Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte was unable to visit his dying mother in her final weeks because he obeyed coronavirus restrictions against visiting care homes, his office said.
The news about Mr Rutte emerged as Britain was gripped by a political row over allegations that the top aide to Prime Minister Boris Johnson broke Covid-19 rules to travel cross-country to stay on his parents' estate.
Mr Rutte today announced the death of 96-year-old Mieke Rutte-Dilling in a home in The Hague on 13 May, nearly two months after the government shut all such institutions to the public on 20 March. "The prime minister has complied with all directives", Mr Rutte's spokesperson told AFP when asked about reports that the premier had stuck to the rules and