Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands issue a public apology after failing to practice social distancing while posing for a photo with a restaurant worker during Greek holiday
- Dutch royals have apologised for not social distancing in a photo taken in Greece
- Snap shows them standing less than one metre from a restaurant employee
- Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander penned a tweet in response
Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands have responded to a backlash after being pictured ingnoring social distancing guidelines during their holiday in Greece.
The Dutch couple who visited the Greek island of Milos with their daughters Princess Amalia, 16, Princess Alexia, 15, and Princess Ariane, 13, were criticised for not practising guidelines to prevent the spread of coronavirus during their holiday.
A photo uploaded on social media shows Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander posing alongside an unidentified restaurant employee, less than one metre apart.
They took to Twitter to apologise for not practicing the 1.5 metres apart guideline imposed by The Netherlands, in addition to not wearing face masks.
Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands have responded to comments they received for failing to social distance during their holiday in Greece. Pictured: The Dutch royals with a restaurant employee
The Dutch royals took to Twitter to apologies for the snap, explaining that the photo was taken spontaneously and they believe it’s essential to follow guidelines in place to prevent the spread of covid-19
The Dutch royals penned a personal message to explain their lapse in judgement at the time the photograph was taken.
‘A photo appeared in the media in which we kept too little distance. 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 when on holiday to get the virus under control,’ they wrote.
The message was signed ‘WA & Maxima’, implying that King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima had personally written it.
According to The National, an employee of the restaurant confirmed to Dutch television service RTL Nieuws that the picture was ‘a mistake’ and had been taken for a private album.
Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander were holiday in Greece with their daughters Princess Amalia, 16, Princess Alexia, 15, and Princess Ariane, 13 (pictured)
Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander have been on holiday with their daughters for a few weeks.
They received over 500 comments in response to their apology with many praising them for acknowledging their mistake.
The action follows Crown Princess Mary of Denmark taking to Instagram at the weekend to apologise for shaking hands during an engagement.
Speaking remorsefully, she urged others to wear a face mask and embrace the advice in place to reduce the spread of coronavirus.
Crown Princess Mary of Denmark urged people to wear face coverings and follow official advice from the country’s health ministry in a frank Instagram post
Alongside a selfie of herself wearing a surgical mask on a plane, the royal wrote: ‘On land, at sea and in the air – we have to get used to wearing face masks.’
‘Yesterday, I was in Grenaa for my first official visit after the summer holidays. At sea and in the air it went fine, but on land it slipped for me and I unfortunately came to shake hands.
‘It reminded me how important it is that we help each other live up to the recommendations.’
She was dubbed a great role model by many of those who commented on the post, racking up over 43,000 likes.
Crown Princess Mary of Denmark (pictured) said it was a ‘mistake’ to shake hands during her first official visit after the summer holidays