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Once-secret son of Belgium royal becomes a prince at age 26

From ABC Australia · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • Clément Vandenkerckhove, the once-secret son of Prince Laurent of Belgium, has been legally recognized as a prince at age 26.
  • The legal ties were established six months ago, with details only recently emerging.
  • While he is now a prince, Vandenkerckhove will not receive a royal allowance but is expected to inherit equally from his father.

Clément Vandenkerckhove, the previously undisclosed son of Prince Laurent of Belgium, has officially been recognized as a prince at the age of 26. This legal acknowledgment, established through a town hall ceremony six months ago, marks a significant development in the Belgian royal family's history.

spoken openly and honestly about this in recent years

— Prince LaurentPrince Laurent's statement regarding his relationship with his son, Clément Vandenkerckhove, after years of secrecy.

Details of the recognition have only recently surfaced, with Belgian weekly news magazine Soir Mag reporting the change. While Vandenkerckhove will now formally hold the title of prince, he will not receive a royal allowance. However, reports indicate he will receive an equal share of his father's inheritance.

chance to get to know his father

— Clément VandenkerckhoveVandenkerckhove's perspective on the legal recognition, emphasizing personal connection over legalities.

Vandenkerckhove, a former car salesman, expressed that the legal technicalities were less important to him than the opportunity to connect with his father. He discovered Prince Laurent was his biological father at 16 and reached out to him at 20. He described the struggle of knowing his father's identity but being unable to reveal it due to secrecy.

My entire childhood, I struggled with the question 'Who is my father?' When I found out, the secrecy weighed incredibly heavy.

— Clément VandenkerckhoveVandenkerckhove describing the emotional toll of not knowing his father's identity and the subsequent secrecy.

Prince Laurent has three other children with his wife, Princess Claire. This situation echoes a previous event in the Belgian royal family, where King Albert II recognized an illegitimate child, Princess Delphine, after a lengthy legal battle. King Albert II abdicated in 2013 amidst the ensuing scandal.

Imagine this: you know who your father is, but you aren't allowed to tell anyone.

— Clément VandenkerckhoveVandenkerckhove illustrating the burden of secrecy surrounding his parentage.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Australia. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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