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Belgium's Prince Laurent Caught Speeding

Belgium's Prince Laurent has been stripped of his driver's license after being caught speeding at 20mph above the limit through the streets of Brussels.

Belgium's Prince Laurent was driving at 20mph above the limit through the streets of Brussels Photo: EPA

Police stopped the prince after a speed camera captured his high performance Fiat Punto Abarth hurtling at 82 kilometers per hour (51mph) in a 50kph (31mph) urban speed zone. "He was clearly driving too fast," said a police spokesman. Police confiscated Prince Laurent's license on the spot and suspended him from driving for two weeks. It is not the first time the youngest son of King Albert II and Queen Paola, has been in trouble with law enforcers.

He first lost his license in 1987 for speeding and was caught driving at 137 kmh (85mph) in Bruges 10 years ago. The prince, who has an English wife, recently attracted controversy after declaring that there should be "a special license for those driving a fast car". In 2007, the Belgian Royal Family was thrown in crisis when Prince Laurent's name surfaced in a corruption scandal involving Belgian Navy funds spent on one of his family villas. After being interviewed by the police, prosecutors concluded that the prince was not personally implicated in fraud.