Speeding Belgian prince loses driver's licence

Belgium's Prince Laurent was stripped of his driver's licence after he was caught driving 30 kilometres above the speed limit in downtown Brussels, says the royal palace.

Police stopped the prince after a speed camera captured his Fiat Punto Abarth whizzing by at 82 kilometres per hour on a 50 kph street on Monday afternoon, palace spokesman Pierre-Emmanuel de Bauw told AFP on Wednesday.

"He was clearly driving too fast," de Bauw said.

The 47-year-old prince's licence was immediately taken away from him and suspended for two weeks, the spokesman said.

The youngest son of King Albert II and Queen Paola, Prince Laurent is 12th in line to the throne of Belgium.