Overview

• Prince Laurent, 61, issued a written statement acknowledging he is the biological father of 25-year-old Clément Vandenkerckhove and asked for privacy on the matter.
• Clément is the son of Flemish singer and model Wendy van Wanten, with long-circulating rumors tracing back to her relationship with the prince in the mid-1990s.
• The acknowledgment coincided with VTM’s program Clément, Son of…, in which Clément says he wants a normal life and to be able to have a beer with his father.
• A royal reporter suggested Clément could qualify for a title under a 2015 decree, though any such status has not been confirmed by the palace, and he is unlikely to enter the line of succession due to being born outside marriage.
• The development follows former King Albert II’s 2020 recognition of Delphine Boël after a court-ordered DNA test, which led to her receiving a princess title.