Dutch royals return amid anger over Covid holiday
The Dutch royal family is back in the country after a holiday that lasted just one single day, following a coronavirus-related public backlash.
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima headed off to the Greek sun on Friday but flew back on Saturday evening.
They left as a new partial lockdown was introduced and although they didn't break any rules they said that they had been affected by strong criticism.
PM Mark Rutte is under pressure to explain any advice he might have given.
The royals flew from a government plane but were immediately criticized for going on holiday when the population had been advised to stay in the home as much as possible to curb the spread of Covid-19.
They flew back on a scheduled KLM flight and the royal standard was flying over the palace in The Hague on Saturday evening.
The royal statement read: "We usually do not want to leave any doubts about any of it: to get the Covid-19 virus in order, it is necessary that the rules are followed. The debate over our holiday will not donate to that."
There was some confusion about who in government knew about the trip and whether the advice was presented with.
The Dutch monarchy has no formal role in the day-to-day running of holland. However, the Ministry of General Affairs, headed by the prime minister, is responsible for what the monarchy says and does.
Therefore, several MPs are contacting Mr. Rutte to describe why he didn't advise the royals to cancel their holiday.
"If Rutte had said that this was a bad idea, you can assume that the king would have changed his plans," said Peter Rehwinkel of the PvdA party.
The GroenLinks leader also known as the trip "an error in judgment" and abandoning the trip was the "only correct decision".
The daily tally of coronavirus infections continues to grow in holland. On Saturday, more than 8,000 new cases were recorded for the very first time because the country's outbreak began.
Bars, restaurants, and cannabis "coffee shops" have already been ordered to close for four weeks.
It is not the 1st time the royal couple has been around in the spotlight because of their conduct. In August, they were pictured breaking social distancing rules with a restaurant owner during another trip to Greece.
The royal family's total annual budget is under review amid growing pressure from opposition lawmakers.
