Exclusive interview with Prince Laurent

Prince Laurent, the enfant terrible of the Belgian Royal family, gave two student-journalists from the Katholieke Hogeschool Mechelen the scoop many of their professional colleagues have dreamed about for years: an exclusive, three-hour interview with the most colourful personality of the Belgian Royal family…

In this interview, the Prince made a number of remarkable statements. He says he never really thought about being a prince, and that cars, money and the likes do not make someone: “Only naked you can really be yourself.” He says he enjoyed his university years in the States, because he was a student among others, and nobody knew he was a prince. He admits to liking fast cars – “Time spent on the road is a waste of time, that is why I like fast cars.” He also added, laughing, “Well, if you spend less time on the road there’s also less chance of an accident…”

The prince likes music “with a soul”, like Hungarian and Czech rhapsodies, and “chill-out music” like Claude Schalle. He finds music inspiring and says it inspires his creativity. He loves Belgian films, and he admires the actress Marion Cottillard, but he prefers music as source of inspiration.  As far as movies go, he prefers romantic comedies and fantasy films.

He also has a tremendous sense of humour. Only this January he surprised friends and enemies when attending one of comedian Geert Hoste’s “End of year Conferences” (in which he is very critical of politics, media and also the Royal family) and Laurent says he can laugh with Marec’s cartoons (which very often concentrate on the Royal family). “It’s just a pity he doesn’t ever draw me skinny”, he says. Laurent says he appreciates jokes which come from the various Belgian dialects – he especially likes the Antwerp dialect. He says people are usually surprised he can understand the Flemish dialects, but “I understand people best when they are simply themselves”. No need to speak “General Dutch” around him.

The press attache of the Prince says he never knew him to be so talkative – especially not to the press. And the student-journalists got a unique start to their career, but their ambitions are still high. “If Obama comes to Tremelo for the canonization of Father Damiaan, we’ll try to get an interview with him too,” they say.

To read the entire article in Dutch, see here.
For more information on Prince Laurent and his family, see here.

Filed under Belgium
Tagged Interview, Prince Laurent of Belgium.