Belgian PM says wants to reform royal funding

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Belgium Prime Minister Yves Leterme wants to reform funding for the country's royal family but critics said this could heap further pressure on the divided nation's already fragile government.

Belgium's King Albert and the country's famed varieties of beer are often cited as the few unifying factors in a nation bitterly divided along linguistic lines between Dutch-speaking Flanders and French-speaking Wallonia.

"It's necessary to reform them," Leterme told French magazine Paris Match when asked about public grants for the Belgian royal family.

Asked about the king himself, Leterme said, "It's more than a function, he's a man I have learned to appreciate."

Belgian daily La Libre Belgique said on Saturday the push for reform comes from some members of the Flemish parties, including Leterme's Christian Democrats.

A group of Flemish politicians are working on a draft law to limit public funds to the king and his heir, La Libre said.

But a member of the French liberal party -- also part of the government -- is drafting a rival law to ensure Philippe's younger brother Laurent and sister Astrid are not left out of the public purse, La Libre said.

Too many senators view a shake up of royal family funding as an attack on Belgium itself, La Libre said.

Leterme tendered his resignation to the king on July 14 after failing to break a deadlock on giving more powers to the regions, reigniting speculation the 177-year-old country could break apart.

The king refused to accept the resignation and now three senior politicians are seeking to end the deadlock.

Leterme also described King Albert's son Philippe as "the future king" -- an attempt to quash talk the king would prefer that his daughter Astrid inherit the throne.

No one was available for comment at the palace press office.

(Reporting by Huw Jones, editing by Mary Gabriel)