I translated an article from Humo about prince Laurent:
Cherchez l'argent (I)
Next week in Hasselt several naval officers will be on trial. They are accused of having embazzled 2.2 million euros of public money from 1998 to 2000.
Among them is captain (on-sea) Noel Vaessen, who was an advisor of Prince Laurent for six years. Through him Laurent is supposed to have taken his share to: 187500 euros for the decoration of his Villa Clementine and for his 'Foundation Prince Laurent'. Vaessen, who is also accused of embazzlement for personal use, will have to account for himself, the prince doesn't. Humo has gotten into the matter and has become aware that whatever his father may say in his christmas speech, the prince has been standing above the law for years. A portrait of a 'schnabbel'-king: 'maybe we have to make clear to him that there is nothing wrong with working for a living'.
Shall we start with a confession? For years we thought Laurent was the coolest member of the royal family. He made out in discotheques, came terribly late for family gatherings was speeding with his sportscar on the lane to Laeken Palace and had an adversity to any protocol or ceremony. If the 21st century ever started at the palace, that would largely be because of him.
Unforgetable are the images of Laurent dressed as santa-claus who tried to squeeze himself on a dark winter night, into the far to small car of Francois-Xavier de Donnea, to make Brussels unsafe ('Hohoho, who are we? Santa-Claus? No, the Prince!'). Sadly another image of the prince also appeared to us: not the sympathetic comic-figure but a guy with a chronical lack of money who is constantly looking for a hole in the market and to people who can be of use to him. And if this goes wrong, monseigneur just gets away.
In the courttrial in Hasselt, Noel Vaessen, former advisor of the prince has to account for the illegal use of 187500 euros for the prince. Marc Rubens, procureur of the king already said before the trial: 'the prince knows nothing about this'. The prosecutors office even didn't found it necesary to question Laurent at all. And Vaessen? He went craazy and in doesn't leave anything standing of the Prince in three long articles in 'Het Laatste Nieuws'. In essense he says this: the Prince is a spoiled brat who thinks he can get away with anything. Or in Vaessen's words: 'On a day the prince stepped into a bakeryshop in Chaumont-Gistoux and ordered a cake of 12 euros. Without embarrasment he asked the baker if he could have it for 10 euros to. The baker awnsered that the price was the same for everybody, prince or no prince. When the baker packed the cake the prince put 8 euros on the counter and said he did not have more money and left.
A secret abortion
Prince Laurent is longer then today the 'free electron' of the Royal Family. He is capable of anything, the worst and the best. You don't know what to expect from him. He suffered more then his siblings Phillipe and Astrid from the turbulent lovelife of his parents: home was everything but a warm safe haven. He was rarely there and if it was possible they would let others take care of him. When things with the rebelious nephew seemed tp turn out wrong, King Baudouin tried to take care of him personally. But this also turned out wrong: the serious monarch did not have any understanding
for the frivolous life of the prince, they never made amends again. In 1991 Baudouin changed the Salic law: from now on women could also ascend the Belgian throne. Officially as a response to the changed role of women in modern society, but unofficially as a way to definately get rid of Laurent. 'La Derniere Heure' claimed to know what caused the definate rift between Baudouin and Laurent: an abortion from a girlfriend of Laurent. Rudy Bogaerts, teacher of the prince in the 80-ties doubts that: there were more things going on between uncle and nephew, 'but the abortion happened, no doubt about that'.
Rudy Bogaerts: 'Boudouin asked me personally to settle the case. That wasn't that easy for me as I am a member of Pro Vita, a movement against abortion. But Boudouin insisted: 'Le cardinal est d'accord'. And so I did what was asked. The girl, a daughter of a doctor from a provincial city in Flanders underwent the abortion in a catholic hospital at the Belgian coast.
In the beginning of the 90-ties the prince did internships in several places: Battele, Disney, the worldbank, the european commission. He was fairly proud of that untill he heard that his uncle paid his salery everywhere. As if he wasn't capable to do anything; the ego of the insecure prince got another severe blow. Laurent doesn't have it financially easy in those days. The prince lives in a small appartment of the Walloon family Solvay in Terhulpen. He doesn't get a dotation buyt 75000 belgian francs a month from his father.
With that he had to satiffy his hunger for pretty women, fast cars and exclusive watches. Vaessen says: 'Usually at the end of the month he was not able to afford food anymore. He lived on a diet of Cola and dry bread.
My wife and I gave him food, at our expenses.
Bogearts: 'Baudouin decided that Albert had to pay Laurents 75000 a month from his own dotation 'c'est assez'. Not only Laurent was angry about this but so was Albert, he was furious to pay that amount of money each month!
It seems to be a small amount for people on that level, but believe me, at the palace they are 'd'une avarice folle'. They turn around every penny twice, I once heard them having a fight over 1 liter of milk!' 'But ok, Laurent now was in trouble as he could not live from 75000 a month. He had to go somewhere else and he was surrounded by scandrals who were prepared to do anything'.
Van Rossem threatened
On july 31st 1993 Baudouin dies. Seven days later - Albert hasn't even been sworn in- Laurent gets due to his mother the grand cross in the order of Leopold, the highest decoration possible. Paopla also insists that her son
gets sufficient possibilities to develop himself. Two months later the royal foundation gives him a nice place: Villa Clementine in Tervuren. Has the prince, after the death of Baudouin, come back into grace within the palace? Or are other things going on? Vaessen says the second was the case. The prince blackmailed his parents. 'Laurent wanted revenge. 'If they throw me down I will drag my father with me, he said to anybody who would listen. He did research about untidy businesses within his family. He was helped by Rudy Bopgaerts, private teacher of the Prince. Laurent collected documents against his father. A source in the palace seconds that story. 'Laurent has written a book, in Ductch: 'the nail to Baudouins coffin'. Rudy Bogaerts has that book.
'I have written a book' says Bogaerts, 'not Laurent. How would he do that? He is not capable to get two sentences on a paper. No, the book is mine - and I am not publishing it!'.
Humo: Didn't your information come from Laurent?
Bogaerts: He didn't know about anything. I heard these things of people at the Royal Golf Club in Tervuren for example. According to Vaessen, Laurents research was mainly directed to the then unknown extra marital daughter of Albert: Delphine Boel, and to the contacts of Albert with con-man Jean Pierre van Rossum.
'In those days my daughter and Prince Laurent frequently met' says Delphine's mother Sybille de Selys Longchamps. 'but the contacts were cheerfull and kind, you don't have to think any negative thing about that'.
Humo: do they still see each other?
Sybille dSL: 'No, not anymore, no'. 'The last time I met Laurent was at a cocktailparty by accident. Where is your wife, I asked. 'Elle s'occupe de mes enfants'(laughs), that is him'.
That Laurent did research finds Boagaerds to strong worded. The Prince did some naughty things, that he did. Then he would open magazine 'L'Evetail, where they had a picture of Delphine, and put it on Alberts desk on that fatal page. It was a way to get attention, to say 'I exsist'. He was the 5th wheel of the weagon, right? once when he arrived in Laeken Phillipe asked him 'QUe viens-tu faire chez nous?' Laurent didn't belong to them.
Jean Pierre van Rossem start in old-testamentish anger when we inform after his connection with the Royal Family. Wasn't he the member of parlament that said 'Vive la republique' when Albert said his oath? WHy would I, as a republican, want to have anything to do with that 'crapuul' of Coburgs? I never even saw Baudouin or Albert!
Humo: Didn't you inform Albert about the possibilities that your stockmodel Moneytron offered?
van Rossem: Albert? No. I gave his halfbrother advice once, but apparently that wasn't supposed to become public knowledge. Some dayys before my trial two men came to me, noticable for their innoticibility, with the announcement: 'One word about the halfbrother on the trial and you will be put away in prison for 20 years. If you remain silent you will be released after 1/3 of your punishment. The two men did not identify themselves.
Humo: Who was that halfbrother?
Van Rossum: I don't say any names. I don't want to have anything to do with that crap. But you would be shocked if you knew how many halfbrothers and -sisters the King has. Leopold III was productive!
Humo: Lord Willoughby de Broka, does the name say anything to you?
Van Rossum: The name isn't unfamiliar to me.
. So Laurent is [basically] being left off the hook (but he just needs to pay a fine).
