Belgian car salesman becomes prince after DNA test confirms royal paternity
Some people take DNA tests to learn about their ancestry: one Belgian car salesman took one and confirmed he was royalty.
In a report by The Telegraph, 26-year-old Clément Vandenkerckhove has been acknowledged as the son of Prince Laurent, who had a relationship with his mother Iris in the 1990s prior to marrying Princess Claire in 2003.
Vandenkerckhove shared that Iris revealed the truth to him when he turned 16 a decade ago. Four years later, he decided to reach out to Prince Laurent about the matter and agreed to a DNA test.
“We went to the hospital together, and I remember him saying, ‘I’ll go first, so you’re feeling at ease,’” Vandenkerckhove told Belgian network VTM.
While the DNA test proved his link to the royal family, it was only until six months ago that he was legally recognized as the son and heir of Prince Laurent at a town hall ceremony.
Prince Laurent later registered his paternity of Vandenkerckhove with the civil registry. In an official statement, he shared that he had been having "open and honest conversations" with his son about their true relationship.
With this, Vandenkerckhove is now entitled to equal inheritance rights to Prince Laurent’s private estate alongside his three half-siblings from Princess Claire.
However, due to Belgium’s 2013 royal endowment reforms, he will not be receiving a royal allowance as this is strictly limited to the reigning monarch and the direct heir.
He will also not be given official duties and has no rights to the throne.
Despite his royal roots, Vandenkerckhove maintained that he will not be taking his father’s family name, Saxe-Coburg, and will continue using his mother's surname.
“I am proud of the name Vandenkerckhove,” he told Flemish daily newspaper Het Nieuwsblad. “If I were to sacrifice that family name, it would be a betrayal of everything my mother has done for me.”
Prince Laurent, 63, is the second son and youngest child of King Albert II and Queen Paola, and younger brother of King Philippe. Currently, he is 15th in the Belgian line of succession.