Embassy of The Netherlands delivers 100 bouquets of tulips to The Ottawa Hospital
The Embassy of The Netherlands delivered a gift of tulips to the Ottawa Hospital along with a special video message from the Dutch royal family in time for the start of the Canadian Tulip Festival this weekend.
- Sign up now for our daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
Nurses and staff were on hand to accept the delivery of 100 bouquets and spread them throughout the hospital as the Civic Campus prepares to celebrate its 100th anniversary this fall.
In a video message, Princess Margriet of the Netherlands, who was born at The Ottawa Hospital's Civic Campus in 1943, extended her gratitude to Canada, who offered a safe haven to the Dutch royal family during the Second World War and congratulated the hospital for the milestone anniversary.
"Naturally, I have always felt a very strong connection to the country and the city of my birth," Princess Margriet said in a video posted to the Ottawa Hospital's website.
"As a token of her gratitude for Canada's hospitality, my mother presented Dutch tulpius to Canada after the war. A gift, a gesture that has continued every since."
Following her country's occupation by the Nazis, Princess Juliana, future Queen of The Netherlands, accepted an invitation to come to Canada in 1940.
A bouquet of tulips gifted to The Ottawa Hospital in celebration of its 100th anniversary. (The Ottawa Hospital/Handout)
To ensure her newborn Princess Margriet would hold exclusively Dutch nationality, the Canadian government temporarily declared the room where she was born extraterritorial — outside Canadian jurisdiction.
An annual gift of tulips from the Dutch royal family is planted in two flower beds at the Civic Campus and in Commissioners Park. The tulips bloom in shades of pink and purple – Princess Juliana’s favourite colours.
The rest of the tulips around the city are planted and cared for by the National Capital Commission (NCC) and Ottawa residents and businesses.
"We in the Netherlands will always be conscious of the sacrifices made by so many young Canadians. For our sake, for our liberty," Princess Margriet said.
The Canadian Tulip Festival was established to celebrate the Dutch royal family gift of tulips following the war, as a symbol of international friendship and has been held every year since 1953.
The festival will start this weekend from May 10 until May 20.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trump delivers rambling response to his hush money conviction
A day after a New York jury delivered a historic guilty verdict in Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee held a press conference Friday where he spoke publicly about the conviction and his White House bid.
Mediterranean diet helps women live much longer, a large new study finds
Women who closely followed a Mediterranean diet lived much longer than those who did not, according to a new study that followed more than 25,000 women for 25 years.
How did Ontario's bankrupt 'Crypto King' travel the world on Scene+ points?
Newly released documents suggest Ontario’s so-called ‘Crypto King’ paid for months of world travels with $13,000 worth of Scene+ points while bankrupt – but how?
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Solutions coming for piled-up bodies outside Newfoundland hospital
Health officials in Newfoundland and Labrador say they are only weeks away from a solution to move unclaimed human remains out of roadside freezers and into a nearby hospital.
Jurors weigh death penalty after finding Chad Daybell guilty of killing his first wife and second wife's 2 children
A day after delivering a guilty verdict in Chad Daybell’s murder trial, an Idaho jury will reconvene Friday to weigh whether he will face the death penalty.
Actor Nick Pasqual charged with attempted murder after allegedly stabbing estranged girlfriend
An actor who has appeared in film and TV projects like 'Rebel Moon' and 'How I Met Your Mother' has been arrested and charged with stabbing his estranged girlfriend multiple times.
'Unprecedented': Human smuggling from B.C. to U.S. soars, using train, Uber and foot
American prosecutors and law enforcement officers say they're dealing with a huge increase in human smuggling from British Columbia.
The northern lights are returning to night skies across Canada this Friday
If you missed the brilliant displays of the aurora borealis over North America on May 10, you may have another chance to see them on Friday night.