Belgium’s prime minister Charles Michel has partial hearing loss after Princess Astrid fired a starting pistol for a race in Brussels within inches of his ear.
Michel was standing next to Princess Astrid at the start of the annual running event, when the princess fired the starting pistol. Initially, the prime minister appeared to have gotten off with only a fright, but he later had a medical examination for his ringing ears.
“The prime minister must follow a number of treatments within 48 hours of the incident,” reported his spokesman Barend Leyts.