The 18th birthday party Dutch Princess Amalia violated the country’s coronavirus rules with a guest list of at least 21 people but a reported attendance of hundreds. The Netherlands currently has a strict limit of no more than four people at gatherings.
Tight controls are in place to contain the spread of Covid-19 in the country, but in the garden of the royal palace in The Hague sources say that “about a hundred people” enjoyed birthday festivities for the princess, reports De Telegraaf.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte came to the aid of the royal family, explaining that “with this meeting outside and with the precautionary measures taken, they were dealing with the coronavirus advice in a responsible way."
But since 12 November, the official guidelines state clearly that gatherings must be no larger than four people, regardless of their vaccination status or the presentation of a negative Covid-19 test result.
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The King has since told Prime Minister Rutte that “on reflection, it was not a good idea to organise it in this way.”
This isn’t the first time the Dutch royal family has flagrantly ignored the rules imposed on their citizens: in October 2020, King Willem-Alexander apologised for a trip to Greece during a period in which guidelines called for the urgent restriction of all travel movements. The King, the Queen and their youngest daughter turned back on the day of their arrival once the story broke. Princesses Amalia and Alexia stayed another four days.
In a similar vein, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson caused outrage after it became apparent that a Christmas party took place in his house last year as the UK was in a strict lockdown. Both this and the Dutch party are clear examples of double standards and hypocrisy in the face of a global health crisis.
