Skip to content
VitrineVitrine
Sign in

Prince Laurent of Belgium

Born Laeken, 19 Oct 1963

5 facts1 source

Living person. The family sees only the name, dates and photo; everything else stays private unless they choose to share it.

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 19 Oct 1963

    Born in Laeken

Family

See the tree

Parents

During his lifetime

He has lived through 7 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Laeken.

General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.

The 1960s · Prince is born in Laeken

In the news1962

First nuclear electricity connected to grid

The BR 3 reactor, Belgium's first electricity-producing nuclear reactor, was connected to the power grid.

Getting around

Average train journey distance in Belgium

Between 1950 and 1967, the average distance traveled by a train passenger remained stable at approximately 32.5 kilometers.

At the table

Exotic food as luxury decoration

Fresh pineapple was extremely exclusive; families would sometimes rent one from a delicatessen just to place it on a fruit bowl as a decorative piece for parties. Many vegetables common today, such as broccoli, pumpkin, bell peppers, and zucchini, were not available in the 1950s.

People walk on the Moon. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the Moon, watched live on television by some 600 million people.Around the world · 1969

People walk on the Moon. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the Moon, watched live on television by some 600 million people.

Neil A. Armstrong · public domain

What people wore

Women's fashion and daily wear evolution

Women in the 1950s often wore wide skirts supported by stiff petticoats to create a floral-like silhouette, while housewives commonly wore practical cotton aprons with pockets for daily tasks. By the late 1950s and early 1960s, trends shifted toward narrower, more geometric styles influenced by designers like Courrèges.

Music

Traditional Flemish Instruments and Community Music

Traditional Flemish folk music featured instruments such as the doedelzak (bagpipe), the hommel (stringed zither), and the diatonic accordion. These instruments were often hand-crafted and played at local community gatherings and festivals.

Daily life

Weekly bathing and public shower houses

Bathing was a weekly ritual, often taking place on Saturdays in an oval tub that narrowed at the feet, with the same water frequently used for the entire family. In some communities, public shower houses existed, such as one in Zaventem where a shower cost 1.50 BEF.