He’s a privileged prince who has decided to step away from royal life — but whatever you do, don’t compare him to Prince Harry.
Prince Laurent, the 60-year-old brother of His Majesty King Philippe of Belgium, has announced he wants to be “less involved” in public royal activities, describing himself primarily as an “entrepreneur”.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Prince William and Harry facing different battles.
Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today
“I don’t compare myself to Prince Harry,” he told Belgian news outlet Het Laatste Nieuws recently after announcing his decision to step back from royal duties.
“I have always been an entrepreneur.
“But it is true that I would like to start a new life.”
Like Prince Harry, Laurent is a so-called “spare” — the brother of the heir to the throne, now king, and the second child of former King Albert II and Queen Paola.
“I think I can do more for society and make myself more useful if I can live that new life,” he said.
“I’m not proclaiming this because I’m angry.
“I want to provoke a reaction, I’m looking for sensation, right? No.
“I also want to be able to work with people who respect me.”
Laurent said he wanted to step back from royal duties to focus on clean energy projects.
The prince has signed a deal with Istanbul University in Turkey to set up a renewable energy project to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, a cause he is understood to be passionate about.
He also indicated he would eventually like to live abroad, citing Italy as a place he would love to live.
Laurent is married to Princess Claire, with whom he has three children — Princess Louise, Prince Aymeric and Prince Nicolas.
In his interview with Het Laatste Nieuws, he made it clear there was no rift with the rest of the royal family, as there is with Prince Harry and the British royals.
That royal rift shows no sign of abating.
Harry’s 2016 statement confirming he was dating Meghan Markle has been quietly removed from the British royal family’s official website.
That statement was released then to address the “wave of abuse and harassment” Meghan had suffered after news of their romance went public, and had remained on the website until recently.
According to Newsweek, the link to the statement was deleted at the end of last year.
In it, Harry fired his first major salvo at the British press over coverage of his relationship with Meghan — a battle that is still going on eight years later, with Meghan now his wife and the Duchess of Sussex.
In his memoir Spare, Harry wrote the statement had infuriated his father Charles, who is now king.
Harry claimed his passionate defence of his partner made the other royal men look bad for not defending their own wives as fiercely against the press.
He also attacked what he believed were the clearly racial overtones of much of the press reporting around Meghan after The Mail on Sunday wrote: “Harry’s girl is (almost) straight outta Compton: Gang-scarred home of her mother revealed.”
“Prince Harry is worried about Ms Markle’s safety and is deeply disappointed he has not been able to protect her,” the statement read in part.
“It is not right that a few months into a relationship with him that Ms Markle should be subjected to such a storm.
“He knows commentators will say this is ‘the price she has to pay’ and ‘this is all part of the game’.
“He strongly disagrees. This is not a game — it is her life and his.”
Four years later, married and still in the eye of the media storm, Prince Harry and Meghan stepped down from the royal family, moving to the US in 2020.
In comparison, Prince Laurent of Belgium’s retreat from official public life is unlikely to receive blanket coverage in the European press.