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Willem-Alexander and Máxima recording the video message
Photo: Koen van Weel / POOL / EPA-EFE / Shutterstock
The Dutch King Willem-Alexander apologized for a vacation in Greece during an extensive lockdown in his country.
"It hurts that we have abused your trust in us," said the monarch in a video message to the population.
Just a few days earlier, the government had urgently warned all citizens to stay at home and not travel.
The royal family's vacation therefore sparked a wave of indignation.
The royal family's trip did not violate the corona rules.
"Still, it was very unwise not to consider the impact of recent safeguards on our community," the king said in the video message.
Due to the negative reactions in the population, the Dutch king, his wife Máxima and their daughter Ariane canceled their vacation after just one day on Saturday.
But the criticism flared up again on Wednesday.
Because contrary to what it initially appeared, not the entire Oranje family had broken off their vacation.
Lack of openness
It was only three days after her parents that Crown Princess Amalia and her sister Alexia surprisingly returned from Greece on Tuesday evening.
Citizens and numerous politicians criticized the royal family's lack of openness.
It is most unusual for the king to address the people directly with a personal message.
Corona infections at their peak
On Wednesday, the authorities in the Netherlands registered a new daily high of 8,764 new corona infections within 24 hours.
To contain the epidemic in the country, Prime Minister Mark Rutte's cabinet issued a "partial lockdown" last week.
Bars, restaurants and coffee shops had to close for around four weeks.
It's not the family's first faux pas during the crisis: In August, they posed for a souvenir photo while on vacation - with no minimum distance.
Even then, Máxima and Willem-Alexander gave themselves up to be purified.
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jpz / dpa / AFP