Prince apologises after contracting coronavirus at illegal lockdown party
A Belgian prince who tested positive for coronavirus after attending an illegal lockdown party has apologised.
Prince Joachim, 28, left Belgium for Spain for an internship on May 26 and attended a party with 26 others two days later in Córdoba, where his rumoured girlfriend Victoria Oritz lives.
According to the BBC, the prince, who is the nephew of Belgium's King Philippe and 10th in line to the throne, has said in a statement: "I deeply regret my actions”.
"I apologise for not respecting all quarantine measures during my trip," the statement reads.
He added: "In these difficult times I did not want to offend anyone."
In Córdoba, lockdown rules mean no more than 15 people are allowed at gatherings together and those who have been found breaking the rules will be fined up to $16,500.
Prince Joachim is believed to be suffering mild coronavirus symptoms and remains in Spain, with everyone who attended the party also in quarantine.
Rafaela Valenzuela, a representative of the Spanish government in Córdoba, slammed those who attended the party, calling them "irresponsible".
"I feel surprised and angry. An incident of this type stands out at a moment of national mourning for so many dead," she said.
Spain is in the top five countries worst hit by the coronavirus according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. They have had 239,479 cases with 27,127 deaths.
In comparison, Australia has had 7,202 cases and 103 deaths.
Spain is now beginning the process of emerging from one of the strictest lockdowns in Europe.
The Spanish royal family lost the first royal to coronavirus in March when Princess Maria Teresa died at 86-years-old.
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