THE HAGUE | The King and Queen of the Netherlands expressed regret on Monday for breaking the coronavirus social distancing rule while on vacation on a Greek island, a case revealed by a photo on the internet.
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In the photo, the royal couple appear arm in arm with a man identified by the media as one of the owners of a restaurant on the tourist island of Mykonos.
The photo shows a tousled-haired King Willem-Alexander, dressed in a shirt with rolled up sleeves, a protective mask in his hand. At his side, his wife Maxima, all smiles, is flanked by another man who puts his arm behind her.
The royal couple are thus breaking the rule of social distancing observed in many countries, while the health situation linked to the epidemic continues to deteriorate around the world.
“A photo has appeared in the media on which we keep too little distance. In the spontaneity of the moment, we did not pay attention to it ”, explained in a tweet the king and the queen.
“Of course we should have. Because on vacation, too, compliance with the rules against the coronavirus is essential to defeat the virus, ”they added.
The author of the snapshot, quoted anonymously by the Dutch media RTL Nieuws, explained that the photo was taken in a private setting and that failure to comply with the social distancing measure was “a mistake”.