The Belgian royal family lived in De Panne during the First World War because it was located in the tiny fraction of their country that was not conquered by the Germans.

De Panne was also the place where the first land yachts intended for sport were built and used by the Dumont brothers in 1898.

On 17 July 1831, Leopold I, the first Belgian king, sailed to Calais from England, and arrived in Belgium in De Panne.

Since 1977, the town has hosted the Three Days of De Panne cycle race, which is held in the run up to, and traditionally used by riders as preparation for the Tour of Flanders.

[2] De Panne was the site of a Belgium-England undersea telephone line laid by Siemens before the war, and therefore was used as Gort's headquarters for the evacuation of nearby Dunkirk to allow contact with England.