weekend, she will go to the Canadian Tulip Festival, which was founded to celebrate the Dutch royal gift of tulips and commemorates the Ottawa birth of Princess Margriet, the only royal ever born in Canada.

The princess was born in January 1943 at what was then the Ottawa Civic Hospital, which she plans to visit during her trip.

While in Ottawa, the princess will also attend events held by Dutch Ambassador Margriet Vonno and Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand, visit the Canadian Museum of Nature, meet with veterans and visit Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 7, 2026.

By Catherine Morrison | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.