Her Royal Highness Princess Margriet of the Netherlands and her husband, Professor Pieter van Vollenhoven, came to Burlington on Tuesday, May 16, 2017 as part of their official visit to Canada from May 13 to 16, 2017. Princess Margriet and Professor van Vollenhoven spoke with Burlington elementary students involved in the Mundialization committee's Apeldoorn art and letter exchange program and high school students from Burlington that connect with Apeldoorn students and exchange visits to learn more about each other's culture and history. The princess was born in Ottawa in 1943 and has kept her ties to Canada over the years. She and her husband live in Burlington's twin city of Apeldoorn in the Netherlands.
The official visit to Canada was to deepen and foster the valuable friendship between Canada and the Netherlands and to remember the anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands by the Canadian Armed Forces during Second World War. Mayor Goldring hosted the princess and her husband at a number of events in her honour.
Burlington Performing Arts Centre
- A private visit with local students, including an Apeldoorn and Burlington student artwork display
- Viewing of Candafest video created for the Apeldoorn event
Accompaniment to Apeldoorn Park
- Her Royal Highness and the Professor were accompanied down Elgin Street to Apeldoorn Park by the Burlington Teen Tour Band.
Apeldoorn Park
- A tree-planting ceremony and plaque unveiling with greetings from Mayor Goldring and Princess Margriet
Photo Gallery: Princess Margriet Apeldoorn Park will appear here on the public site.
Royal Botanical Gardens
- Burlington Teen Tour Band and Burlington Concert Band performances
- Local students sharing veterans stories of WWII
- Students speaking to what they will remember from the war and liberation
- A reception with local veterans
- The Brant Street Pier was lit orange during the evening of the official visit.