The Brussels Labour Court will decide on the controversial case of Belgium's Prince Laurent's request for social security coverage on Monday.
Earlier this year, Laurent took the Belgian State to court because he wanted access to the country's social security system, which he is not entitled to as he receives an endowment of €388,000 annually.
Citing complaints about high hospital bills and worries about his family's financial future, Laurent – who has earned the reputation of being the Royal Family's enfant terrible over the years – is demanding access to Belgium's social security.
Laurent's lawyers applied to the Labour Court in Brussels for permission for him to register with a social insurance fund to receive social and financial aid in the event of incapacity. Following the hearing, the Labour Inspectorate confirmed that it will issue its opinion by 27 January next year, and the court will hand down its ruling on Monday.
The Prince considers himself partly self-employed and, as such, officially tried to register as self-employed two years ago. However, the National Social Security Office (NSSO) did not allow him to get that status.
According to the most recent law amendment (2013), beneficiaries of an endowment "do not fall under the status of employees, nor under the status of the self-employed, nor the status of civil servants."
However, Laurent felt that his refusal of a statute as a self-employed person was unjustified and now wants to enforce his registration in court. If he were to be officially self-employed, he would gain access to social security like other people in Belgium with that status.
Why does Laurent want access to social security?
Due to his endowment (an amount he receives annually from the Federal government), Laurent has a separate status. He does not fall under traditional categories: civil servant, employee or self-employed. Therefore, he does not build a pension, and the conventional health insurance system does not cover his family.
However, Laurent and his wife Claire experienced many health problems in recent years. While they can take out health insurance, they must do so privately. Another primary reason Laurent is so keen to become officially self-employed is a pension: he gets his endowment until he dies, but he worries about his family.
When he dies, Claire (who does not work) cannot claim a survivor's pension like widows and widowers of self-employed people. Nor does she get an endowment herself. However, nothing stops the family from already setting aside or investing part of the endowment to live on after Laurent's death.
Prince Laurent of Belgium answers questions after the Te Deum mass, on the occasion of the King's Feast, at the Saint Michael and St Gudula Cathedral, in Brussels, Friday 15 November 2024. Credit: Belga / Benoit Doppagne
"It is not a question of resources but of right," he said. The annual endowment he receives amounts to €388,000. €90,000, his gross salary is the amount he pays taxes. The rest are to use "operating and personnel expenses."
The endowment is indexed like ordinary salaries and is meant to cover all expenses. Additionally, Laurent lives for free in the Clementine villa built for him in Tervuren (just outside of Brussels), owned by the Royal Trust.
In exchange for that endowment, Laurent represents the Royal Family at ceremonies and celebrations. The condition for receiving it is that he cannot have any other income. This means Laurent could refuse the endowment and go to work, granting him immediate access to social security.
The same would be the case if Claire went to work. In that case, the family could claim traditional health insurance, and Claire would build up her own pension. She worked as a surveyor but stopped after her marriage to Laurent in 2003.
