By Raf Casert
Belgium's King Albert II said he will use part of his salary to help pay for the upkeep on his properties. The move will make him the latest European royal whose pocketbook is being squeezed by the economic woes afflicting the continent.
The financial crisis has hit several European countries that still have royal families, including Spain, Britain and Belgium. With their palaces, estates and often ostentatious tastes, monarchs and their kin have faced criticism as governments pass austerity measures, and some have seen their public funding cut.
"You can see an immediate link in countries with serious budgetary problems," University of Ghent expert Prof. Herman Matthijs said.
In a rare public statement on his finances, King Albert said he wants to freeze the ¤10.8 million he gets from the state. He intends to use an automatic 2012 salary inflation adjustment of some 3 percent to help pay for some property maintenance costs normally borne by the government.
The pressure on the royals increased last week when it became clear the Belgian constitution forces the government to pay out the inflation adjustment under any circumstance. Such a salary increase would come as Belgium prepares to impose new austerity measures on the population next month.
Belgium must keep its annual budget within the 3 percent of economic output demanded by the European Union or risks steep sanctions.
"We will have to take serious measures in February, and anyone who claims they won't be felt is wrong," Finance Minister Steven Vanackere said Monday.
In a statement, the royal palace said Albert "already had the intention to voluntarily contribute to the austerity measures." The king and his family have a palace in town and on the outskirts as well as several residences across the nation.
In Spain, where the bite of the crisis is especially fierce, the royal palace was assigned an annual budget of ¤8.4 million by parliament last year. That was a budget cut of some 5 percent overall and palace employees, including the king, had their salaries cut by up to 15 percent.
Britain's austerity drive also has touched Buckingham palace.
Official accounts showed British taxpayers spent £32.1 million supporting the monarchy in 2011, 5.3 percent less than the prior year. Much of the saving came from cutting the maintenance bill of royal residences from £15.4 million to £11.9 million.
Even in the Netherlands, which is still doing well compared to many other European countries, the royals are tightening their belts.
The budget for Queen Beatrix, Crown Prince Willem Alexander and his wife
Princess Maxima was cut in 2011 by ¤422,000 to ¤39.2 million, according to the Royal House website.
Most of the savings came in the form of cuts to the royals' private travel expenses. Also, the queen forked over ¤163,000 from her own pocket for maintenance on her private yacht, the Groene Draeck.
AP