Dutch royal family forced to cut Greek holiday short

The Dutch royal family returned to the Netherlands after a Greek holiday that lasted just one day, after they were criticised for ‘non essential travel’.

King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima and their three daughters Princess Catharina-Amalia, Princess Alexia and Princess Ariane had travelled to their private villa in southern Greece.

The vacation attempt was criticised for taking place at a time when the Netherlands was placed on partial lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus infections.

The region of Greece where the family's villa is located is under a mild Code Yellow travel warning from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, meaning people from the Netherlands can travel, but the risk remains.

The family released a statement following their decision to return, saying: "We will abandon our vacation. We have seen people's reactions to media reports. And they are intense, and they have affected us. We do not want to create any uncertainty about it: In order to get the Covid-19 virus under control, it is necessary that the guidelines are followed. The discussion around our holiday does not contribute to that."