Prince Laurent of Belgium (Laurent Benoît Baudouin Marie) was born on 19 October 1963 at the Belvédère Château in Laeken, Brussels.
He is the youngest child of King Albert II and Queen Paola and the younger brother of King Philippe. He is currently well down the line of succession to the Belgian throne.
On 12 April 2003 he married Claire Coombs, who became Princess Claire of Belgium; the couple have three children – Princess Louise (born 2004) and twins Prince Nicolas and Prince Aymeric (born 2005).
Siblings
Prince Laurent has two full siblings: an older brother, Philippe, who became King of the Belgians in 2013, and an older sister, Princess Astrid.
He also has a half-sister, Princess Delphine of Belgium (born 1968), the daughter of King Albert II and Baroness Sybille de Selys Longchamps; her status as a member of the royal family was legally recognised in 2020.
Career
After secondary education in both Dutch and French, Laurent attended the Royal Military Academy and then joined the Belgian Navy, following in his father’s footsteps.
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He specialised as a diver and helicopter pilot, rising to the rank of captain.
Following his military service he gained professional experience through internships in the United States at private companies, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the United Nations, as well as at the European Commission.
Since the mid-1990s he has focused on environmental and animal-welfare causes.
He founded and presides over the Prince Laurent Foundation, which works to improve the relationship between people and animals, and has chaired organisations concerned with sustainable management of natural resources, clean technologies and alternatives to animal testing.
He also serves as honorary president of the National Orchestra of Belgium and participates in selected public activities of the royal family.
Accolades
Prince Laurent holds the rank of captain in the Belgian Navy and has received the Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold.
He has been recognised for his work in environmental and animal-welfare fields, including the Emile Noël Prize for contributions related to quality of life and the environment.
His long-standing leadership of the Prince Laurent Foundation and related organisations constitutes the principal public distinction of his career.
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