Prince Laurent of Belgium (original) (raw)

Prince Laurent of Belgium was born on October 19, 1963, in Brussels, Belgium, to King Albert II and Queen Paola of the Belgians (then Prince and Princess of Li�ge). He was christened Laurent Benoit Baudouin Marie.

He was educated at the Royal Cadet High School and at the Royal Military Academy. Prince Laurent is very involved with animal welfare and the environment. He is President of the Royal Institute for the Sustainable Management of Natural Resources and the Promotion of Clean Technologies and President of the Prince Laurent Foundation for the Welfare of Domestic and Wild Animals. Prince Laurent is currently an ambassador for World Harvest, a Washington, D.C based agricultural research association.

Partly thanks to his image as rebel of the family, most opinion polls show him as the most popular member of the royal family.

He used to be third in line to the throne, but this changed when the constitution was altered so that women would enjoy the same succession rights as men. Rumour has it that this was done on instigation by king Baudouin I, who is said to have disliked Laurent because he did not share the king's strict religious views. He's now 8th in line to the throne.

Prince Laurent and Miss Claire Coombs, born in Bath, England, but living in Belgium since childhood, married on April 12, 2003. Miss Coombs was given the title of Princess of Belgium upon her marriage.