Princess Margriet was born here in Ottawa during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands.
After the war, her mother, Princess Juliana, gifted 100,000 tulip bulbs to Canada in gratitude for the leading role Canadian soldiers played in liberating the people of the Netherlands, and for providing refuge to the Dutch Royal Family.
Every year, the Canadian Tulip Festival serves as a symbol of the lasting friendship between our two nations. It was an honour to meet Princess Margriet in Ottawa today.