Prince Laurent: The Constant Embarrassment of Belgium’s Royal Family

It’s often said that truth is stranger than fiction, and the life of Laurent Benoît Baudouin Marie, or His Royal Highness Prince Laurent of Belgium, is the perfect example. From his impractical plan to reforest Libyan deserts, to having a bizarre personality change following a coma, Laurent has been a consistent oddity, and often an outright embarrassment to the government and royal siblings. All the while, the Belgian Royal Family has had to smile, apologise, and hope he doesn’t eventually do something that destroys their public image permanently.

We will get into the biggest scandals on Prince Laurent’s long list in due course, but as we do you might find that there is more to this eccentric man than meets the eye. We aren’t suggesting that some of his more outrageous moments are justified by any means, but will make a case that The Odd Prince is perhaps more relatable than he is often portrayed. Or at least, he might be as relatable as much as one of the most eccentric royals in Belgian history possibly can be.

Prince Laurent: The Constant Embarrassment Of Belgium’s Royal Family

Laurent’s history of rebellious behaviour started early, in the 90s, and would usher him into a life of near constant public embarrassment and controversy. At the time his father, Albert II, had just become king, and his brother, Philippe, had been officially declared next in line for the throne. Laurent, therefore, had more or less been sidelined, designated as not much more than the younger brother of the future king.

Not that the prince seemed to mind much, because for the most part he was spending his time racking up traffic violations. In his 30s, Laurent was already rapidly gaining a reputation for wilfully ignoring the law, speeding around Brussels in sports cars with little regard for established speed limits. It wasn’t long before he drew the attention of local law enforcement, and traffic violation was stacked on top of traffic violation. The media took notice, and in a move that would become routine for the coming decades, Laurent was depicted as The Odd Prince.

There were no seriously embarrassing instances in the 90s, but later, in 2011, he would be caught speeding in a Fiat Abarth Punto, and it would be one time too many. His license was suspended for two weeks, and the royal family would be left red faced. But that’s jumping ahead, and in the grand scheme of things, having his license revoked is one of the lesser incidents we’ll cover.

Going back to the 90s, if you were wondering where the prince was speeding off to, your first guess is probably right; to some of the most up-market nightclubs in Brussels. It became common for gossip magazines to report seeing Laurent at one glitzy venue or another, often in the company of celebrities such as Flemish singer Wendy Van Wanten. Keep her name in mind, we’ll be circling back to the most recent scandal in Laurent’s life, and she will be a big part of it.

It was also in the 90s that it’s confirmed Laurent met with Jeffery Epstein for the first time, with the second occasion being in the early 2000s. Laurent explained that Epstein was simply looking to network, asking for contact details with other members of the royal family, and wanting introductions at various universities. Laurent insists he declined all of Epstein’s proposals, and never spoke to him again after the second meeting. This seems to check out, though this isn’t a video about the Epstein files.

Meanwhile, the media was focusing on Laurent’s relationship with royal staff and advisors. According to media outlets claiming to have sources within the royal estate, most advisors were openly declaring that the prince was difficult to work with, that he showed no interest in attending official events, and that he consistently ignored royal protocol. To be clear, since it will be coming up frequently, royal protocol is fairly obvious and straightforward. It requires that royals maintain dignity, avoid addressing politics and maintain neutrality on political issues, and manage media engagement through specific press offices.

According to the media, Laurent was ignoring this protocol on an almost daily basis, and none of it was particularly good for the image of the royal family. It especially wasn’t good for Laurent’s soon-to-be-king brother, who in stark contrast was seen as reserved, polite, and conservative. Or, in other words, Philippe was the exact image of royalty the public wanted to see.

Now, all of this isn’t to say that Prince Laurent wasn’t involved in anything productive. During the 90s, even if he was speeding around in sports cars, he also made some very big commitments. He studied at the Royal Military Academy of Belgium, and subsequently got involved in various maritime conservation projects. Also keep this in mind, it will be coming back as a later scandal.

Along with his studies, Laurent showed interest in anti-animal cruelty and the environment, establishing the Prince Laurent Foundation in 1995. Some of his other conservation efforts later in life may have landed up misguided and embarrassing, but his foundation was, and still is, a genuinely successful initiative.

So, the stage is set, Laurent is already being labelled as the ‘royal black sheep,’ or The Odd Prince, but he has not yet done anything to truly smear his reputation; not yet. That would be changing soon, and in a very big way.

A Prince Born As A ‘Spare’

We’ll get to the first of those scandals shortly, but it’s probably best if we first pause, and get a bit of much needed context.

Prince Laurent is the youngest son of King Albert II and Queen Paola, born October 1963 in Brussels. His brother is the current King Of Belgium, Philippe, and his sister is Astrid, Princess of Belgium. In another timeline, Prince Laurent may have been king himself, and his life would almost certainly have been very different. But fortune was not in Laurent’s favour, and given that Philippe had four children, his younger brother was left with little to no chance of ever taking the throne, short of a serious disaster.

To put that into perspective, although technically in-line to be king, for Laurent to ever be crowned something would have to happen to Princess Eleanore, Prince Emmanuael, Prince Gabriel, and Princess Elisabeth. The birth of Elisabeth in particular was more or less the final nail in the coffin for any kingly ambitions Laurent might have had, leaving him as something of a Belgian Royal Family spare. This isn’t to say that Laurent ever necessarily wanted to be king, but it became very apparent over the coming years that he was less than happy with the position thrust upon him.

If you’re thinking ‘boo-hoo, poor royal, all the privilege with none of the responsibility,’ the media and public shared that opinion. On the other hand; perhaps Laurent never saw it that way, and was determined to make a splash, even if he wasn’t the favourite son. If it was indeed his intention to steal a bit of the spotlight reserved for his brother, he managed to do so, though for all the wrong reasons. The scandals kicked off in earnest with a deforestation project, and got progressively worse from there.

The Libyan Desert Reforestation Project

If someone said to you that there is a project to reforest the Sahara Desert, you might first think it was an interesting, if somewhat overly ambitious idea. If you thought about it a bit more, and anyone actually intended on pursuing the project seriously, you’d soon realise just how unrealistic a proposal it was.

The Sahara, just as a reminder, is around 9.2 million square kilometres, spans 11 North African countries, and is amongst the driest locations on Earth. Realistically, if using similar projects as a comparison, each tree planted would range between $1,000 and $10,000, taking into account the immense levels of irrigation needed, the enormous infrastructure required, soil preparation, and the constant threat of sandstorms. A ballpark figure is somewhere around a trillion to ten trillion dollars, and even that is a conservative estimate.

In reality, in 2004 Laurent never actually intended on reforesting the entire Sahara Desert, though this was the sort of stance taken by the media at the time, blowing one of the prince’s earliest missteps a bit out of proportion. What Laurent did do was sign a multi-million-euro contract to reforest arid, desert regions in Libya, and these regions were indeed the most southern parts of the Sahara. But far from being the entire desert, the contract did still include a reported thousands of hectares of some of the most inhospitable locations in the world. In hindsight, most experts agree that the efforts would have been unrealistic at best, and completely futile at worst.

In his defence, Laurent had been involved in similar reforestation projects earlier in the 2000s, and it was actually Libyan officials that reached out to him first. So even if the project was most likely doomed to fail, the truth is that the prince had simply been responding to a proposal that had been made to him in earnest. His real fault, in relation to the project, was having not done much research before accepting.

With all of that being said, the controversy that followed wasn’t actually focused on the poorly thought-out project itself, but rather related to the prince’s behaviour. We refer back to the royal protocol, and highlight that it has very specific guidelines on how a royal can engage in matters of politics. If Laurent had intended on engaging foreign countries, for whatever reason, he would have had to get authorisation, and in this case, it probably wouldn’t have been granted.

The context is that, at the time, Libya wasn’t exactly on good terms with most western nations. The country had been accused in the 80s of supporting various militant groups, including in relation to the Lockerbie bombing in Scotland. The attack had resulted in a plane exploding over the town of Lockerbie, resulting in the deaths of 270 innocent civilians. Libya refused to hand over suspects or accept any responsibility, and beyond this, Libyan officials had also refused to cooperate in ongoing concerns regarding weapons of mass destruction.

The situation had actually been improving at the time Laurent visited, with officials having accepted responsibility for the attack in 2003, and agreeing to pay out a sum of 2.7 billion dollars. A sudden change in political stance also came around the same time, with officials insisting the country was abandoning all WMD projects, and that foreign inspectors would be allowed to enter the country.

By 2004, after incredibly tense negotiations, foreign diplomacy was normalising, though international relations were still strained. It was during this critical period that Laurent decided he would visit Libya, without authorisation, and against the advice of several royal advisors. Public perception was that the prince was flying to Libya, and would be engaging with dignitaries on behalf of the Belgian government.

Laurent attempted to make it clear that he wasn’t representing Belgium on an official level, only accepting a contract independently of the government and royal family. Despite his assurances, suspicious heads in virtually every western country still turned to watch, and the Belgian government was forced to engage in damage control.

Defending his decision to engage with Libya in later interviews, Laurent only managed to make the situation worse, coming off as flippant, detached from the reality of the situation, and more than a little odd. He is quoted as saying;

“Colonel Gaddafi was sitting under a tree that I had planted, we had planted several thousand hectares of forest there in Mauritania. He was sitting there under that tree and he was drinking the salted coffee that the Bedouins drink. And he was impressed. He asked me to work out a project with him in Libya as well.”

The Libyan deforestation project never went ahead, primarily because the country was plunged into civil war in 2011. The contract was therefore cancelled, leaving Laurent with nothing but an increasingly strained relationship with the Belgian government and his family. Later, the same lost contract would be brought up in court when the prince filed for compensation on behalf of his organisation, Global Sustainable Development Trust.

According to Laurent, the Libyan Investment Authority had knowingly breached a contract, and he was owed compensation. The case lingered in court for years, but Laurent was ultimately granted 37 million euros in damages. The Libyan Investment Authority, meanwhile, shot back with a criminal complaint of fraud, extortion, and undue pressure.

As of today the matter is still unresolved, and the legal battle continues.

The Belgian Navy Corruption Scandal

Returning to the original timeline, while the Libyan incident was still playing out, we come now to the first major scandal of Prince Laurent’s life; the controversy that officially took his reputation from simply being a black sheep, to one of him being undisciplined, ungrateful, and prone to misusing his privileges. The events took place between 2006 and 2007, and ultimately resulted in charges being brought against several members of the Belgian Navy. Laurent walked away without any convictions, but public perception was that he escaped only because of his royal position, because the legal action against him would have been too complicated, and because the blow would have been too much for the royal family’s reputation.

First and foremost; you’ll recall we said earlier that Laurent studied at the Royal Military Academy of Belgium, and following that had chosen to be involved in various maritime projects. These projects were related primarily to marine conservation, but the prince did still remain in constant contact with various members of the navy, including high ranking admiral Alfons Pieters.

In a nutshell, Pieters, along with other high-ranking officers, was diverting government money intended for the navy into private bank accounts. The network of fraud involved fake invoices and inflated contracts, with the money being channelled through shell companies and other intermediaries. An estimated 15 to 40 million euros was siphoned between 2003 and 2007.

As far as Laurent was concerned, there was never any evidence that he knew about the fraud, that he was involved in any way, or received any money; but we’ll come back to that in a moment. The primary controversy centred around the fact that Laurent was well acquainted with Pieters, and that as the case was playing out, the prince was engaging in correspondence with a man under investigation for serious crimes. Furthermore, Laurent was also publicly speaking favourably about the accused men, saying that he believed they were loyal and competent, and that he doubted their guilt.

Regardless of whether the prince was simply supporting friends in a difficult time, there were soon murmurings, and outright accusations, that Laurent was attempting to use his royal privileges to influence the case. Laurent did, to some extent, enjoy royal immunity, and perception was that he would perhaps interfere with the investigation, and maybe even shield the accused from justice. More to the point, if he did attempt to interfere, it would certainly go a long way to explaining how the prince managed to maintain such an openly extravagant lifestyle.

Royals do get an annual allowance, but this money isn’t supposed to be used for personal benefit. So, was Laurent attempting to influence the case because he had been a recipient of fraudulent funds?

The investigation came to an end with charges of corruption, fraud and falsifying documents brought against several members of the Belgium Navy. There were also multiple convictions, but the punishment was seen as unreasonably soft, with some even let off with suspended sentences. Pieters, for example, after being found to be a key part of the fraudulent network, received only 15 months and was slapped with a ban from holding office for 10 years. The same investigation found that there was no evidence to suggest that Laurent had been involved, that he had known about the fraud, or that he had attempted to misuse his privileges.

The public, and media, weren’t satisfied. Fingers again pointed at the prince, and public speculation ran rife that he had been involved, but that the courts simply didn’t want to deal with what would be an extremely messy and complicated affair. To be clear; royal immunity didn’t mean it was impossible to convict Laurent of fraud, but rather that the extremely complicated legal matter would likely drag on for years, and that any conviction likely wouldn’t amount to serious punishment regardless.

Though, the prince didn’t actually walk away facing zero consequences. Up until that point, as controversial and embarrassing as his life had already been, the government had mostly stayed out of his affairs, even if he was expected to perform royal duties. But from that point on the situation changed; Laurent was now tightly supervised by royal advisors and the state, and his royal allowance was being constantly monitored. The new surveillance culminated in countless additional scandals in the coming years, both directly and indirectly, and really, it’s arguable that Laurent landed up with far worse punishment than any of the convicted naval officers.

The Congo And Royal Expenses Scandals

Laurent was now under more scrutiny than he ever had been; his every step was being watched, and every move he made had to be cleared with higher authorities. You may think that this would have kept him on the straight and narrow, but on the contrary, he still managed to land up involved in controversy after controversy. He did at least manage to avoid major incidents for a few years, and the next major scandal only played out in 2011.

It was then that he decided to take a trip to the Democratic Republic of The Congo, and once again, although his intentions seemed positive, the fallout was catastrophic. The important context here is that the Congo was once a colony of Belgium, and the relationship between the two countries was delicate at the time, to put it mildly. Once again referring back to royal protocol, if Laurent wanted to engage with any dignitaries or diplomats in the country, he would have to request authorisation, and thoroughly justify his actions. Enormous effort would also be put into ensuring that there were no misunderstandings, that communication was clear and concise, and that everything be carefully monitored in case of incidents.

Laurent, ignoring all of this monumentally important context, took a trip there of his own accord, failing to get authorisation, ignoring any diplomatic concerns, and doing next to nothing to ease the minds of the Belgian government. As to why he took the trip, his official reason was that he intended on visiting various parts of the country to assess where he may get involved, specifically in relation to humanitarian and environmental projects. The intentions do sound positive, but there really is no justifiable reason as to why he would go about the matter so haphazardly.

The Belgian government, predictably, was now getting fed up. Various authorities had reprimanded Laurent before, but at this stage the matter was no longer being handled delicately. Belgian prime minister, Yves Leterme, addressed the situation directly, and his tone was anything but polite. Leterme said that the prince;

“…disregarded his obligations by traveling to the former Belgian colony of Congo despite the clear written objections of the government to stay away and having a brief meeting with President Joseph Kabila without any diplomatic oversight. The prince has to realize there has to be a crucial balance between his rights and duties. I will have further talks with Prince Laurent in the coming days to remind him of his obligations. I have no doubt the prince will take my remarks to heart and make a clear choice — either respect that balance or shed his rights.”

As far as the trip itself was concerned, ultimately Laurent didn’t engage in, or support any projects in the Congo. He later referred to the trip as symbolic and exploratory rather than functional, which translates to him having met multiple dignitaries, government officials, and the Foreign Affairs Minister, without anything actually being achieved. The net result then was, therefore, further embarrassment and another hit to his reputation, and at this point you can probably start to see why many speculate that he was causing controversy on purpose. For what reason; it’s up for debate.

At least, if anything, the stern words from the prime minister may have finally been the wakeup call Laurent needed, motivating him to at last take his royal duties more seriously. The words may have been a wakeup call, but weren’t, and the next scandal of this type, the Chinese Embassy incident, played out just a few years later. It was the Chinese Embassy scandal in particular that finally resulted in very public, and very embarrassing punishment; but we’ll get to that in a moment.

Prior to the Chinese Embassy was yet another controversy, again regarding finances, and it resulted in even more angry public backlash. The increased scrutiny previously promised was now coming to fruition, and Laurent was subjected to an audit between 2014 and 2016. You’ll recall that there were murmurings about how he managed to live such a luxurious lifestyle, and the matter was going to be put to bed once and for all.

We mentioned that the royal family gets an annual allowance, but let’s now get a full understanding of what a royal allowance actually is. It translates to the Belgian government providing a sum to members of the royal family, and for Laurent, although amount may fluctuate, his allowance came in at roughly 388,000 euros annually. The money isn’t made available for him to spend as he pleases, and is primarily intended to cover the costs of performing his royal duties; such as making public appearances and attending events. Only 90,000 euros of the total is treated as taxable income, meaning that his actual monthly salary comes in at around 5,000 euros.

But, importantly, his allowance is only part of the finances made available to him, with the rest being up to a bit of speculation. For example, he has some access to family trusts and other private royal assets, the value of which isn’t publicly known. He is also permitted to live rent free in Clementine Villa in Tervuren, and additionally, if he receives approval, he is allowed to earn additional income from personal projects. In the case of Laurent, it’s believed he earns extra income from running his humanitarian, environmental and anti-animal cruelty initiatives, primarily for his role speaking at events.

The point is that it isn’t out of the question that the prince affords an openly luxurious lifestyle, and the public assumption he might be involved in fraud is a little unfair. To put it another way; the rest of royal family may not flaunt their wealth as much as he does, but that is perhaps more out of courtesy than anything else.

With that cleared up, the audit did, ultimately, reveal that Laurent had been misusing his government granted allowance. The discrepancies were relatively minor, coming in at between 16,000 and 18,000 euros, the sum of which had been used for groceries, school fees, holidays, travel expenses, and household renovations. It didn’t seem like intentional fraud, more a case of the prince failing to dot the i’s and cross the t’s. He paid the money back and the issue was resolved, but the matter was predictably once again being scrutinised by the media and public.

A debate erupted as to the amount of tax payer money granted to royals, and likewise as to how closely royal spending is monitored by the government. There were some calls for royal allowances to be reduced; but for the time being those calls were ignored.

It was also around this time that Laurent gave an interview, and when asked about his finances, he gave a response that is now often cited. Instead of addressing the accusations directly, he took the opportunity to try and make his position clearer to the public. Laurent said;

“Before I got the Royal endowment, I was not allowed to work. I always wanted to. And I have always been contradicted on that front. I have never asked to depend on others, I have always wanted to be independent. That’s why I want to do these projects.”

It was during this interview that something else was also starting to become apparent, and it wasn’t to do with the prince’s rapidly diminishing reputation. Rather, it was being noticed that Laurent didn’t seem in the best of health. The constant stress, relating both to the scandals and various royal duties, was clearly starting to have a serious impact.

It had been suggested for some time that Laurent had long been showing signs of exhaustion and burnout, and likewise it seemed he wasn’t paying much attention to his health in general. It’s perhaps not too surprising then that, at this point, the story takes a turn into the unexpected. We come now to Laurent’s brush with death, and the catalyst for what transformed him from an already eccentric man, into something else entirely.

The Coma That Changed A Prince’s Personality

At age 50 Prince Laurent would, in 2014, undergo a major personality change. It wasn’t because of being reprimanded, or because the rest of the royal family more or less didn’t even speak to him. In March, while the previous audit scandal was still very much in the spotlight, Laurent was admitted to Saint-Luc University Hospital in Brussels. The initial diagnosis was that he was suffering from severe exhaustion and burnout, and simply needed some rest.

But as his condition worsened, it soon became clear that the ailment was worse than had initially been perceived.

Medical staff performed a deeper diagnosis, and it was confirmed that he was suffering from a severe lung infection. He was closely monitored, and as his condition began to deteriorate even further, the decision was made to medically induce coma. According to those in attendance, the measure was not being done lightly, and would not have been considered at all but for the dire circumstances.

The logic is that in a coma the body has limited metabolic demand, and the stress on the heart lungs is likewise reduced. As such, the immune system has all energy reserves available to fight the infection, thereby improving the chances of recovery. On the other hand, if no recovery is seen, there is a good chance that the patient will die before they ever regain consciousness.

Laurent’s coma was induced on March 25th, 2014, and lasted until March 27th. During that time, his wife, Princess Claire, never left his side. King Philippe and Queen Mathilde also visited, putting into perspective that as much as Laurent was an embarrassment, his family still cared for him. Laurent stabilised, his health recovered, and he was released from intensive care in April of that same year.

There is, still to this day, a great deal of speculation about the event. It’s now often being said that the prince was never the same, and that as eccentric and rebellious as he’d been before, the coma seemed to have been some sort tipping point. There is no evidence to suggest that he suffered some sort of neurological damage, and all available medical reports confirm he made a full recovery. But whatever the reason, neurological damage or otherwise, something changed at Saint-Luc University Hospital.

The media was the first to comment on it, saying that Laurent had certainly been known for his eccentricities, but that even by that standard he was behaving more strangely than usual. He was far more outspoken in interviews, he often abruptly changed topics during conversations, and virtually every appearance he made, public or otherwise, was accompanied by some or other peculiar remark. One such example was during a 2015 interview with La Dernière Heure, during which he said;

“I have two spiritual fathers that I love immensely, I cannot name them. I speak to them almost every day. I would suggest you study and read up on the millions of people in the world, whether they be catholic, Muslim, atheist or other, who have experienced the same as me. I have been talking to the dead for a long time”.

It’s certainly a weird thing to say, though some media outlets were quick to suggest, rather cynically, that for Laurent it really wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. They implied that the prince was, once again, simply using his circumstances as a way to further get public attention. Others didn’t agree, suggesting instead that Laurent was actually more himself than he ever had been, and that the brush with death had finally helped him accept the futility of butting heads with the government and royal protocol.

If we were to guess, that last assessment is probably the closest to the truth. Given what happened next, it really does seem that Laurent had officially given up caring.

The Last Straw

Let’s once again get a reminder of royal protocol; remain politically neutral, don’t engage with foreign dignitaries unless you’ve cleared it with the government and royal advisors, and don’t make it seem like you’re officially engaging on behalf of the Belgium government. There really is no way at this point that there could be any confusion, especially given that prime minister Leterme had previously made it all abundantly clear.

In 2018, Laurent attended a reception at the Embassy Of The People’s Republic of China in Brussels, and it would be the controversy that finally forced the government’s hand. Attending the reception was, to put it mildly, the worst possible thing he could have done, indicating that he was clearly, and deliberately, ignoring every bit of advice, and every warning that had come before. He went so far as to even attend the reception in official naval garb, giving a very clear perception he was acting on official business. The implications were, simply put, overwhelming.

Laurent’s half-hearted defence was that he had been responding to an official invitation, and that he had never intended on engaging in official business. But the excuses were no longer being accepted, and this time there were very real, very embarrassing consequences.

You’ll recall that the public had previously raised questions about taxpayer money going to royals, and that there had been calls for royal allowances to be cut. The Belgian government now took these concerns to heart, and on 20th March, 2018, parliament gathered to vote on permanently cutting Laurent’s allowance. Notably, the situation was being dealt with in a very public manner, resulting in a level of humiliation that was new even for someone as used to controversy as The Odd Prince. Before the vote proceeded, a letter from Laurent in his defence was read out, some of which went as follows;

“Most of them do not know, and many pretend to have forgotten: since my early youth my existence was put at the service of my brother, my family and the State. I did not work as I wanted, nor did I work out projects that could have offered me some independence…I even had to ask permission to marry, and to this day I pay the price for choosing a woman whom I love, without title or fortune…This allowance, the reduction of which is being discussed as a result of political or media currents, is the price of a life — the price of my life, which is largely behind me now….Of course I am not flawless, and I am the first to be aware that people who have much less than I undergo an even harder fate…But I do not think that another citizen of this country has been instrumentalized with such stubbornness throughout his life, and his projects constantly thwarted by his family and by serious failures of some political authorities…In fact, my whole life has been the subject of a trial.”

Liberal Open Vld parliamentary leader, Patrick Dewael, was not sympathetic, responding bluntly and without any room for speculation;

“The prince has to accept the conditions that come with an endowment. Or he rejects the endowment and he is free to do as he pleases.”

The vote passed, and Laurent’s royal allowance was cut permanently by 15%, equating to around 58,000 euros annually. Beyond this, there were no legal consequences, but for a member of the royal family, having an allowance cut was something like being spanked in front of the entire nation.

This again might have been the wakeup call Laurent needed, and in another timeline the public scolding transformed him into a more obedient, more respectful prince. There was, perhaps briefly, some indication that he may finally have been making some sort of effort to repair his relationship with the public, even if his relationships with his family, and the government, were permanently shattered. But the attempt was fleeting, and the next scandal wasn’t far off.

The Most Disrespectful Phone Call In Belgian History

In Laurent’s next notable interview, he again took the opportunity to speak his mind more openly than he had before the coma, and it’s these words in particular that are often cited as giving an indication that the prince was more self-aware than is often perceived. When an interviewer asked about some of his previous scandals, Laurent said;

“I may not always be taken seriously. I often come off as rather humorous: not serious, not academic enough. But that is simply not my style. I regret that I often get comments about that. That people think I have no sense of reality. But people don’t know me. Sometimes I find it really disturbing, the criticism I’ve been getting since I was young. I’m 55 now: if I had really done something wrong, it would have been known by now.”

Regardless of how earnest the words were, the public and media response was what it had always been; an ongoing perception that Laurent was nothing more than a royal anomaly, and that he spent his time ignoring the rules, and thumbing his nose at royal duties. If the prince did have some intention of improving public perception, the effort was short lived, and what he landed up doing instead, that same year 2018, was paramount to shoving a middle finger in the face of the entire nation.

The incident played out at Belgium’s National Day celebrations, 21st July, an event that involves a military parade, speeches from various government and military officials, and, of course, the singing of the national anthem; La Brabançonne. It’s all very ceremonial, and any royal attending is expected, if nothing else, to be attentive, to set an example for the public, and otherwise demonstrate respect for the nation. Laurent clearly couldn’t have cared less, with a video soon circulating of him ignoring the national anthem completely, and taking a call while those around him stood in reverence of La Brabançonne.

It may not seem as bad as previous scandals, but in this case what the public saw was a clear, direct indication of just how little Laurent cared about his position, and the total apathy he must have had for the government and royal family. There were again mutterings that he took the phone call on purpose, as some sort of symbolic gesture of his disrespect; but we can’t say whether this is true one way or the other. Either way the media jumped on the incident, and if Laurent had been making an effort to fix his public image, that attempt was officially over.

At the very least, his reputation couldn’t possibly get any worse…

The Lawsuit for More Benefits And The Estranged Child

We come now to the two most recent scandals; the ones regarded as the final grave of Laurent’s public image. Following these two incidents, it was no longer a case of Laurent simply being Laurent, The Odd Prince and black sheep of the royal family; for some it was more a matter of his reputation tipping once and for all into the outright disliked category.

The first of the two scandals, playing out between 2024 and 2025, is now cited as one of the most tone-deaf moves on the part of a royal, perhaps in all of modern history. You’ll recall that Laurent’s allowance had been cut, but that he was still getting a significant sum on an annual basis. Keep in mind, once again, that the money isn’t meant to be for personal benefit, and that only a fraction is regarded as a taxable salary.

Using the fact that some of the money is seen as taxable income, and citing his work on the part of charities, Laurent went to court with a case widely seen as ungrateful, disrespectful, and even outright insulting. According to his lawsuit, Laurent felt he should be entitled to additional benefits, including retirement, as well as health and welfare benefits, all of which would be on top of his still significant state funded allowance. In Belgium, benefits of this kind are reserved for workers, according to the law, and although Laurent didn’t do any official labour, his argument was that his royal duties and other charity work should count.

To play devil’s advocate, there were some that were on his side, arguing that the prince had spent his entire life in service to the Belgian government, royal family, and charitable organisations. These hours could, technically speaking, constitute as labour, and in that case he was entitled to the benefits of any other legal Belgian worker. However, even if this were true, and keeping in mind that he does still live rent free in a state funded villa, most of the money he receives still comes directly from tax payers, not from actual commercial enterprises. So if anything, he is already getting more than most do, even without state funded benefits.

To put it in a nutshell; his argument didn’t hold water, not according to the courts, and certainly not according to most of the public. The court rejected his claim, and even as they sent him out the door, heavy emphasis was put on not setting a precedent for the royal family to seek out more state funded payouts. So, Laurent left with nothing, other than what was perhaps a final blow to his shattered public image.

Soon after, even as the dust was settling on that disaster, later in 2025 the prince dropped the most recent bombshell, and yet another scandal that rocked the royal family to its core. On September 9th, Laurent officially confirmed that he had an adult son that had been kept secret for over two decades. At the very start of this video, we made very brief mention that in the 90s, the prince had often been spotted in the company of Flemish actress and singer Wendy van Wanten.

He had also attended Prince Edward’s wedding with her in 1999, stirring up rumours of a more serious relationship. When Wendy had her son, Clement Vandenkerckhove, in August 2000, the rumours went into overdrive, yet nothing was officially confirmed.

It was then revealed once and for all that Clement, 25, is indeed the son of Laurent, and had even been named after the state funded villa we just mentioned; Villa Clémentine. The prince made the announcement via a text, which went as follows;

“With this message, I acknowledge that I am the biological father of Clement Vandenkerckhove. We have spoken openly and honestly about this over the past few years. This announcement is based on a sense of understanding and respect for those involved. It is the result of joint consultation. I ask that you receive this information with the restraint that the nature of this intimate matter requires. I will not make any further statements or provide further explanations about this.”

Previously, on the show Het Huis, in 2021, Clement had been directly asked if Laurent was his father, and the young man avoided the question, saying;

“It won’t be the answer you expect. It’s a fairy tale that everyone thinks that, but fairy tales are just fairy tales…the story surrounding my father brings out a lot of emotions.”

Now, as to why Laurent finally decided to admit the truth, after deliberately keeping the secret for decades; is up for debate. It does seem to simply be an attempt to make a complicated situation right, though, on the same day the prince confirmed the truth, Wendy van Wanten also announced a new documentary, titled; Clement, son of…

In the documentary, Clement says;

“My dad didn’t do anything wrong, my mom didn’t do anything wrong. I want to be able to live a normal life and not have to keep hearing, ‘Do you really know who your dad is?’… I want this behind me. I just want to be able to go have a beer with my dad,”

So, perhaps it was simply a matter of the prince coming clean, given that he knew the secret was going to come out anyway. Clement is now to be referred to as His Royal Highness Clément, Prince of Belgium, Prince of Saxe-Coburg.

The Soap Opera Draws To A Close

Over the course of this video, we’ve put a lot of time into the eccentricities and scandals, and make no mistake; Prince Laurent is the target of controversy for good reason. Even still, we should give more acknowledgment to the other side of the story, and likewise appreciate that the media and general public aren’t always fair. Or, to put it another way; there perhaps isn’t as much attention on the genuinely positive contributions Laurent has been making over the years.

We mentioned his most well-known charity, The Prince Laurent Foundation, which you’ll recall opened in 1995. That foundation still runs to this day, focusing on providing veterinary services for underprivileged families, including mobile clinics and education programs. As of 2018, it was reported that the foundation had assisted more than 300,000 in the country, providing low-cost services for neglected pets. In other cases, his foundation has cared full time for pets that are unable to be properly sheltered during the coldest seasons.

Speaking at an event dedicated to animal welfare in Ghent, Laurent said;

“In Brussels we have looked after 16 people and their pets in containers every winter since 2012. They can eat, sleep and receive medical care there. We hope we can develop this project in Ghent and other towns.”

In 2022, when the Russo-Ukraine war kicked off, it was also Laurent’s foundation that was actively engaged in helping Ukrainian refugees that fled to Belgium. The organisation was instrumental in not only helping the people themselves, but it paid special attention to those who had fled with their pets. A foundation spokesperson said;

“Everyone knows that the war in Ukraine has left people in a state of extreme distress and although we don’t think of it as much, their animals are also in this state. When they arrive in Belgium, the Prince Laurent Foundation wants to help them. Here, curative veterinary care will be offered to them completely free of charge.”

Also attached to his foundation is animal assisted therapy programs, which work based on the motto ‘helping man through animals.’ The program’s focus is on psychological and physical assistance, using animals, mostly dogs, in structured counselling sessions. Those that receive help are children with learning disabilities, those suffering from trauma, primarily PTSD, and those with mental disabilities. It’s widely reported that those participating in the programs see massive positive benefit, and many consider the services essential for not only the patients, but the animals themselves, who are also often the victims of mistreatment.

While not engaged with his primary foundation, the prince has regularly spoken on behalf of countless anti-animal-cruelty campaigns. He frequently visits animal shelters and various animal-care organisations, promoting responsible pet ownership, encouraging improved conditions at facilities, and in general drawing attention to pet related topics.

He likewise has an interest in environmental conservation, which you’ll recall has often resulted in more controversy than it has positive benefit. Even still, although he has embarrassed himself in the Congo and Libya, he has actively been involved in conservation, primarily of the aquatic variety.

Now, we could argue all day about whether his veterinary and conservation efforts balance out the other controversies. But let’s rather say that Laurent does genuinely seem to care about the conservation efforts he focuses on, and that he has remained actively involved in his foundation for going on 30 years.

On the other hand, there is also no question that Laurent has remained consistently in the media spotlight, and that if the bizarre behaviour really was motivated by him getting attention, well, he’s certainly succeeded.

Key Takeaways

• Prince Laurent of Belgium has repeatedly violated royal protocol through unauthorized foreign visits to Libya, Congo, and China, causing diplomatic embarrassment.
• His 2014 medically induced coma for a severe lung infection preceded a notable personality shift, making him more outspoken and eccentric in public appearances.
• Parliament permanently cut his royal allowance by 15% in 2018 after he attended a Chinese embassy reception in naval uniform without government authorization.
• In 2025, he lost a lawsuit seeking additional worker benefits on top of his allowance, then confirmed a secret 25-year-old son with former partner Wendy van Wanten.
• Despite controversies, his Prince Laurent Foundation has provided veterinary services to over 300,000 people and aided Ukrainian refugees with their pets since 1995.

Frequently Asked Questions

What early behavior in the 1990s earned Prince Laurent the nickname ‘The Odd Prince’?

In the 1990s, Prince Laurent rapidly gained a reputation for wilfully ignoring the law, speeding around Brussels in sports cars with little regard for established speed limits. He racked up numerous traffic violations, drew the attention of local law enforcement, and was frequently seen at up-market nightclubs in Brussels, often in the company of celebrities such as Flemish singer Wendy Van Wanten. This rebellious behavior led the media to depict him as ‘The Odd Prince.‘

What was the Libyan Desert reforestation project, and why was it controversial?

In 2004, Prince Laurent signed a multi-million-euro contract to reforest arid, desert regions in Libya (the most southern parts of the Sahara). While the project itself was likely unrealistic and doomed to fail due to the inhospitable conditions, the real controversy stemmed from Laurent’s behavior: he visited Libya without authorization and against the advice of royal advisors, during a critical period when Libya’s international relations were still strained following the Lockerbie bombing. The Belgian government was forced to engage in damage control as public perception was that the prince was engaging with dignitaries on behalf of the Belgian government. The project never went ahead due to civil war in 2011, and Laurent later filed for compensation, was granted 37 million euros in damages, but faced a criminal complaint of fraud, extortion, and undue pressure from the Libyan Investment Authority.

What was the Belgian Navy corruption scandal, and what was Prince Laurent’s involvement?

Between 2006 and 2007, several members of the Belgian Navy, including high-ranking admiral Alfons Pieters, were involved in diverting government money (15-40 million euros) into private bank accounts through fake invoices and inflated contracts. Prince Laurent was well acquainted with Pieters and was found to be engaging in correspondence with him during the investigation, while also publicly speaking favorably about the accused men. There were accusations that Laurent was attempting to use his royal privileges to influence the case.

However, the investigation found no evidence that Laurent was involved in the fraud, knew about it, or attempted to misuse his privileges. He walked away without convictions, but his royal allowance was put under constant monitoring and he was tightly supervised by royal advisors and the state thereafter.

How did Prince Laurent’s 2014 coma affect his personality?

In March 2014, Prince Laurent was admitted to Saint-Luc University Hospital with a severe lung infection and was medically induced into a coma from March 25th to March 27th. Although medical reports confirm he made a full recovery with no neurological damage, something changed after the incident. The media noted that Laurent began behaving more strangely than usual—he was far more outspoken in interviews, often abruptly changed topics during conversations, and made peculiar remarks.

In a 2015 interview, he stated: ‘I have two spiritual fathers that I love immensely, I cannot name them. I speak to them almost every day… I have been talking to the dead for a long time.’ Some speculated he was seeking attention, while others suggested the brush with death helped him accept the futility of fighting against royal protocol and government expectations.

What was the Chinese Embassy incident, and what consequences did Prince Laurent face?

In 2018, Prince Laurent attended a reception at the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Brussels without authorization, wearing official naval garb, which gave the perception he was acting on official business. This was seen as deliberately ignoring all previous warnings and advice about royal protocol. On March 20, 2018, parliament voted to permanently cut Laurent’s royal allowance by 15% (around 58,000 euros annually).

Before the vote, a letter from Laurent was read defending himself, stating his life had been ‘put at the service of my brother, my family and the State’ and that he had been ‘instrumentalized with such stubbornness throughout his life.’ Liberal Open Vld parliamentary leader Patrick Dewael responded bluntly: ‘The prince has to accept the conditions that come with an endowment. Or he rejects the endowment and he is free to do as he pleases.‘

What happened during Belgium’s National Day celebrations in 2018 that further damaged Prince Laurent’s reputation?

On July 21, 2018, during Belgium’s National Day celebrations—a ceremonial event involving a military parade, speeches, and the singing of the national anthem La Brabançonne—a video circulated of Prince Laurent ignoring the national anthem completely and taking a phone call while those around him stood in reverence. This was seen as a clear, direct indication of how little Laurent cared about his position and the total apathy he had for the government and royal family. There were mutterings that he took the call on purpose as a symbolic gesture of disrespect, though this could not be confirmed.

What was Prince Laurent’s 2024-2025 lawsuit for additional benefits, and what was the outcome?

Between 2024 and 2025, Prince Laurent filed a lawsuit arguing that he should be entitled to additional benefits, including retirement, as well as health and welfare benefits, on top of his still significant state-funded allowance. His argument was that his royal duties and charity work should count as labor under Belgian law, which reserves such benefits for workers. The court rejected his claim, with heavy emphasis put on not setting a precedent for the royal family to seek more state-funded payouts. The move was widely seen as ungrateful, disrespectful, and even outright insulting, and Laurent left with nothing.

Who is Clement Vandenkerckhove, and how did Prince Laurent confirm their relationship?

Clement Vandenkerckhove, born in August 2000, is Prince Laurent’s adult son with Flemish actress and singer Wendy van Wanten, with whom Laurent was often seen in the 1990s. On September 9, 2025, Laurent officially confirmed the relationship via text message: ‘With this message, I acknowledge that I am the biological father of Clement Vandenkerckhove. We have spoken openly and honestly about this over the past few years.’ Clement had been named after Villa Clémentine, the state-funded villa where Laurent lives.

Clement is now to be referred to as His Royal Highness Clément, Prince of Belgium, Prince of Saxe-Coburg. The announcement coincided with Wendy van Wanten’s new documentary titled ‘Clement, son of…’

What positive contributions has Prince Laurent made through his foundation?

Prince Laurent established The Prince Laurent Foundation in 1995, which focuses on providing veterinary services for underprivileged families, including mobile clinics and education programs. As of 2018, it had assisted more than 300,000 people in Belgium with low-cost services for neglected pets. The foundation also cares full-time for pets unable to be properly sheltered during winter, and in 2022 helped Ukrainian refugees who fled to Belgium with their pets, offering free curative veterinary care.

Additionally, the foundation runs animal-assisted therapy programs based on the motto ‘helping man through animals,’ using mostly dogs in structured counseling sessions for children with learning disabilities, trauma/PTSD sufferers, and those with mental disabilities. Laurent has also regularly spoken on behalf of anti-animal-cruelty campaigns and visited animal shelters.

What was the 2011 Congo trip scandal involving Prince Laurent?

In 2011, Prince Laurent took a trip to the Democratic Republic of the Congo without authorization, ignoring diplomatic concerns and doing next to nothing to ease the minds of the Belgian government. The Congo was once a colony of Belgium, making the relationship delicate. Laurent’s official reason was to assess where he might get involved in humanitarian and environmental projects, but he failed to get authorization, ignored the clear written objections of the government, and had a brief meeting with President Joseph Kabila without any diplomatic oversight.

Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme directly reprimanded him, stating the prince ‘disregarded his obligations’ and demanding he choose between respecting the balance of his rights and duties or shedding his rights. Ultimately, Laurent didn’t engage in or support any projects in the Congo, later referring to the trip as ‘symbolic and exploratory rather than functional.‘

Sources

• Original Scandal video: Prince Laurent: The Constant Embarrassment of Belgium’s Royal Family
• Hero image source by Nenea hartia / openverse, by-sa.

Related Coverage