Prince Laurent, Princess Claire & Family - News & Events, Part 6; Dec 2016 - Aug 2023


If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
Status
Not open for further replies.
Princess Claire as Honorary President of Renovassistance and Prince Laurent attended the inauguration of the newest renovation project of the organisation in Jette on February 16:


** twitter post **
 
Prince Laurent as President of the Prince Laurent Foundation attended the "A single violence" colloquium in Paris about the problem of violence against vulnerable people and their animals.


** public fb post **
 
As President of the Prince Laurent Foundation Prince Laurent visited the foundation's dispensary in Ghent:


** Pic ** fb post **
 
Adda said:
A four-part docu series about the Prince has been made. It will air on April 19 at 21:20h on Canvas and VRT MAX.

https://www.vrt.be/nl/over-de-vrt/nieuws/2023/03/31/nieuw-op-canvas-laurent-prins-op-overschot/
Click to expand...

HLN discusses the interview with Laurent's 'foster parents' (with whom he lived from 1977 until 1980 during weekdays while attending high school in Antwerp). They were tasked with teaching him Dutch and really tried to spend time with him/be present in his life. According to them, he says that those years were the happiest. Educationally, those years were less fruitful as he didn't do well in school at all.

They are still in touch with him and were happy when he introduced Claire to them as they had been wondering who he would pick as his wife given that he had a quite dissolute life for several years.
 
Thank goodness he has "backup parents" somewhere.
 
Yesterday VRT aired the first part of Laurent, een prins op overschot (Laurent, a leftover prince).

The docu was relatively okay until Princess Marie-Christine of Belgium was sideways mentioned. Suddenly a picture of Princess Michael of Kent (born Marie-Christine Freiin von Reibnitz) was shown.

This meant two things:
-- extremely sloppy editing
-- Princess Marie-Christine is so unknown that even the photo redaction of VRT mistook Princess Michael for her!
 
Last edited:
Yesterday evening, April 22, Prince Laurent and Princess Claire, Prince Aymeric, Prince Nicolas and Princess Louise participated in the 35th edition of the charity TV event Télévie to raise funds for the fight against cancer:


** anp gallery ** Photos **


** rtl.be article with video: Le message du prince Laurent pour soutenir le Télévie: "C'est l'ensemble des grains de sable qui font que la plage puisse exister" **


** sudinfo: Le prince Laurent présent avec sa famille à la soirée de clôture du Télévie: «Fondamental d’aider ceux qui sont en difficulté» (vidéos) **
 
Last edited:
Prinsara said:
Thank goodness he has "backup parents" somewhere.
Click to expand...

His parents literally just washed their hands off him since he was really young, didn't they? :ermm:

Like these are his "foster" parents, I know he stayed with the Solvay family for a while, he also stayed at boarding schools like his brother... :ermm:

It's an actual miracle he's not worse than he is tbh, I think marrying an amazing woman like Claire was the thing that changed his life for the better.
 
leidi said:
His parents literally just washed their hands off him since he was really young, didn't they? :ermm:

Like these are his "foster" parents, I know he stayed with the Solvay family for a while, he also stayed at boarding schools like his brother... :ermm:

It's an actual miracle he's not worse than he is tbh, I think marrying an amazing woman like Claire was the thing that changed his life for the better.
Click to expand...

That is not really fair. Philippe and Astrid come from the same rocky marriage. Both have been in boarding schools in- and outside Belgium. But both have always been conscientious and well-thought persons while Laurent was, from the very beginning, an extremely difficult child.

When the blame would lie with the parents, then see the other two "products" of the same parents. In the first part of the documentary was to see how Princess Paola went lenghts to find a solution for her youngest son, which now would maybe labelled with ADD, ADHD, whatever but back then was seen as a weak character whom needed to be mould.

King Baudouin and Queen Fabiola soon saw that Laurent was "impossible" and it became clear the King only wanted to have him far away. So he went to Steubenville in Ohio (disastrous) and he went to learning practices at USA companies (disastrous), he went into the military (disastrous). In the end Laurent, with no secondary school diploma, ended to be a Senator (back then children of Kings could be appointed Senator) and was saved with Belgian taxpayers' money because which company would ever employ anyone with such a curriculum?
 
Last edited:
Duc_et_Pair said:
That is not really fair. Philippe and Astrid come from the same rocky marriage. Both have been in boarding schools in- and outside Belgium. But both have always been conscientious and well-thought persons while Laurent was, from the very beginning, an extremely difficult child.

When the blame would lie with the parents, then see the other two "products" of the same parents. In the first part of the documentary was to see how Princess Paola went lenghts to find a solution for her youngest son, which now would maybe labelled with ADD, ADHD, whatever but back then was seen as a weak character whom needed to be mould.

King Baudouin and Queen Fabiola soon saw that Laurent was "impossible" and it became clear the King only wanted to have him far away. So he went to Steubenville in Ohio (disastrous) and he went to learning practices at USA companies (disastrous), he went into the military (disastrous). In the end Laurent, with no secondary school diploma, ended to be a Senator (back then children of Kings could be appointed Senator) and was saved with Belgian taxpayers' money because which company would ever employ anyone with such a curriculum?
Click to expand...

Baudouin and Fabiola were much more hands-on with Philippe and Astrid than they were with Laurent, so since he was a "difficult" child then everyone had the right to wash their hands off him? Including his own parents? Is it okay to (by all intents and purposes) abandon a child because he's not "perfect" and is "difficult"? :ermm: :ohmy:

We're not talking about a grown man who is like this, we're talking about a child, whom from a very early age felt his own family turn their backs on him, shipping him everywhere as long as he stayed out of sight.

I have 5 siblings and we couldn't be more different from each other, even if we all had the same upbringing and parenting, so no, the results of parenting cannot be extrapolated this way, some children might need more discipline, others would need more help with their studies, others would need help with their social skills, etc. It's not an exact science and it's the duty of parents to do so.

A&P's age and generation isn't an excuse, look at their brother-in-law the late Grand Duke Jean, he was an excellent father to his own children and was beloved by everyone in their extended family for being an exemplary man and a great family patriarch.

Laurent might have still been the same annoying, difficult man he is today but if he actually had some structure, some stability instead of being carted off as the black sheep since he was a literal child, he might have been happier, he might not have had the same issues he's had all his life.
 
Last edited:
leidi said:
His parents literally just washed their hands off him since he was really young, didn't they? :ermm:

Like these are his "foster" parents, I know he stayed with the Solvay family for a while, he also stayed at boarding schools like his brother... :ermm:

It's an actual miracle he's not worse than he is tbh, I think marrying an amazing woman like Claire was the thing that changed his life for the better.
Click to expand...
In the vrt documentary, the couple of "foster parents" Laurent stayed with during his teenage years (during the school week) actually speak rather well of Paola as a mother, who saw that her son was having problems and was involved. Also Mario Danneels says that Paola was the only one in the family who tried to make efforts for Laurent, also later, when she was the one who introduced him to Père Guy Gilbert, a clearly very important figure in Laurent's life.
 
Linda_26 said:
In the vrt documentary, the couple of "foster parents" Laurent stayed with during his teenage years (during the school week) actually speak rather well of Paola as a mother, who saw that her son was having problems and was involved. Also Mario Danneels says that Paola was the only one in the family who tried to make efforts for Laurent, also later, when she was the one who introduced him to Père Guy Gilbert, a clearly very important figure in Laurent's life.
Click to expand...

Yes indeed and it was said Laurent was gifted with the same "eccentricities" as his great uncle Prince Charles (Regent of Belgium 1944-1950) and his great aunt Princess Marie José (Queen of Italy 1946). But later it became clear that there was more than just "eccentricities" in the case of Prince Laurent.

But back then in the 1960's and 1970's the pedagogic knowledge and methods were incomparable with present day. King Baudouin, himself having had a difficult youth with a mother lost at young age, the occupation, the stepmother, the deportation outside Belgium, the near end of the monarchy in the 1950's only thought Laurent needed good frameworks to live within, to fill his days with strict schedule, so it would harden him and form his character and persona. So he went to the Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio. True or not true, the persons in the docu claimed it was more holy than the Pope "more strictly Catholic even than the Gregoriana in Rome" but Laurent was very unhappy over there, in Steubenville. He barely spoke any English even.

We can only say Princess Paola did her best with the knowledge that back then a firm upbringing was thought to be the best for "weak characters" but possibly, with the knowledge of today, Laurent maybe simply was not so gifted, or had underlying Add, ADHD, PDD/NOS, Asperger whatever. Now we have labels for everything. Back then it was boarding schools, foster parents, a seminary or the military to discipline.
 
Last edited:
leidi said:
Baudouin and Fabiola were much more hands-on with Philippe and Astrid than they were with Laurent, so since he was a "difficult" child then everyone had the right to wash their hands off him? Including his own parents? Is it okay to (by all intents and purposes) abandon a child because he's not "perfect" and is "difficult"? :ermm: :ohmy:
Click to expand...

I feel terribly sorry for young Laurent. I work with children, and a traumatized, hyperactive, difficult child deserves tons and tons of patience, it takes a village. Everyone is quick to point fingers at Tino&Lita, rightly so, but far worse was Fabiola. Imagine growing up seeing how dysfunctional your parent's marriage is, and to top it all, your uncle's wife, who lives for and loves your elder siblings, has you exorcised. It is something so outrageously horrible and disgusting to do to anyone, let alone a depressed teenager who was most likely starving for love and understanding.
And some people moan because "Oh how evil of Laurent to call her the Spanish Witch". Ohhh, don't get me started! Poor poor poor Laurent.

No wonder he loves animals, he knows they don't judge (unless they're cats). Thank goodness Claire arrived in his life.
 
Last edited:
Linda_26 said:
In the vrt documentary, the couple of "foster parents" Laurent stayed with during his teenage years (during the school week) actually speak rather well of Paola as a mother, who saw that her son was having problems and was involved. Also Mario Danneels says that Paola was the only one in the family who tried to make efforts for Laurent, also later, when she was the one who introduced him to Père Guy Gilbert, a clearly very important figure in Laurent's life.
Click to expand...

He doesn't seem to bear the same kind of anger for her that he does for Albert. From my very loose observation.

Laurent is a mess and he can't be blamed for what happened as a child, so that does rest with his parents and to some extent with his uncle and aunt. There is a strong strain of "something" in the family, and it goes beyond Charles (whom I'm not sure was any finer a human being, competent Regency aside) and Marie-José, back to Carlota and Leopold. Philippe and Mathilde seem to have done their tremendous utmost to make all their kids feel loved and secure.

Laurent is doing the best he can with his own family and seems more settled than he used to be. Isn't that about all you can ask?
 
Adda said:
I feel terribly sorry for young Laurent. I work with children, and a traumatized, hyperactive, difficult child deserves tons and tons of patience, it takes a village. Everyone is quick to point fingers at Tino&Lita, rightly so, but far worse was Fabiola. Imagine growing up seeing how dysfunctional your parent's marriage is, and to top it all, your uncle's wife, who lives for and loves your elder siblings, has you exorcised. It is something so outrageously horrible and disgusting to do to anyone, let alone a depressed teenager who was most likely starving for love and understanding.
And some people moan because "Oh how evil of Laurent to call her the Spanish Witch". Ohhh, don't get me started! Poor poor poor Laurent.

No wonder he loves animals, he knows they don't judge (unless they're cats). Thank goodness Claire arrived in his life.
Click to expand...

It was terrible but people just love to point out how "saintly" and "perfect" Baudouin and Fabiola were, they were also at fault here, if they weren't going to help him, they should have at least have the decency to not further his trauma. :ermm:

I think Guy Gilbert is probably the one reason why Laurent didn't leave the Church as soon as he was an adult after that.

Claire was a blessing in all fronts, I don't really know how she came to his life but I think Paola probably prays every day in thanks that she did, a good, sensible woman who seems to love him very much in spite of his many faults.

Laurent ADORES her and his children are a solace as well.

Prinsara said:
He doesn't seem to bear the same kind of anger for her that he does for Albert. From my very loose observation.

Laurent is a mess and he can't be blamed for what happened as a child, so that does rest with his parents and to some extent with his uncle and aunt. There is a strong strain of "something" in the family, and it goes beyond Charles (whom I'm not sure was any finer a human being, competent Regency aside) and Marie-José, back to Carlota and Leopold. Philippe and Mathilde seem to have done their tremendous utmost to make all their kids feel loved and secure.

Laurent is doing the best he can with his own family and seems more settled than he used to be. Isn't that about all you can ask?
Click to expand...

There were quite a few bad apples in the family, specially in the male side, and with all the neglect and bad blood, it's a miracle that Philippe, Astrid and Laurent actually managed to marry good people and raise loving families, they were probably hellbent on breaking the cycle in their generation, after seeing the pieces of work that their parents/grandparents (I include Lilian here since none of them ever met Queen Astrid) were. :sad:
 
Adda said:
I feel terribly sorry for young Laurent. I work with children, and a traumatized, hyperactive, difficult child deserves tons and tons of patience, it takes a village. Everyone is quick to point fingers at Tino&Lita, rightly so, but far worse was Fabiola. Imagine growing up seeing how dysfunctional your parent's marriage is, and to top it all, your uncle's wife, who lives for and loves your elder siblings, has you exorcised. It is something so outrageously horrible and disgusting to do to anyone, let alone a depressed teenager who was most likely starving for love and understanding.
And some people moan because "Oh how evil of Laurent to call her the Spanish Witch". Ohhh, don't get me started! Poor poor poor Laurent.

No wonder he loves animals, he knows they don't judge (unless they're cats). Thank goodness Claire arrived in his life.
Click to expand...

Queen Fabiola barely had anything to do with Prince Laurent. And King Baudouin did expect his brother and sister-in-law, to "solve" their "unruly" son. Note that Laurent may despise his uncle and aunt, his parents, but ultimately as a drop-out without a qualification he ended living a lavish lifestyle, thanks to the very same hand he bit into, but yet not hard enough.

When it is "poor Laurent": why not "poor Philippe" or "poor Astrid"? Actually Prince Laurent and Prince Philippe were relatively hostile towards each other. The eldest one wanted to be away from that mad brother. The youngest one wanted to copy his brother in all he did (but was not able at all to copy because he simply had not the same understanding, bagage, personality and knowledge as Philippe). Already as child Laurent seemed to have tantrums, if the stories in the docu have a truth. Once Mercedes Benz gave him a large Mercedes pedal car. In a rage against his brother Prince Laurent destroyed the car.

The Court contacted Mercedes Benz and the exclusive car was repaired with high costs. When the car came back to the Belvédère, Prince Laurent barely looked at it anymore. It is not all evil daddy and evil mommy. Exactly the three different siblings from the very same family show it has to do with the own nature, the own character, the own adaptation to the world. Laurent was clearly limited in that skill, compared to his siblings. No less, no more.
 
leidi said:
It was terrible but people just love to point out how "saintly" and "perfect" Baudouin and Fabiola were, they were also at fault here, if they weren't going to help him, they should have at least have the decency to not further his trauma. :ermm:

I think Guy Gilbert is probably the one reason why Laurent didn't leave the Church as soon as he was an adult after that.

Claire was a blessing in all fronts, I don't really know how she came to his life but I think Paola probably prays every day in thanks that she did, a good, sensible woman who seems to love him very much in spite of his many faults.

Laurent ADORES her and his children are a solace as well.




There were quite a few bad apples in the family, specially in the male side, and with all the neglect and bad blood, it's a miracle that Philippe, Astrid and Laurent actually managed to marry good people and raise loving families, they were probably hellbent on breaking the cycle in their generation, after seeing the pieces of work that their parents/grandparents (I include Lilian here since none of them ever met Queen Astrid) were. :sad:
Click to expand...
Laurent and Claire met around 2000 at a dinner through common friends, and they apparently sympathised while washing the dishes together afterwards, that's what they told the press.
About Laurent and religion, it is known that he was the only one in the family who was not linked to the "Renouveau Charismatique ", which was so important in his parents' reconciliation in the 1980s, and until Paola introduced him to Guy Gilbert (one of the best things Paola ever did for Laurent, according to Danneels in the Vrt documentary) he had no particular interest in religious matters. Now things seem to have changed a bit, I recall from the documentary about Paola last year a few scenes of Laurent's family attending a religious function in the garden of Albert and Paola's property in Southern France (interestingly, Laurent was sitting next to his father) and, according to this article https://www.kerknet.be/kerknet-reda...t-erg-geïnteresseerd-geschiedenis-christendom, a couple of weeks ago Laurent, Claire and their children joined his parents for Easter celebrations in Rome, which makes sense, as we also saw a picture of Louise, Nicolas and Aymeric in Rome with one of the Bourbon-Sicily sisters (Chiara, I think) and Albert and Paola were certainly also in Rome, they were received by the Pope a few days later.
The fact that Claire gets on very well with her in-laws certainly helps things, and I'm convinced that Laurent, while he certainly will never have a good relationship himself with his father, is happy to see that his children are close to their grandparents
 
Duc_et_Pair said:
When it is "poor Laurent": why not "poor Philippe" or "poor Astrid"?
Click to expand...

Duc_et_Pair said:
Actually Prince Laurent and Prince Philippe were relatively hostile towards each other.
Exactly the three different siblings from the very same family show it has to do with the own nature, the own character, the own adaptation to the world. Laurent was clearly limited in that skill, compared to his siblings. No less, no more.
Click to expand...

You've answered yourself here.

The King and The Princess qualities have already been discussed by me and others. They came from the same broken home, but had a different character and the support and love from their uncles. Why would I feel sorry for them? My opinion stands: Poor young Laurent.


Also worth remembering that King Filip has stuck around his younger brother for years and years despite his antics.
 
Last edited:
Adda said:
You've answered yourself here.

The King and The Princess qualities have already been discussed by me and others already. They came from the same broken home, but had a different character and the support and love from their uncles. Why would I feel sorry for them? My opinion stands: Poor young Laurent.


Also worth remembering that King Filip has stuck around his younger brother for years and years despite his antics.
Click to expand...

Well, with King Philippe you mean: the Belgian taxpayer.
It is always easy to look "supportive" as long you are not the one to open the portefeuille.
 
Duc_et_Pair said:
Well, with King Philippe you mean: the Belgian taxpayer.
It is always easy to look "supportive" as long you are not the one to open the portefeuille.
Click to expand...

No, I mean what I mean. King Filip, just like his sister, seems to have the gift of patience. Claire and the children are also an important reason to stick around.

Also, you'd be surprised by how popular Laurent actually is amongst the Belgian taxpayers.
 
Last edited:
Adda said:
No, I mean what I mean. King Filip, just like his sister, seems to have the gift of patience. Claire and the children are also an important factor.

Also, you'd be surprised at how popular Laurent actually is amongst the Belgian taxpayers.
Click to expand...

Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahaha! That made my day!
:lol::lol::lol::lol:
 
Always glad to contribute to the community. Saint Fabiola
tries to make amends and now defends Laurent through me. Ain't it wonderful :cool:
 
Last edited:
Prince Laurent is (at the moment) the Number 13 in the line of succession. He and his sister sre the only ones in Europe (or the world even) to receive an annual income for lifetime from the State. I am sure the Belgian taxpayers are "happy" with this.
 
Adda said:
You've answered yourself here.

The King and The Princess qualities have already been discussed by me and others. They came from the same broken home, but had a different character and the support and love from their uncles. Why would I feel sorry for them? My opinion stands: Poor young Laurent.


Also worth remembering that King Filip has stuck around his younger brother for years and years despite his antics.
Click to expand...
Certainly Laurent didn't have any support from his uncle and aunt, as it was said in the docu only his mother, in the family, tried to make efforts for him when he was young. What you say about Baudouin and Fabiola is particularly true regarding Philippe, I think, who was basically groomed by his uncle since he was very young and saw in Baudouin a role model and an inspiration. Astrid certainly loved very much her aunt and uncle and that was reciprocated, but she clearly was (and is) also the closest to her parents among the sibilings, she has publicly said that as a young girl, despite the difficulties, she had an "enormous love" for her parents and the fact itself that she helped them to reconcile (and, 40 years later, we can say that it was a success for them as a couple) is significant in that respect. Sorry if I went too far OT, I found quite interesting this discussion about family dynamics
 
Adda said:
No, I mean what I mean. King Filip, just like his sister, seems to have the gift of patience. Claire and the children are also an important reason to stick around.

Also, you'd be surprised by how popular Laurent actually is amongst the Belgian taxpayers.
Click to expand...
As a Belgian, I can confirm, Laurent is really loved here.
 
rominet09 said:
As a Belgian, I can confirm, Laurent is really loved here.
Click to expand...

As Laurent is someone who has a very long track record of saying and doing stupid things and acting not only incredibly entitled but irresponsibly as well...

Why? How does that make him a "common man", aside from his animal welfare rights? Are people just sorry for him as "the cursed prince"?
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

Marengo
Prince Laurent, Princess Claire & Family - News & Events, Part 7; Aug 2023 -
2
Replies
33
Views
5K
iceflower
iceflower
iceflower
Princess Estelle and Prince Oscar News Part 2: January 2024 -
Replies
6
Views
2K
LadyFinn
LadyFinn
iceflower
Prince Albert & Princess Charlene Current Events Part 6: January 2024 -
Replies
11
Views
4K
An Ard Ri
An Ard Ri
iceflower
Princess Leonore, Prince Nicolas, Princess Adrienne News Part 2: January 2024 -
Replies
2
Views
917
Blog Real
Blog Real
iceflower
Princess Isabella, Prince Vincent & Princess Josephine, News Part 1: October 2023 -
Replies
29
Views
6K
polyesco
P

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom