King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands have issued a public apology for making a social-distancing mistake during their recent holiday to Greece.

In a post published on the Dutch royal's Twitter account on Monday, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima addressed the controversy surrounding a picture of themselves from their Greek holiday, in which they are seen violating social-distancing guidelines imposed in wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

In the image shared on social media, the monarch couple was seen posing with a member of staff at a restaurant on the Greek island of Milos. The picture ensued a backlash as the three people were captured standing shoulder to shoulder flouting the 1 metre plus apart rule as well as the face masks guidelines recommended to prevent the spread of COVID-19 illness.

Apologising for their lapse in judgement, the royal couple stated in the Twitter post: "A photo appeared in the media in which we keep too little distance. In the spontaneity of the moment, we did not pay attention to that."

‘In media verscheen een foto waarop we te weinig afstand houden. In de spontaniteit van het moment hebben we daar niet goed op gelet. Dat hadden we natuurlijk wel moeten doen. Want ook op vakantie is naleven van coronaregels essentieel om het virus eronder te krijgen’-WA & Máxima

— Koninklijk Huis (@koninklijkhuis) August 24, 2020

The Dutch king and queen further clarified: "Of course we should have. Because compliance with corona rules is also essential on holiday to get the virus under it." The tweet was signed off with the couple's initials "WA & Máxima."

The royal couple has been on a holiday for the past few weeks with their three daughters- Princess Catharina-Amalia, 16, Princess Alexia, 15, and Princess Ariane, 13. They are being applauded by many for acknowledging their mistake and apologising for it.

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima aren't the only royals who made a mistake related to social-distancing and later apologised for it. Crown Princess Mary of Denmark had also taken to Instagram over the weekend to express remorse for shaking hands with someone during a royal engagement.

"On land, at sea and in the air - we have to get used to wearing face masks. It is important that we follow the health authorities' recommendations together," the 48-year-old wrote, before admitting that she has committed a social-distancing mistake.

Netherlands royals
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima arrive at a concert in the Sydney Opera House David Moir/ Getty Images

"Yesterday I was in Grenaa for my first official visit after the summer holidays. At sea and in the air it went fine, but on land it slipped for me and I unfortunately came to shake hands. It reminded me how important it is that we help each other live up to the recommendations," the Danish royal wrote.