Ex-car salesman becomes prince after being recognized as secret son of king's brother
Clément Vandenkerckhove has gone from working as a car salesman to officially becoming a Belgian prince.
The 26-year-old has been legally recognized as the son of Prince Laurent of Belgium, meaning he now has a royal title after the pair signed a paternity document at a town hall ceremony in February.
Despite becoming a prince, Vandenkerckhove will not join the line of succession, receive a royal allowance or take on an official role within the Belgian royal family.
The recognition brings a years-long story to a formal conclusion, after Vandenkerckhove discovered as a teenager that the Belgian royal was his biological father.
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How did Clément Vandenkerckhove discover his royal father?
Vandenkerckhove is the son of Belgian singer and actress Wendy Van Wanten, whose real name is Iris Vandenkerckhove, and Prince Laurent.
His mother and Laurent were in a seven-year relationship before the prince married Claire Louise Coombs, who is now Princess Claire of Belgium, in 2003.
The couple went on to have three children: Princess Louise, Prince Nicolas and Prince Aymeric.
Vandenkerckhove said he was 16 when he learned who his father was, something he told Flemish newspaper Het Nieuwsblad had been difficult to carry as a secret.
He eventually contacted Laurent himself when he was 20.
"Four years later, when I was 20, I called him," Vandenkerckhove said. 'That was my own choice.'
He later publicly revealed Laurent was his father at 25, saying the decision was also entirely his own.
The pair eventually underwent a DNA test after Laurent suggested it.
Vandenkerckhove recalled that they went to hospital together, where Laurent offered to take the test first to help him feel more comfortable.
The result reportedly showed a 99.5% DNA match.
Vandenkerckhove has since spoken publicly about getting to know his father, including in a Flemish TV documentary.
He also shared a photograph of the pair on Instagram for Father's Day, with the two reportedly sharing a love of cars.
What does it mean now that Clément Vandenkerckhove is a prince?
The formal recognition means Vandenkerckhove can be considered a prince, but his new status comes with significant limits.
He will not become an heir to the Belgian throne, participate in official royal duties or receive a state allowance. However, he is entitled to a share of Prince Laurent's inheritance alongside his three half-siblings.
Vandenkerckhove could also adopt the Saxe-Coburg surname associated with his father's family, although he has said he is reluctant to give up his existing name.
"I am proud of the name Vandenkerckhove," he told Het Nieuwsblad. "If I were to sacrifice that family name, it would be a betrayal of everything my mother has done for me."
The Saxe-Coburg and Gotha dynasty has a long history across European royalty.
It became connected to the British royal family when Queen Victoria married Prince Albert in 1840, while King George V later changed the British family's name to Windsor during World War I.
Vandenkerckhove has also made clear that the title itself is not what matters most to him.
"What the law says means little to me," he told Nieuwsblad. "What matters most today is that I am a son who has the chance to get to know his father. And we are still getting to know each other every day."
His story also has a connection to another Belgian royal paternity case.
Prince Laurent's father, former King Albert II, eventually acknowledged artist Delphine Boël as his daughter following a lengthy legal battle. Boël won the right to use the title of princess and now calls herself Delphine de Saxe-Coburg.
Vandenkerckhove, meanwhile, now works in a restaurant kitchen after previously working as a car salesman.
The former king's paternity case ultimately became a major royal scandal, while Vandenkerckhove's recognition has formally added another member to the wider Belgian royal family.
Topics: Royal Family, Europe, World News
Thomas Bamford