Private: Spa Weekend in Quiberon

1 December 2015

Paparazzi photos emerged of King Philippe & Queen Mathilde at the spa of the Sofitel Hotel in Quiberon, France.

Because they were taken ten days earlier when Brussels shut its metro and public places due to an enhanced terror alert, they caused a stir in the French and Belgian press. The weekend get-away had been planned long beforehand but wasn't cancelled by the couple. They did however leave a few hours earlier on Sunday night.

It's remarkable that French satirical paper Le Canard Enchaîné was able to publish these photos. In the politically very tense days after the mass shooting in Paris, the Elysée was keen to divert the attention to Belgium, the home country of some of the terrorists.