Dutch King, Queen regret not social distancing in Greek restaurant
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima did not always maintain social distancing while vacationing in Greece. A photo circulating online show them standing right next to another man, the King with a face mask in his hand. The Royals released a short statement on Twitter, saying that they should have adhered to the coronavirus rules.
RTL Nieuws tracked the photo to a restaurant in Greece. An employee of the restaurant confirmed to the broadcaster that the Royals visited the restaurant over the past week and that they took a photo with one of the owners. "The photo was for a private album," the employee said, adding that the violation of coronavirus rules was "a mistake".
"A photo appeared in the media in which we are keeping too little distance," the King and Queen said on Twitter. "In the spontaneity of the moment, we did not pay attention to that. Of course we should have. Because compliance with corona rules is also essential on holiday to get the virus under control."
Government information service RVD would not comment on the photo to newspaper AD. "It is a private situation," a spokesperson said.
The photo could be seen as awkward, given the government's continued insistence that social distancing is the first and most important line of defense against the coronavirus.