Prince Laurent of Belgium, younger brother to King Philippe, is going to seek dual Belgian-Italian citizenship. 

Prince Laurent, long known as the rebel of the Belgian Royal Family, may be leaving permanently. He gave an interview with Sudinfo, a French news outlet, where he explained that although he loves Belgium, his heart is now in Italy. 

Queen Paola, the former Queen of Belgium and Laurent’s mother, was born as Paola Margherita Maria-Antonia Consiglia Ruffo di Calabria in Tuscany and spent her childhood in Rome. She met the future King Albert II at the Vatican in 1958 and the couple were engaged by 1959. 

The prince shared in the interview that he may be able to claim Italian citizenship through his mother’s nationality. 

Prince Laurent and his wife, British born Princess Claire, have spent considerable time in Italy as Laurent owns property on Panarea. However, the couple would prefer to live in Rome or Milan. 

The prince has had his share of controversies. In 2011, he visited the Congo, a former Belgian colony, without receiving permission. 

Given the Belgian monarchy’s role in the Congo’s brutal history, it was also shocking in 2020 when the prince made comments about King Leopold II, the monarch who was the founder and owner of the Congo Free State, a Belgian colony that suffered widespread atrocities under his rule. Laurent said, ”He never went to the Congo…I don’t see how he could have made people suffer on the ground.”