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

Prince Laurent of Belgium has reportedly established legal ties to his once-secret son, Clément Vandenkerckhove. Mr Vandenkerckhove's existence was first recognised by the royal last year, who said the pair had "spoken openly and honestly about this in recent years". What's next? While he formally becomes a prince, the former car salesman will not receive a royal allowance. The once-secret son of a Belgium royal has been legally recognised, becoming a prince at age 26. Prince Laurent of Belgium reportedly established legal ties to his son, Clément Vandenkerckhove, at a town hall ceremony six months ago, although details have only just emerged. While he formally becomes a prince, the former car salesman will not receive a royal allowance, the BBC reported. The official recognition was first reported by Belgian weekly news magazine Soir Mag, which said the new prince would receive an equal share of his father's inheritance as a result of the legal change. Mr Vandenkerckhove told the outlet he did not care for the law's technicalities, but rather the "chance to get to know his father". The 26-year-old is the son of the brother of King Philippe and model-singer Wendy Van Wanten. His royal parentage has long been the subject of rumours. Mr Vandenkerckhove — who was born in 2000 — bears a physical resemblance to Prince Laurent, his name has been interpreted as a reference to Prince Laurent's Tervuren home, Villa Clémentine, and Van Wanten had also dropped hints in her songs. However, his existence was only recognised last year by Prince Laurent, who said the pair had "spoken openly and honestly about this in recent years". At the age of 16, Mr Vandenkerckhove found out that Prince Laurent was his biological father. He said he was 20 when he reached out to the prince. "My entire childhood, I struggled with the question 'Who is my father?' When I found out, the secrecy weighed incredibly heavy," he told Flemish newspaper Het Nieuwsblad earlier this month. "Imagine this: you know who your father is, but you aren't allowed to tell anyone." Mr Vandenkerckhove noted he was likely to keep his own surname rather than accept his father's name, Saxe-Coburg. "Giving up this family name would be a betrayal of everything my mother has done for me," he added. Prince Laurent has three other children with his wife, Princess Claire of Belgium, whom he married in 2003. In 2020, his father, King Albert II, also recognised an illegitimate child after a long legal battle waged by now-Princess Delphine. Albert II abdicated as king of the Belgians in 2013 as the paternity issue became a scandal.