Prince Laurent, Princess Claire & Family - News & Events, Part 5; Jan 2014 - Dec 2016

[Lee-Z]

P.Laurent is very outspoken in an interview, comparing his father, uncle AND brother to the east-german Stasi
Prins Laurent haalt nu ook uit naar zijn broer Filip: ‘Net d... - Het Nieuwsblad

Google translated

Just when i thought everything was going well in the belgian RF

 

[leidi]

Man, Laurent is so stupid sometimes smh.
What does he expect a King to do? His father definitely sidelined him but his brother has given him a lot of things to do.
Ungrateful if you ask me.

 

[muriel]

P.Laurent is very outspoken in an interview, comparing his father, uncle AND brother to the east-german Stasi
Prins Laurent haalt nu ook uit naar zijn broer Filip: ‘Net d... - Het Nieuwsblad

Google translated

Just when i thought everything was going well in the belgian RF

Ridiculous man!

 

[maria-olivia]

I am very sad about that , always problems in our Royal Family.

A lot of people are saying the belgian Royals should work as the Dutch Royals.

Could you imagine such a versatile person as prince Laurent having an important job in Belgium ??

 

[tommy100]

Well this just shows how stupid Laurent can be. Philippe has given his brother a role and placed his trust in him and Laurent repays him like this.
To be honest I can begin to see why Albert may have 'cut him off' if this is the sort of rubbish Laurent says about his family and those around him. I mean, Philippe has shown himself to be a very different person from Albert so to me it shows the problem is more likely to be with Laurent than 3 previous Kings.

 

[leidi]

I am very sad about that , always problems in our Royal Family.

A lot of people are saying the belgian Royals should work as the Dutch Royals.

Could you imagine such a versatile person as prince Laurent having an important job in Belgium ??

You mean volatile? And yes, I don't think he'd get a good job anywhere with that attitude.

I'm very disappointed with him, Philippe was giving him roles and stayed by his side when he was sick and he repays him with these words.

Awful stuff.

Even more, Philippe will keep working with him, that shows the human quality of one and the other

 

[Marengo]

I suppose that Laurent could use a long look in the mirror and wonder *WHY* they never trusted him. I have always had a soft spot for him, but he is his own worst enemy. Antics like these will have the opposite effect then he hopes for. He would be wise to focus on his recovery and his family and keep his mouth shut to the press.

We do not know how much trust the present king actually placed in Laurent. We only know what the court publically communicates. What happens behind closed doors? We do not know as that is a different thing all together. Perhaps the king tries to sideline him (with good reason) perhaps the king is actually giving him a fair chance. Who knows? What we do know is that he has few public duties and that remarks like these won't help him.

From the Guardian:

Belgian king's brother likens kin to the Stasi

Prince Laurent, brother of King Philippe, says own royal family have ‘sabotaged and blocked’ his career over years

Prince Laurent, brother to Belgium’s King Philippe, has attacked the royal family and their entourage, saying they are like the Stasi secret police and that they have sabotaged his career for years.

“My family has never supported me,” Laurent told RTBF public television on Thursday, complaining bitterly that he had been hard done by despite the rich external trappings of royalty.

Referring to the dreaded secret police of communist East Germany, he said: “It started with my uncle King Baudouin. Then with my father, Albert II. With them it was like the Stasi. Today, I have the impression it continues with my brother, King Philippe. Their mistake [was] to have taken on an entourage which wished me harm and wanted to prevent me working.”

Read more here.

 

[leidi]

I suppose that Laurent could use a long look in the mirror and wonder *WHY* they never trusted him. I have always had a soft spot for him, but he is his own worst enemy. Antics like these will have the opposite effect than he hopes. He would be wise to focus on his recovery and his family and keep his mouth shut to the press.

We do not know how much trust the present king actually placed in Laurent. We only know what the court publically communicates. What happens behind closed doors? We do not know as that is a different thing all together. Perhaps the king tries to sideline him (with good reason) perhaps the king is actually giving him a fair chance. Who knows? What we do know is that he has few public duties and that remarks like these won't help him.

From the Guardian:



Read more here.

I talk about what I see: Albert had Laurent completely sidelined from virtually any public activity, his youngest son didn't represent him at all.

While Laurent has represented Philippe a lot of times in his brother's reign, including some world war related acts, something unthinkable on their father's reign.

Also, I really doubt the FAO stuff would have been possible if the Court hadn't lobbied for Laurent there, so that's another point for Philippe.

They might not be BFFs or have a great relationship behind closed doors but it is clear that Philippe is trying to integrate his brother to his reign (he's a sensible man, his children are still young and he needs as much help as he can get now that Albert and Paola are retired so he decided to give Laurent a chance) and this would feel like a stab in the back.

 

[*Mara*]

Could you imagine such a versatile person as prince Laurent having an important job in Belgium ??

No. Laurent has no job training or education and the talent to get into trouble all the time. All of his business activities were unsuccessful. Thanks to his father’s intervention he gets an allowance which is higher than the Belgian Prime Minister’s salary and on top of that he has various other privileges like free housing, office staff, etc. In exchange for this generous treatment for a person who is currently nr 11 in the line of throne he is expected to stay away from commercial activities and to follow the rules. In 2011 he was forced to sign a code of conduct with prime minister Leterme and he promised to avoid polemics, personal insults and all actions which are damaging for the institutions. With this interview he has crossed the line imo.


So if staying in the “firm” sucks so much he is free to give up his allowance and to earn his keep. Obviously he isn’t willing and able to do so. This is where his rebellion stops I guess. And in the meantime he should visit the Berlin-Hohenschoenhausen Memorial and inform himself why it is utterly ridiculous to compare himself with the victims of the STASI.

 

[tommy100]

Well I can safely say Philippe is a better man than me, I wouldn't keep 'working with' Laurent if I was him but its admirable he want to show his brother such trust.
Also his argument that they have tried to stop him working is rubbish, Philippe has clearly given him work to do and to encourage him to do more for the RF. IN all of this time Laurent has been getting a pretty generous allowance, in return for which he isn't meant to work is he?

 

[Al_bina]

It is very unfortunate that Prince Laurent continues to discuss private affairs in public. It is wrong to draw a comparison between family members and Stasi. It appears that King Philippe and his advisers did accommodate Prince Laurent, who is fond of spitting at his own family.

Can Prince Laurent be allowed to earn his living outside the royal family? If yes, what can he do?

 

[An Ard Ri]

Prince Laurent really does himself no favours!

 

[lise]

I think since he has no formal career training, he would have been better off keeping his mouth shut.

 

[Jacknch]

It is very unfortunate that Prince Laurent continues to discuss private affairs in public. It is wrong to draw a comparison between family members and Stasi. It appears that King Philippe and his advisers did accommodate Prince Laurent, who is fond of spitting at his own family.

Can Prince Laurent be allowed to earn his living outside the royal family? If yes, what can he do?

I should imagine it would be safer for all concerned if he wasn't let loose to earn his living outside the royal family, in spite of his ill-advised interview.

 

[maria-olivia]

This Morning the Royal Palace said that King Philippe maintains his Confidence with his Brother prince Laurent but deplore the words he used.

So Prince laurent , you speak to the dead, say to the late King Baudouin you are ashamed about your words concerning Him.

 

[Ceallach]

The problem is his idea of business is the same as the UK's Prince Andrew's and involves expenses paid by questionable billionaires and foreign dictators. He has been stopped by doing more of this business by threats to revoke his 37,000 a month allowance plus staff and housing, and being required to stop commercial business and insults to keep it. He broke the terms, so let him forgo the allowance and do whatever business he wants.

 

[Al_bina]

I should imagine it would be safer for all concerned if he wasn't let loose to earn his living outside the royal family, in spite of his ill-advised interview.

Hopefully Prince Laurent understands that he will drain public sympathy for his anguish fast. The public is fully aware of Prince Laurent's tumultuous relationships with many family members. He has been assigned a specific area for his royal duties. So he should focus on them and move on with his life.

 

[tommy100]

I feel so sorry for Philip & Mathilde and in fact for Astrid. They just seem to be being let down constantly by their family, Laurent over the years and then Albert & Paola since the abdication.
I remember seeing a video the other day from a recent event Astrid did with Albert and he made her move from where she was standing because she was in front of him and it was "against protocol", Albert remarked "it [protocol] is all I have now". Astrid laughed it off but how hurtful to be publicly called out like that my your father. Her youngest brother clearly has a similar self pitying attitude as Albert, what an embarrassment!

 

[casualfan]

I feel so sorry for Philip & Mathilde and in fact for Astrid. They just seem to be being let down constantly by their family, Laurent over the years and then Albert & Paola since the abdication.
I remember seeing a video the other day from a recent event Astrid did with Albert and he made her move from where she was standing because she was in front of him and it was "against protocol", Albert remarked "it [protocol] is all I have now". Astrid laughed it off but how hurtful to be publicly called out like that my your father. Her youngest brother clearly has a similar self pitying attitude as Albert, what an embarrassment!

Totally agree! This behavior is ridiculous, and Philippe is a better man than most to keep him around. I'm sure the argument is that his comments may have been taken out of context or that taking action against L would be seen as retaliation, but I'm just not sure there are a lot of people out there who would fault Philippe for just telling L it's time to move on.

 

[tommy100]

If i was Philippe I'd tell Laurent that if he's that bothered abut making his own living he should do say and then withdraw his allowance and staff and other perks. Probably wouldn't last 5 minutes...

 

[Marengo]

The king can not withdraw Laurents dotation. Only parlament can. The King inherited this far-from-ideal situation from his father. The best thing he can (and will) do is to make sure that history does not repeat itself and that his younger children will be well prepared for a future job.

Let us not forget that the prince has suffered from bouts of depressions in the past and this may be one of the reasons of pain for him. He has received no support in his childhood by his absent parents. Neither did his fanatically religious uncle and aunt know what to do with him.

 

[*Mara*]

In the end Laurent is digging his own grave imo. It will be more and more difficult to see him as credible representative of an institution he obviously hates so much. He better does not take his dotation for granted or he is in for a rude awakening I fear. There’s already so much criticism on his dotation and Fabiola’s example should teach him that his financial situation can be changed rather quickly by the politicans. I hope Claire is able to reign him in.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

I feel so sorry for Philip & Mathilde and in fact for Astrid. They just seem to be being let down constantly by their family, Laurent over the years and then Albert & Paola since the abdication.
I remember seeing a video the other day from a recent event Astrid did with Albert and he made her move from where she was standing because she was in front of him and it was "against protocol", Albert remarked "it [protocol] is all I have now". Astrid laughed it off but how hurtful to be publicly called out like that my your father. Her youngest brother clearly has a similar self pitying attitude as Albert, what an embarrassment!

I think King Philippe and especially Queen Mathilde are keen to restore some protocol and dignity back into the Belgian monarchy. From what I can see, the Belgian monarchy often givens the impression -rightly or wrongly- of an "organized chaos". A couple of months into King Philippe's new kingship, suddenly "anonymous sources at the Palace" leaked to the Belgian media and complained about Queen Mathilde. From the outside she has an angelic appearance and always being Behind Her Husband. In reality she seems to have taken the reins in her hand and the courtiers -used to Albert and Paola, to Baudouin and Fabiola, both with little interest in the organization of the Court- suddenly felt faced with a energetic and ambitious royal couple.

That is not the Mathilde we know., the always subservient and silent noble lady from the deep green forests in the Ardennes. That is not the Philippe we know, always portrayed as a goof, a whimp, a dumb. The chaos around the funeral of Queen Fabiola, the public miscommunication between the members of the royal family, it all shows that the King and Queen are right to tighten it all up. Maybe Prince Laurent, used to freewheel to all and everything, now feel "suffocated" by the new and tighter regime in the palace? Feeling that his very own brother has become as much a control freak as his uncle King Baudouin? We never know. It is clear that something has profoundly changed between the two brothers.

Sadly a deep family rift is nothing new in the Belgian royal family. Even a rift between two very brothers is nothing new. King Leopold III and his brother Prince Charles (Regent of Belgium between 1944 and 1950) developed a fierce rift and it never healed. Both died with bitter resentment to each other.

 

[*Mara*]

In Laurent’s case the regime has always been tight. And with good reasons. It’s simply Laurent’s age-old pattern of putting the blame on others instead of realizing his own mistakes. This latest rant was triggered by journalists asking questions on his almost bankrupt renewable energy project. He ironically also seems to think that talking to the press will change things to the better. As a journalist put it: He will never learn and gamble away all chances given to him. And of course he will always get a veto when he comes up with shady deals like his Libya or Congo adventures for ex. It doesn’t matter if the monarch in charge is his brother, father or uncle.

 

[casualfan]

The king can not withdraw Laurents dotation. Only parlament can. The King inherited this far-from-ideal situation from his father. The best thing he can (and will) do is to make sure that history does not repeat itself and that his younger children will be well prepared for a future job.

Let us not forget that the prince has suffered from bouts of depressions in the past and this may be one of the reasons of pain for him. He has received no support in his childhood by his absent parents. Neither did his fanatically religious uncle and aunt know what to do with him.

I, for one, was just talking about not giving him an active role in the monarchy.

 

[tommy100]

I guess the Court may feel Laurent needs to be seen working as he gets an allowance from the State.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

I, for one, was just talking about not giving him an active role in the monarchy.

It is already quite generous that Archduchess Astrid of Austria-Este, Princess of Belgium (number 5 in the line of succession) and Prince Laurent of Belgium (number 11) get allowances which is higher than what the Prime Minister gets for all his hard work.

The Prince already does the bare minimum for this allowance. Lifting him totally out of the Royal House can not be done without ending his allowance. The taxpaying public would find it hard to swallow that someone is thrown out of the Royal House but continues to receive an allowance from their taxes. (The Belgians are one of the highest taxed, if not THE highest taxed, people in the EU).

 

[tommy100]

I wonder if that was part of the reason Philippe worked with Laurent to get him doing more, he maybe thought it would help but a stop to all the bad press over the Royals allowances. Laurent was always held up in the press as a poor example as he didn't do much for his allowance. From what I saw and read there was always less criticism of Astrid as she did much more than Laurent.

 

[iceflower]

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Prince Laurent, Princess Claire and the kids visited an exhibition about Anne Frank at Stavelot Abbey today, April 20:



** Pic ** belga gallery **


** lameuse.be: Liège: le prince Laurent et sa famille visitent l'exposition Anne Frank à Stavelot **

 

[leidi]

Wow, the Stasi let him out of his prison!