Dutch Princess Margriet visiting birthplace, attending tulip festival while in Ottawa

Prime Minister Mark Carney, right, meets with Princess Margriet of the Netherlands, centre, and her husband Pieter van Vollenhoven in his West Block office during an official visit in Ottawa on Thursday, May 7, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

OTTAWA — 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

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press