The King and Queen of Belgium were on a spa getaway vacation in France while Belgium’s capital Brussels was locked down as security forces looked for ISIS terrorists. The Royal Couple took their trip just one week after ISIS terrorists attacked Paris and surviving terrorists were possibly in Belgium.
According to the Royal Palace’s spokesman, the King and Queen had planned their vacation long before ISIS terrorists attacked Paris. Both a prominent Flemish and a French language newspaper confirmed the news Tuesday. The Royal Palace’s spokesman responded to the news, saying “What they [the King and Queen] were doing there is private.” The King and Queen spent the weekend of Nov. 21 and 22 away from their country while it was on Level 4 security alert, the highest terror alert level in Belgium. During the Level 4 security alert, schools had been closed in Brussels and the city’s metro system was shut down.
French security officials who were involved in the trip expressed surprise that the King and Queen did not cut their visit short and return to Belgium. At the time, Belgian security forces were searching for Salah Abdeslam, the brother of one of the ISIS terrorists who took part in the attacks on Paris. It is suspected that Abdeslam was involved in the planning of the Paris attacks and may even have actively participated in the murder of Parisians.
The story was initially reported by the French satirical investigative news site “Le Canard enchaîné” or “The Chained Duck,” which claims to have known about this trip since Nov. 21. The publication stated via Twitter that tomorrow they will publish a photo of King Philippe of Belgium at the French spa while his homeland was in turmoil. The photo will supposedly show the King “in a bathrobe with a cocktail drink in his hand.” According to “The Chained Duck” journalist Sorj Chalandon, the Royal Couple signed into the spa using aliases.
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.