Prince Laurent of Belgium has lost a legal battle to claim social security benefits on top of his $376,000 royal allowance.
The so-called “cursed prince,” who had found himself in hot water on numerous occasions, had argued that he was eligible to receive cash welfare on top of his annual handout and palatial, rent-free accommodation.
“This is not about financial means but principle,” the younger brother of King Philippe told Belgian outlet RTBF. “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,” he added.
The prince, who said he was self-employed because of his role as a member of the Belgian royal family, previously claimed he was “prevented” from working — despite his alleged desire to do so.
Speaking in 2023, the prince — who is 15th in line to the Belgian throne — said it was his dream to pursue his own passion projects.
However, while a judge on Monday said that the 61-year-old royal should be entitled to a pension, gaps in Belgian legislation meant it was impossible.
Prince Laurent’s attorney, Olivier Rijckaert, said he had not taken the case on a “whim” — something that had been reported in local media in recent weeks.
Social security is “granted by Belgian law to all residents, from the most deprived to the richest,” Rijckaert wrote after the ruling, arguing that the majority of Laurent’s allowance is spent on his assistant’s salary and travel expenses.
His legal team argued that he’s left with a mere $5,400 a month — and no right to claim back medical expenses or sick pay the rest of the Belgian population is entitled to.
The Post has reached out to the Belgian royal family for comment.
Laurent, who shares three children with his British-born wife Claire Coombs, has also raised concerns that his royal allowance will be cut when he dies.
The royal is no stranger to courting controversy.
In 2018, Laurent had his monthly allowance taken away for a year after he attended an event at the Chinese embassy in Brussels dressed in full Belgian Navy uniform without government permission.
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Prior to that, he was forced to hand over $18,500 after illegally invoicing the state for his grocery bills, skiing vacations and his children’s school fees.
The scandal came three years after he was temporarily stripped of his allowance after teaming up with the son of Libyan dictator Muammar Gadaffi on an ill-advised business venture without government approval.
Still, Laurent is not the only Belgian royal who had taken issue with salary.
After King Albert II of Belgium abdicated the throne in favor of his son, Prince Philippe, in 2013 — he complained about his allowance, saying $1 million a year was simply not enough for him.
