In Belgium, car salesman officially became a prince
26-year-old Belgian Clément Vandenkerckhove, who previously worked as a car salesman, has officially become the son of Prince Laurent — the younger brother of King Philippe of Belgium. Prince Laurent recognized Clément as his son and heir, writes the BBC.
Prince Laurent and Clément Vandenkerckhove. Photo: Clément Vandenkerckhove / Instagram
Clément is the illegitimate son of Prince Laurent and Belgian singer Wendy Van Wanten. His mother's real name is Iris Vandenkerckhove, and Wendy Van Wanten is her stage name. The romance between her and the prince occurred before Laurent married Princess Claire in 2003.
Clément was officially welcomed into the prince's family about six months ago, but it only became widely known now.
Despite his new status, Clément did not receive all the privileges of members of the Belgian royal family. He formally holds the title of prince, but will not receive state maintenance, will not enter the line of succession to the throne, and will not participate in traditional official events of the royal family. In this, he differs from his half-siblings — Princess Louise and Princes Aymeric and Nicolas, who were born in the legal marriage of Laurent and Claire.
Clément had known for many years that his biological father was Prince Laurent. According to him, his mother told him about it when he was 16 years old. However, until recently, he had not decided whether he would use his father's surname — Saxe-Coburg.
At the same time, the young man emphasizes that he is proud of the Vandenkerckhove surname, which he bears from his mother. He noted that to abandon it would mean betraying what his mother did for him.
At 20, Clément finally dared to call Prince Laurent. After several phone conversations, they met. Laurent offered to conduct a DNA test to definitively confirm paternity.
They went to the hospital together. The prince offered to take the test first so that Clément would be less anxious. Later, the young man received a message from the laboratory: the result confirmed paternity with 99.5% probability.
The Belgian public knew about Clément's story even before the current official recognition. Last year, a documentary film was released on local television in which Clément himself recounted meeting his father.
A similar story had already occurred in Prince Laurent's family. His father, former King Albert II of Belgium, also underwent a DNA test after a long-standing legal dispute over paternity recognition.
As a result, in 2020, he officially recognized artist Delphine Boël as his illegitimate daughter. After the court victory, Delphine received the title of princess and began using the surname Delphine Saxe-Coburg.
The story with the illegitimate daughter was one of the reasons why Albert II abdicated the throne in 2013. His eldest son Philippe, Laurent's brother, then became king.
Like Delphine, Clément will not receive state maintenance. According to a law passed in Belgium in 2013, such payments are designated only for King Philippe, former King Albert II, Prince Laurent, and Princess Astrid — Philippe and Laurent's sister.