Never Mind Harry - Meet Europe's Real Royal Rebels

Every royal family is plagued by scandalous figures in their ranks. Here, Helen Coffey highlights a few of her favourites

- Helen Coffey

“I am preparing a new life. I would like to change my current position. I want to be less involved in public activities. It is no secret that one day I want to live abroad.”

These words might sound attributable to a disgraced politician caught with his hand (or other appendage) in the cookie jar, but were in fact uttered by 60-year-old Prince Laurent of Belgium, marking him out as another royal who – like the UK’s Prince Harry – would rather get the hell out of dodge than continue to be subject to the whims of an overzealous, controlling institution.

As King Philippe’s younger brother and Belgium’s very own “spare” rather than heir, Laurent has perhaps been even more vilified by his country’s press than our own Duke of Sussex. Lumbered with the unflattering moniker the “cursed prince” after a string of controversies and failed business ventures, he hasn’t even vaguely attempted to hide his distaste for being part of Belgium’s answer to the Firm.

Thought Harry’s autobiography was damning? Laurent’s extremely public outbursts have previously included comparing life as a Belgian royal to living under a dictatorship; accusing his father and brother of “sabotaging” his life and watching him “like the Stasi”; and revealing he sought exile in Libya before the fall of his mate Colonel Gaddafi, a path he would have infinitely preferred to his current “job” (even with its €307,000 annual salary).