nl, Laurens Benedikt Boudewijn Maria
ger, Laurentius Benedikt Balduin Maria , image = Prince Laurent of Belgium (2015 F).jpg , caption = Prince Laurent in 2015 , birth_date = , birth_place =

Belvédère Castle Belvédère Castle ( French: ''Château du Belvédère''; Dutch: ''Kasteel Belvédère'') is a Belgian royal residence in Laeken, Belgium, which currently houses Albert II of Belgium and his wife, Queen Paola of Belgium. History Belvédère Ca ...

Laeken () or () is a residential suburb in the north-western part of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. It belongs to the municipality of the City of Brussels and is mostly identified by the Belgian postal code: 1020. Prior to 1921, it was a sep ...

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

Kingdom of Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to the ...

, house =

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

, father =

Albert II of Belgium , house = Belgium , father = Leopold III of Belgium , mother = Astrid of Sweden , birth_date = , birth_place = Stuyvenberg Castle, Laeken, Brussels, Belgium , death_date = , death_place = , signature = Albert II of Belgium Signat ...

, mother = Paola Ruffo di Calabria , spouse = , issue = *

Princess Louise Princess Louise may refer to: ;People: * Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, 1848–1939, the sixth child and fourth daughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom * Princess Louise, Princess Royal and Duchess of Fife, 1867–1931, the ...

* Prince Nicolas * Prince Aymeric Prince Laurent of Belgium (french: Laurent Benoît Baudouin Marie, nl, Laurens Benedikt Boudewijn Maria; born 19 October 1963) is the second son and youngest child of King Albert II and

Queen Paola Paola (born Donna Paola Ruffo di Calabria;AlthougThe Belgian Monarchy websiteattributes the title of "Princess" to Queen Paola prior to marriage, Burke's Peerage 1973, The Descendants of Louis XIII 1999, ''Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels'' 200 ...

, and younger brother of King Philippe. Laurent's involvement with

animal welfare Animal welfare is the well-being of non-human animals. Formal standards of animal welfare vary between contexts, but are debated mostly by animal welfare groups, legislators, and academics. Animal welfare science uses measures such as longevit ...

and the

environment Environment most often refers to: __NOTOC__ * Natural environment, all living and non-living things occurring naturally * Biophysical environment, the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism or ...

, together with a relative lack of interest in

protocol Protocol may refer to: Sociology and politics * Protocol (politics), a formal agreement between nation states * Protocol (diplomacy), the etiquette of diplomacy and affairs of state * Etiquette, a code of personal behavior Science and technology ...

, has caused him to be dubbed by elements of the popular Belgian press as (the ''eco-blunderer''). Currently, he is 13th in the Belgian line of succession. He had been as high as third in line, but the constitution was amended in 1991 to extend an equal right of succession to women, putting him behind his sister, Princess Astrid, and her descendants.

Early life and education

Born in the near

, he was educated at the Royal Cadet High School and at the Royal Military Academy.

Marriage and children

Prince Laurent and Claire Louise Coombs were married in

on 12 April 2003. Coombs was also given the title of Princess of Belgium upon her marriage. The couple have three children: Princess Louise (born 6 February 2004), and twins Prince Nicolas and Prince Aymeric (born 13 December 2005). The brothers are fifteenth and sixteenth line of succession to the throne. The family live in ''Villa Clementine'', in

Tervuren Tervuren () is a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in Flanders, Belgium. The municipality comprises the villages of Duisburg, Tervuren, Vossem and Moorsel. On January 1, 2006, Tervuren had a total population of 20,636. The total a ...

. Prince Laurent is also a godfather to Princess Maria Carolina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, the daughter of Prince Carlo, Duke of Castro, a current pretender to the former throne of

Two Sicilies The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies ( it, Regno delle Due Sicilie) was a kingdom in Southern Italy from 1816 to 1860. The kingdom was the largest sovereign state by population and size in Italy before Italian unification, comprising Sicily and all ...

and his wife, Princess Camilla, Duchess of Castro.

Alleged corruption scandal

In December 2006, Prince Laurent's name surfaced in a corruption scandal in which funds of the

Belgian Navy The Belgian Navy, officially the Belgian Naval Component ( nl, Marinecomponent; french: Composante marine; german: Marinekomponente ) of the Belgian Armed Forces, is the naval service of Belgium. History Early history The Belgian Navy w ...

were spent on his residence ( Villa Clémentine) in

. Although the investigating magistrates denied that Laurent was personally implicated, some of the accused have implicated the prince in the press. On 5 January 2007, it became known that King Albert II had signed a royal decree, making it possible for Laurent to be called up as a witness in the corruption trial which was to start 8 January. One of the defendants immediately used this to subpoena the prince. During the evening of 8 January, Prince Laurent was interrogated by federal police, appearing in court the following day where he testified at the trial that he had no reason to believe the funding of his renovations could be illegal. Media reports in March 2007 suggested that Laurent was no longer welcome at the Royal Palace, possibly due to his role in the corruption scandal. In March 2011, the prince visited the former Belgian colony of the Congo without receiving the required permission; the reported purpose of the visit was to promote awareness of deforestation. As a result, on 9 April he accepted conditions laid down by Belgian Prime Minister

Yves Leterme Yves Camille Désiré Leterme (; born 6 October 1960 in Wervik) is a Belgian politician, a leader of the Christian Democratic and Flemish party (CD&V). He was the prime minister of Belgium, from November 2009 to December 2011. Leterme was th ...

regarding his future activities; had he not done so, the matter of his annual

appanage An appanage, or apanage (; french: apanage ), is the grant of an estate, title, office or other thing of value to a younger child of a sovereign, who would otherwise have no inheritance under the system of primogeniture. It was common in much o ...

would have been in question.

Broader context of Belgian press and political culture

Against these considerations, defenders claim that there is a longstanding tradition in the Belgian press and among politicians to focus on shortcomings among members of the

Belgian Royal Family Belgium is a constitutional, hereditary, and popular monarchy. The monarch is titled king or queen of the Belgians ( nl, Koning(in) der Belgen, french: Roi / Reine des Belges}, german: König(in) der Belgier) and serves as the country's he ...

. For example, King Philippe has been pursued for what may be no more than lack of dexterity among some of his advisers; and

Lilian, Princess of Réthy Princess Lilian of Belgium, Princess of Réthy (born Mary Lilian Henriette Lucie Josephine Ghislaine Baels; – ) was the second wife of King Leopold III of Belgium. Born in the United Kingdom and raised in Belgium, she became a volunteer a ...

(1916–2002) had in her younger days been pursued by some deputies who turned parliamentary sessions into debates about her necklines. In an earlier generation, vivid debates had surrounded the domestic matters of King Leopold II, whose religious but not civil marriage in later life to Caroline, Baroness Vaughan and her personal expenses and perceived lifestyle had been drawn by critics into quite wider debates on the governance — and mis-governance — of the

Congo Free State ''(Work and Progress) , national_anthem = Vers l'avenir , capital = Vivi Boma , currency = Congo Free State franc , religion = Catholicism (''de facto'') , leader1 = Leop ...

Health

In March 2014, Prince Laurent was hospitalised with pneumonia and depression. He was voluntarily placed in a medically-

induced coma An induced comaalso known as a medically induced coma (MIC), barbiturate-induced coma, or drug-induced comais a temporary coma (a deep state of unconsciousness) brought on by a controlled dose of an anesthetic drug, often a barbiturate such as pe ...

on March 25, and was awakened on 27 March. On 4 April, Queen Paola stated in a letter that Laurent's condition was improving, and that she felt he was 'the most vulnerable' of her three children.

Titles, styles and honours

* ''His Royal Highness'' Prince Laurent of Belgium (1963–present) Prince Laurent does not hold a personal title as younger princes were previously accustomed to receive in the past (such as

Count of Flanders The count of Flanders was the ruler or sub-ruler of the county of Flanders, beginning in the 9th century. Later, the title would be held for a time, by the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire and Spain. During the French Revolution, in 1790, the ...

Prince of Liège Prince of Liège (French: Prince de Liège, Dutch: Prins van Luik, German: Prinz von Lüttich) is a substantive title awarded by King Leopold III of the Belgians to his younger son, Prince Albert (the future King Albert II), while he was second ...

Honours

National

* : **

Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold

Foreign

* : **

GER Bundesverdienstkreuz 9 Sond des Grosskreuzes

Grand Cross 1st Class of the

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...

* : **

HUN Order of Merit of the Hungarian Rep (civil) 1class BAR

Grand Cross of the

Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary The Hungarian Order of Merit ( hu, Magyar Érdemrend) is the fourth highest State Order of Hungary. Founded in 1991, the order is a revival of an original order founded in 1946 and abolished in 1949. Its origins, however, can be traced to the O ...

Sovereign Military Order of Malta The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta ( it, Sovrano Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme, di Rodi e di Malta; ...

: **

Knight Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta * : ** Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of Adolphe of Nassau The Order of Civil and Military Merit of Adolph of Nassau (french: Ordre de Mérite civil et militaire d’Adolphe de Nassau) is an order of merit of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg for meritorious service to the Grand Duke, the Grand-Ducal House a ...

* : ** Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown * : ** Den kongelige norske fortjenstorden storkors stripe

Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of Merit The Order of Merit (french: link=no, Ordre du Mérite) is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by ...

* : **

PRT Order of Prince Henry - Grand Cross BAR

Grand Cross of the

Order of Prince Henry The Order of Prince Henry ( pt, Ordem do Infante Dom Henrique) is a Portuguese order of knighthood created on 2 June 1960, to commemorate the quincentenary of the death of the Portuguese prince Henry the Navigator, one of the main initiators of ...

* : **

Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of Civil Merit The Order of Civil Merit ( es, Orden del Mérito Civil) was established by King Alfonso XIII of Spain in 1926. The order recognizes "the civic virtue of officers in the service of the Nation, as well as extraordinary service by Spanish and forei ...

* : **

Order of the Polar Star (after 1975) - Commander Grand Cross

Knight Grand Cross of the

Royal Order of the Polar Star The Royal Order of the Polar Star ( Swedish: ''Kungliga Nordstjärneorden'') is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the Seraphim. The Order of ...

Dynastic orders

* Two Sicilian Royal Family: ** ESP Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George Justicia BAR

Knight Grand Cross of Justice of the Two Sicilian Royal Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George

Military ranks

Source
www.monarchie.be
Prince Laurent

Arms

nl, Eendracht maakt macht
german: Einigkeit macht stark , other_elements = The whole is placed on a mantle

purpure In heraldry, purpure, () is a tincture, equivalent to the colour "purple", and is one of the five main or most usually used ''colours'' (as opposed to ''metals''). It may be portrayed in engravings by a series of parallel lines at a 45-degree angl ...

with ermine lining, fringes and tassels or and ensigned with the Royal crown of Belgium.

References

External links

Official biography from the Belgian Royal Family website
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Laurent Of Belgium, Prince 1963 births Living people Royal Military Academy (Belgium) alumni Members of the Senate (Belgium) Belgian people of Italian descent Belgian people of Swedish descent Belgian Roman Catholics Grand Crosses 1st class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Recipients of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary Grand Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary (military) Knights of Malta Recipients of the Order of the Crown (Netherlands) Grand Crosses of the Order of the Crown (Netherlands) Recipients of the Order of Prince Henry Grand Crosses of the Order of Prince Henry Order of Civil Merit members Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Polar Star House of Belgium People from Laeken Political controversies in Belgium Princes of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Sons of kings