Voice Desk, 20 August – A former car salesman has officially been recognized as a son of Belgium’s Prince Laurent, making 26-year-old Clément Vandenkerckhove a member of the Belgian royal family.
Prince Laurent legally acknowledged Clément as his son and heir at a ceremony at a city hall around six months ago. The news only became public recently.
Despite the recognition, Clément will not receive a royal allowance and will not be included in the Belgian royal line of succession. He will also not take part in official royal charitable activities.
Clément is the son of Prince Laurent and Belgian singer Wendy Van Wanten, whose real name is Iris Vandenkerckhove. Laurent had a relationship with Van Wanten before marrying Princess Claire in 2003.
Clément said in a documentary that he unexpectedly encountered his father at a shopping centre in 2013, although neither recognized the other at the time. His mother later revealed his father’s identity when he was 16.
He subsequently contacted Prince Laurent, and the two agreed to undergo a DNA test. The test reportedly showed a 99.5 percent match, after which Laurent acknowledged Clément as his son.
Clément has not yet decided whether he will use his father’s surname, Saxe-Coburg.
The case is reminiscent of Prince Laurent’s father, former Belgian King Albert II, who was legally forced to acknowledge artist Delphine Boël as his daughter after a lengthy legal battle. In 2020, Boël was granted royal rights and began using the name Delphine de Saxe-Coburg.
Since changes to Belgian law in 2013, only certain members of the royal family are entitled to receive a state-funded royal allowance.
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