Madrid will bloom with tulips next spring thanks to Princess Catharina-Amalia’s generous gift.
In an Instagram post, the future queen revealed that she had sent tulip bulbs to Madrid as a thank you for housing her while she studied abroad.
The Princess of Orange, a student at the University of Amsterdam, had to withdraw from dormitory living because of threats from organised crime groups in the Netherlands. For a period, the future queen lived at home, but then moved abroad to Spain where she attended class online from a safe distance.
In a note on the Dutch Royal Family’s social media accounts, Princess Amalia wrote: “Due to special circumstances I was allowed to live in your beautiful Madrid for a year. The warmth with which I have been received has made it, for a while, could also become my home. For that I want to thank Madrid, its people and everyone who made it possible. As a result, I’m bringing a piece of Dutch floral splendor to your city at the beautiful Plaza de Oriente. Hoping that, especially in spring, it adds some extra color to life in Madrid, like the city has given me.”
The Dutch Ambassador to Spain, Roel Nieuwenkamp, and the Mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, planted the tulips over the weekend, and they will begin blooming in the spring.
At a state dinner for King Felipe and Queen Letizia in April, King Willem-Alexander praised his Spanish counterparts for helping Princess Catharina-Amalia move to Madrid.
The Dutch king said: “A visit to Spain always feels like a warm abrazo. Not just for us, but also for our eldest daughter, the Princess of Orange… This was made possible by the kind efforts of many of your compatriots and yourselves. A touching demonstration of friendship at a difficult time. I’d like to express my heartfelt thanks to you and everyone else who helped arrange this.”
Princess Catharina-Amalia has since returned to the Netherlands and is in her final year of study for a Bachelor’s degree in Politics, Psychology, Law and Economics.
The future queen only attends high-level engagements, like the Speech from the Throne and King’s Day celebrations while she’s a student, however she did notify Parliament that she plans to begin using her staffing allowance—which she had previously said she would not collect until she completes university—in January 2025 despite not planning to begin full-time royal duties.
