Belgian prince gets pay cut over Chinese embassy visit

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The younger brother of Belgium’s King Philippe will have to survive on “just” over 320,000 US dollars per year after making an unauthorized visit to the Chinese embassy in Brussels for an official function last year. And he is not happy about it.

Belgian lawmakers voted this week to slash 54-year-old Prince Laurent’s 307,000-euro ($378,000) annual allowance by 15 percent, following a recommendation by Prime Minister Charles Michel.

This came after the prince was photographed last year wearing a military uniform and attending a function for the 90th anniversary of China’s People’s Liberation Army without official permission.

Prince Laurent even tweeted a photo of himself at the event.

Queen Paola and King Albert II of Belgium pose with members of the royal family and of the government, including Prime Minister Charles Michel (2nd L) in Brussels, November 15, 2016. /VCG Photo

The move marks the first use of a 2013 Belgian law that permits a "retention" of allowances for members of the royal family if they break certain rules.

Prince Laurent has been reproached in the past for meetings in Libya and for an unauthorized visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

He did not take the latest sanction lying down however. In a bid to win the sympathy of lawmakers, he issued a statement through his lawyer in which he said the punishment "could cause him serious harm and was difficult to repair."

Complaining of the cost of his functions and the fact he cannot work due to his royal status, he added: "This allowance, the reduction of which is being discussed as a result of the political or media currents, is the price of a life, the price of my life, which is largely behind me now."

Long considered the "enfant terrible" of the Belgian royal family, Laurent has been fined several times for speeding and chided for fraternizing with African leaders without the government's consent.

Sometimes referred to as the "Prince Maudit" – the Cursed Prince – he is however also seen as a likeable figure, if something of an oddball. As an animal lover, he recently confessed he wished he could "converse with an octopus or a fly."

(Top picture: Belgium's Prince Laurent talks to Princess Claire during the traditional military parade in front of the Royal Palace in Brussels, July 21, 2015. /VCG Photo)

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Source(s): AFP