Prince Laurent of Belgium

Prince Laurent of Belgium (born October 19, 1963) is the younger son of King Albert II and Queen Paola, and the younger brother of reigning King Philippe. He is the least publicly constrained member of the Belgian royal family, known for independent business ventures that have periodically drawn criticism from the palace and from Belgian parliament. On October 17, 2012, Jeffrey Epstein sent a one-line email to his staff: "cntact prince laurent of belgium." Lesley Groff, Epstein's executive assistant, replied asking whether she should call him immediately or simply add the contact to the directory. Prince Laurent's mobile phone number was subsequently found in Epstein's Mac AddressBook, with a creation date of November 9, 2017, indicating the contact was maintained or updated years after the initial instruction.

When the email surfaced in the DOJ's January 2026 EFTA document release, Laurent initially issued a written denial of any contact with Epstein. Hours later, he reversed course and admitted to two private meetings: "once in the early 1990s and once in the early 2000s," during periods when he was doing internships at the United Nations and a major New York bank. Laurent provided several specific claims about what Epstein wanted from him. He said Epstein sought to use him to reach his parents, King Albert II and Queen Paola, in order to "introduce them to billionaire friends." Laurent said he refused.

He also said Epstein sought introductions to European universities, "especially universities with female students." Laurent said he rejected this as well. He described a 2012 dinner invitation in Paris, allegedly attended by a head of state, which he declined. He also said Epstein proposed an environmental project that Laurent deemed "clearly intended to commit corruption." Belgian media, particularly VRT NWS, criticized Laurent's contradictory public statements as "panic football."

Communication expert Jeroen Wils noted that Laurent's rapid reversal from denial to partial admission damaged his credibility regardless of the underlying facts. Laurent has not been accused of any criminal conduct. His significance in the Epstein files is as a target of Epstein's outreach to European royalty and institutional networks, consistent with the pattern of seeking access to power structures across multiple countries.