LOC19:59
16:59 GMT
BRUSSELS, Feb 20 (KUNA) -- Belgium's Prince Laurent, the younger brother of King Philippe of Belgium, Friday said he is fascinated by the Arabic language and that he also reads the Quran.
In an in interview with the Belgian newspaper La DerniEre Heure, Laurent said "Arabic is an extremely rich language. What makes it unique, is that you get to know the mentality of the Arab people by learning the language."
Laurent however, clarified that he hasn't converted to Islam.
"I explain to my children why they have to learn a language. They need to learn Arabic because it's a fascinating language. They should learn Dutch because six million Belgians are talking the language."
Laurent's wife, Claire, is not familiar with Arabic. According to Laurent, she is happy though that he passes on that kind of message to their children, noted the paper.
The paper said that Prince Laurent was close to death last year and was a different person after he had left hospital again. He was treated for a severe form of pneumonia and was in a medically-induced coma for a while. (end)
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