Belgium: Prince of the Muslims

Belgium: Prince of the Muslims

Belgian Prince Laurent planned to marry a woman from Mauritania and become a Muslim, according to royalty watcher Jan van den Berghe in the book "God in Laken".

In every sense, and also in the religious arena, Prince Laurent is the black sheep of the royal family.  He got the same education as his brother and sister, but rebelled in his youth against any form of guardianship by his parents or uncle Boudewijn.  That he still somewhat belongs to the Christian flock is maybe thanks to the French priest Guy Gilbert, which he regards as his substitute father.

According to Noël Vaessen, Laurent - before he got to Gilbert - considered becoming a Muslim in particular in order to annoy his family.  He had conceived a plan to marry a very rich woman from Mauritania, the daughter of the local number two, and would then undoubtedly would have used the Koran for political purposes.  Laurent reasoned that Belgium had half a million Muslims, and that if he became a Muslim, he would also become the prince of the Belgian Muslims. 

However, the family of the woman in Mauritania didn't go along with the idea, and the wedding didn't go through.

Source: Knack (Dutch)

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