Belgian prince loses legal quest for social security

From left, Belgium's Prince Lorenz, Belgium's Prince Laurent and his his wife Princess Claire sit on the viewing stand during National Day festivities in Brussels, Friday, July 21, 2023. (AP Photo/Fred Sierakowski) (Fred Sierakowski/AP)

An unconventional Belgian prince on Monday lost a legal battle to claim social security benefits on top of his royal allowance, with a court ruling his claim -- the first of its kind in the country’s nearly 200-year history -- “unfounded”.

The 61-year-old Prince Laurent, youngest of three children of the former king and queen, had insisted that his work entitled him to the coverage granted to independent entrepreneurs -- and that he was acting out of “principle” rather than for money.

But a Brussels court found that his duties were more akin to those in the civil service, where categories of workers receive specific benefits but there is no overarching social security system.

A lawyer for the prince, Olivier Rijckaert, said his client was considering whether to appeal.

“We’re not where we wanted to be, but the judgement is very detailed, very reasoned, I understand the reasoning,” Rijckaert told AFP.

Laurent has a long list of antics that have embarrased others in the royal family, including likening his relatives to East Germany’s Stasi secret police in 2015.

In 2018, his annual state allowance was cut by 15 percent because he met foreign dignitaries without the federal government’s approval.

It was not his first faux pas, but the punishment was unprecedented.

Laurent, who received 388,000 euros ($425,000) last year from state coffers and lives in his home rent-free, maintained he was not motivated by money.

“This is not about financial means but principle,” he told Belgian broadcaster RTBF.

“When a migrant comes here, he registers, he has a right to it. I may be a migrant too, but one whose family established the state in place,” he added.

Laurent pointed to medical costs and his concerns over his family’s financial well-being, since the royal allowance will be cut when he dies.

The prince has had an animal welfare foundation offering free veterinary care in clinics for the past 10 years.

He said the foundation work, alongside dozens of visits representing Belgium and participation on several boards, meant he has a busy schedule.

No ‘whim’

The prince did not take legal action on a “whim”, Rijckaert said in an article in Le Soir newspaper.

Social security is “a right granted by Belgian law to every resident, from the poorest to the biggest billionaire”, he said.

Laurent receives a salary worth 25 percent of his allowance, since the rest covers professional expenses including travel and wages for a staff member.

This comes to a monthly net wage for the prince of 5,000 euros ($5,480), which is comparable to the “average salary of a senior executive in Belgium” but without the usual “full social security coverage”, Rijckaert said.

Laurent and his British wife, Claire, have three children now in their twenties.

Without this coverage, Laurent cannot claim reimbursement for certain medical expenses, or sick pay if he is unable to work.

He is not the only Belgian royal to have been unhappy about money.

When King Albert II abdicated in favour of his son Philippe in 2013 after reigning for 20 years, the ex-monarch found his 923,000 euros ($1.25 million) a year insufficient.

Laurent has lambasted what he calls an attempt to “control” him.

“I never asked for an allowance! I always wanted to work, but I was prevented from doing so,” he said in 2023, noting his desire, at the age of 60, to “finally” be able to pursue independent projects.