MADRID: A Belgian prince who contracted coronavirus after breaking lockdown rules in Spain has been fined 10,400 euros.
Prince Joachim was issued with the penalty for failing to observe a 14-day quarantine period after arriving in the country.
The prince arrived in Spain for an internship on May 24, but attended a social gathering in the southern city of Cordoba two days later. In doing so, he broke Spanish law which requires all new arrivals to automatically quarantine for 14 days.
He has since apologised for the incident. “I did not intend to offend or disrespect anyone in these very difficult times and deeply regret my actions and accept the consequences,” he said in a statement released through his attorney in Spain.
He has fifteen days to pay the fine in which case the amount will be reduced by half. Authorities are still investigating the large gathering he attended during the lockdown.
Spain imposed a mandatory two-week quarantine for all international arrivals on 15 May. More than 27,000 people have died of coronavirus in Spain since the outbreak began.
Prince Joachim is a nephew of Belgium’s King Philippe and tenth in line to the throne.
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