The royal family cost the Defense department 2.2 million euros last year, due to the 34 soldiers it provided as protection. This was reported by the Het Laaste Nieuws and the Sudpresse newspapers, and is based on figures provided by the Defense minister. Last year, 34 soldiers were provided to protect the family, 9 of whom were officers. 24 were Flemish speaking and 10 were French speaking. Three drivers were also provided by the army.
In 2013, 32 soldiers were provided to the palace, costing 2,073,398 euros, the Defense minister Steven Vandeput recently revealed. He was responding to a question from the Flemish MP Barbara Pas. The cost went up last year, reaching 2.2 million euros. The two extra soldiers were posted to King Albert’s house. The total Defense budget is 2.5 billion euros.
(Source: Belga)
