Next spring in Madrid there will be a new garden of white and orange tulips thanks to , daughter of the kings and Máxima of the Netherlands. The 20-year-old heir to the Dutch throne donated the flowers in gratitude for the hospitality of the Spanish capital during the period in which she studied at the University of Amsterdam from Madrid, when the princess had to move to Spain due to the
The flower planting ceremony was presided over last Monday, November 11, by the mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, together with the ambassador of the Netherlands in Spain, Roel Nieuwenkamp. During the inauguration of the garden, in the area of the Plaza de Oriente closest to the Teatro Real, the mayor of the capital reproduced the words of gratitude of the , who could not be present at the event. “Due to special circumstances, I had the privilege of residing for a year in your beautiful Madrid. The warmth with which I was received made me consider Madrid my home for a while, which is why I want to show my deep gratitude to the city, its inhabitants and all those who made it possible.”
During the last months of 2022, Amalia from Holland did not develop a normal life in the Netherlands due to the . The country’s intelligence then discovered some encrypted messages about an alleged attack or kidnapping of the crown princess and its protection was reinforced. Due to this situation, she was unable to move with some friends to an apartment in the center of Amsterdam that her parents had rented for her new university years. And after an organized crime group in his country linked to drug trafficking and human trafficking, he had to reside for a year, 2023, in Madrid incognito and study his degree in Politics, Psychology, Law and Economics from the Spanish capital. . A circumstance that was not known until some time later.
Although the presence of the Dutch princess in Madrid had been commented on in the Spanish media, it was always believed that these were sporadic getaways, not a move. Amalia’s true situation was not revealed until last April when, during a , King William Alexander revealed in his speech during a gala dinner that his first-born daughter had lived secretly in the Spanish capital for a year. A matter that was kept secret with the complicity of the Kings – Philip VI is one of the godfathers of the Dutch monarch’s first-born daughter. “Last year, circumstances caused [nuestra hija mayor, Amalia] resided in Madrid. From there he was able to continue his studies at the University of Amsterdam. All of this was possible thanks to the affectionate dedication of a large number of your fellow citizens and their majesties,” said William of Holland. In addition, he described it as “moving evidence of friendship.”
During her stay in the Spanish capital, the National Police deployed a device to protect the princess, who lived in a central Madrid neighborhood under strict surveillance by agents from the Organized Crime Unit and the Central Special Protection Brigade.
Now, the Madrid City Council has added, it is the one that thanks the capital for its welcome with this donation. “It is a small sample of the beautiful flowers of the Netherlands, so that they can shine in the beautiful Plaza de Oriente,” adds the young woman in the note she sent for the garden presentation ceremony. Furthermore, she hopes that this offering of flowers representative of her country “will bring a little extra color to Madrid, especially in spring, in the same way that she received everything that the city generously gave her.”
The tulips will bloom next spring, in a corner of the central Plaza de Oriente, adding a symbol of friendship in the heart of Madrid and remembering the princess’s silent stay in the capital. And the flowers will become a tribute to the historical and cultural ties that evoke the special connection between both nations.
The princess herself has never given many details about what her life was like in Madrid, “I’ll be honest: I’m still having a very bad time. “I miss the life of a student, walking down the street, entering a store without problems… and I hope things change as soon as possible,” he said after a trip he went with his parents.
