The controversy swells in Spain. Prince Joachim of Belgium, son of Princess Astrid and Prince Lorenz and nephew of the king, has tested positive for coronavirus, confirms a spokesperson for the Belgian Royal Palace. However, Spain, where he was, is moved by this information because the young man of 28 years would have contracted the virus during a party organized while the country, hard hit by the epidemic, was in full confinement.
A quarantine not respected
This celebration would have taken place in the middle of Spanish national mourning, in Cordoba, confirms the British daily newspaper The Independant . The Spanish daily El Pais specifies that 26 people would have participated in this event, while the regulations then limited gatherings to 15 people maximum. All were reportedly quarantined, according to a local official in the Spanish government, who described the attitude as "irresponsible", saying that she was surprised and angry.
The Spanish press agency Efe, citing sources within the Belgian Royal Palace, specifies that the prince would have left his country on May 24 to reach Madrid. There, instead of being placed in quarantine as required by the regulations, he would have taken a train in the direction of Cordoba in Andalusia. He would have justified his trip for professional reasons, in this case the completion of an internship.
"Huge irresponsibility"
This Sunday, the president of the Andalusian government, Juanma Moreno, criticized "the enormous irresponsibility" of cases like this one. She also stressed that "this type of behavior cannot be repeated", because they represent a danger for their perpetrators, their families and "society as a whole".
The Spanish authorities have opened an investigation to shed light on these facts. In Spain, non-compliance with the rules for limiting gatherings is liable to a fine of between € 600 and € 10,000.
In an email sent to the Spanish press agency, Prince Joachim admits that he did not respect the quarantine to which he should have submitted. "I would like to apologize for not respecting all quarantine measures during my trip," he writes. In these difficult times, I had no intention of offending or disrespecting anyone. I deeply regret my actions and accept the consequences. "