Prince Joachim, the son of Princess Astrid and nephew of King Philippe, has paid the fine imposed on him by the province of Andalusia in Spain for a breach of the local lockdown rules, the royal palace has announced.
In May, the 28-year-old Joachim travelled to Spain to begin an internship with a company in Cordoba in Andalusia. However on arrival he failed to go into the 14-day quarantine required at the time.
According to reports, he then attended a party at which 27 people were present, in excess of the 15-person limit imposed by the rules at the time.
However the province now says those initial reports were mistaken. Joachim attended two different parties – one with 12 guests and one with the maximum of 15.
His fine, it now becomes clear, was imposed for failing to go into quarantine. Both parties were quite legal according to local rules in force. The mistake arose because contact tracers in Spain had listed all 27 people together.
Be that as it may, he was fined €10,400 and given two weeks in which to file an appeal. He declined to do so. As a result of what is considered a recognition of his guilt, the fine was automatically halved to €5,200.
“I apologize for not having respected all quarantine measures during my trip,” the prince wrote. “In these difficult times I did not mean to offend anyone. I deeply regret my actions and will bear the consequences.”
The prince was tested in Spain and found to be infected with the coronavirus. His parents were also tested after his return and found to be negative, the royal palace said.
Alan Hope
The Brussels Times
