Belgian Prince Laurent Acknowledges Son, Former Car Salesman Becomes Prince

Belgian Prince Laurent has officially recognized Clément Vandenkerckhove, a 26-year-old former car salesman, as his son. The revelation, confirmed by the BBC, follows a period of quiet integration into the royal family, which occurred six months prior at a city hall ceremony.

Vandenkerckhove, whose mother is the Belgian singer Wendy Van Wanten, will adopt the title of prince but will not receive any financial support or royal stipend. He also confirmed he is not yet sure if he will use his father's surname, Saxe-Coburg, expressing pride in his current surname, Vandenkerckhove.

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Maybe I will want to do that, but I am proud of the name Vandenkerckhove.

Unlike his half-siblings Princess Louise and Princes Aymeric and Nicolas, Vandenkerckhove will not be included in the Belgian royal line of succession nor will he participate in official royal engagements. He gained some public recognition in Belgium last September through a Flemish television documentary detailing his journey to connect with his father.

The prince had a relationship with Wendy Van Wanten, whose real name is Iris Vandenkerckhove, before marrying Princess Claire in 2003. Clément recounted in the documentary how he unexpectedly met Prince Laurent in a shopping center in 2013, initially unaware of his identity. His mother revealed his father's identity when he was 16. Four years later, he contacted the prince, leading to their first meeting and a subsequent DNA test proposed by Prince Laurent.

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I will go first so you can relax.