‘I deeply regret my actions’: Belgian prince who caught coronavirus apologises for Spanish lockdown party

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A Belgian prince has apologised for going to a party in Spain during lockdown, saying he regrets his actions.

Prince Joachim tested positive for coronavirus after attending a gathering in Cordoba, a city in the country’s south, in late May, a spokesperson for the Belgian Royal Palace said.

Now the Belgium’s king’s nephew has spoken publicly about going to the party several days after arriving in Spain for an internship.

“I would like to apologise for travelling and not having respected the quarantine measures,” the 28-year-old said.

“I did not intend to offend or disrespect anyone in these very difficult times.”

The apology – which Prince Joachim asked his lawyer to share with press - ended with: “I deeply regret my actions and accept the consequences.”

The Belgian Royal Palace revealed the prince, who is tenth in line to the throne, had contracted coronavirus after going to the gathering – but said they could not confirm how many people were there at the time.

Spanish media had reported there were more guests at the gathering than is allowed under lockdown rules aimed at liming the spread of coronavirus.

El Pais newspaper said the prince, who is tenth in line to the Belgian throne, attended the party along with 26 other people.

This would go against lockdown rules in the province of Cordoba, where a maximum of 15 people were allowed to meet up at the time.

Spanish police said they had launched an investigation into the incident and those who breached restrictions could face fines of between €600 (£540) and €10,000.

All 27 people who attended the party are now in quarantine, Rafaela Valenzuela, the Spanish government’s regional envoy in Cordoba, said on Saturday.

She called the gathering “completely irresponsible” and said it could have caused an outbreak of infections, triggering a return to a stricter lockdown.

Spain has started easing some of its lockdown restrictions, which at one point were among some of the strictest in Europe.

However, as people emerge after spending months shut up inside, police have intervened in a series of incidents at parties, funerals and other social gatherings at which restrictions were broken.

The country has seen one of the world’s worst Covid-19 outbreaks to date, with more than 257,000 infections recorded.

Spain’s death toll for coronavirus was 27,127 on Monday morning.

Additional reporting by Reuters