Prince Laurent of Belgium has lost his bid for benefits on top of his royal allowance.
Prince Laurent is the younger brother of King Philippe, and he received €388,000 (£295,850/$376,000) from state funds. However, he claimed that his work entitles him to social security as he was partly self-employed because of the duties he performed. He has also been running an animal welfare charity for the last ten years.
He told the court that he wasn’t in it for the money but rather for the “principle.” Prince Laurent told RTVF, “When a migrant comes here, he registers, he has a right to [social security]. I may be a migrant too, but one whose family established the state in place.”
The court in Brussels turned down his request as he cannot be considered self-employed or an employee. The judge reportedly did acknowledge that Prince Laurent should be entitled to a pension, but this has not been foreseen in law yet.
His lawyer, Olivier Rijckaert, said that Prince Laurent is left with about €5000 (£4300; $5500) after travel expenses and his assistant’s salary.
It has not been decided yet whether he will appeal the court’s decision.
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