The fourth and final episode of the VRT Canvas documentary on the life of Prince Laurent, King Filip’s younger brother, airs on Thursday. In this episode we see how the prince often portrayed as the enfant terrible of the Belgian royal house presents himself as a green prince committed to animals and the climate. The youngest scion of the royal family also got involved in several controversial projects and more than once this put him in trouble with the government.
Laurent, the Surplus Prince: of free masonry, green issues and a bizarre episode at the Chinese embassy
Colin Clapson
Published:
In the late 1980s, Laurent is said to have sought contact with freemasonry: a secret society in which most members wish to remain anonymous. They are said to strive for a better world through self-development, but in Belgium, freemasonry is decidedly anti-Roman Catholic.
"You could interpret his involvement as a kind of revenge," explains journalist Gui Polspoel. "I don't know how contacts were made, but in any case, it's a little strange that he ended up among freemasons when his entire entourage - his parents, his uncle and aunt were all in the sphere of ultra-Catholicism. He deliberately ended up in the liberal camp, his family's great rivals."
"Was Laurent ever recruited by the Masons? Did he take the initiative? I would almost have to quote Churchill, who said, "It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery within a riddle." Nobody knows exactly what happened" says royalty expert Jan van den Berghe.
For four years, Laurent’s vision is close to that of Flemish agriculture and environment minister Vera Dua (green). The “Green Prince” accepts almost every invitation to visit and promote ecological projects. He is there when Indian tribal chief and environmental activist Raoni planted the first tree of the Ghent Park Forest in 2002. Today, the 1,200-hectare nature reserve stretches from Sint-Denijs-Westrem to De Pinte.
"We once had dinner together at my house. Laurent had a chat with Raoni and was particularly interested in the sex life of Indians," Dua says. "Thanks to his informal approach, he got answers to all his questions."
Belgium’s “Spare” got into real trouble when in uniform he attended a reception for the Chinese People’s Army at the Chinese embassy in Brussels. "He was dressed in a military uniform. That didn’t really have much significance Laurent made all the headlines" says Polspoel.
"You wonder what's going on in his head. Should I as a prince show up? Should I be up for everything? If you have a shred of sense, you know this is going to be a big row," says journalist Gui Polspoel. And so it happened: not much later, Laurent lost a chunk of his government allowance.