Former Belgian King Told 'Not a Cent More' on Top of His £770,000 Allowance

Former King Albert II of Belgium

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Fury as Belgium's former King Albert II demands extra money to help pay the heating bills for his castle and to meet the cost of fuel for his yacht

Belgium's King Albert II has been told that he will not get a cent more after he asked for extra cash on top of his £770,000 annual allowance to help pay his bills.

There has been an angry response from the Belgian government and MPs to demands from the former monarch, who abdicated in July, for more money from the public purse to help pay for the heating in his castle and the costs of running his yacht.

Following a scandal over the royal family's tax arrangements, the federal government earlier this year reformed the Belgian civil list to cut the number and size of allowances to the country's former and reigning kings and queens, princes and princesses.

During a parliamentary debate today, Elio Di Rupo, Belgium's prime minister, told MPs that Albert II would not get any extra money at a time when the government is making painful cuts to public services. » | Bruno Waterfield, Brussels | Thursday, November 07, 2013