Hey, what's going on? | NICOLAS MAETERLINCK/AFP/Getty Images Belgium in crisis, king chills While Brussels was in lockdown, King Philip and Queen Mathilde spent the weekend at a spa.

The Belgian king is at the center of controversy after enjoying a relaxing weekend at a luxury spa in France while his capital city was in lockdown.

The terror alert in Belgium was raised to its highest level on November 21. A day earlier, King Philip and Queen Mathilde headed to a spa in Brittany, and stayed there for the entire weekend, as planned.

Pictures of the royal couple were first mentioned by satirical magazine Le Canard Enchaîné Tuesday. A royal spokesperson was at pains to point out that a picture of King Philip in a bathrobe sipping a juice was taken on November 20, the day before the terror alert was raised as police hunted for the fugitive Salah Abdeslam.

The king was already under pressure in the Belgian media for his lack of visibility in the aftermath of the Paris attacks, as it became clear that many of the attackers had links to the Brussels neighborhood of Molenbeek. That pressure increased as Brussels was effectively shut down for six days, with soldiers on the streets, schools closed and much of the city's public transport halted.

French security services were aware of the royal visit and Charles Michel, the Belgian prime minister, said that the king was “in contact” with the government during the weekend, although he only returned to Brussels on Sunday evening.

“We could not force him to come back,” Michel said.

A spokesperson for the royals said the weekend break was planned long in advance, adding “What they did is a private matter.”

In a bid to improve his image, King Philip visited a refugee center Monday. On Tuesday, the king and queen met the families of the Belgian victims of the Paris attacks.