- Clément Vandenkerckhove has officially been recognised as a prince after Prince Laurent acknowledged him as his son following a DNA test confirming paternity.
- The recognition took place during a discreet town hall ceremony around six months ago, with details emerging only now.
- Clément gains inheritance rights to Prince Laurent’s private estate alongside his three half-siblings, but he will not perform public duties or receive a state allowance.
- Clément Vandenkerckhove was born in 2000 to popular Belgian model and singer Wendy Van Wanten, growing up under constant media scrutiny and public speculation.
- At age 16, Clément learned from his mother that Prince Laurent was his father, and four years later, he reached out to him directly.
- The pair quietly built a relationship away from the public eye before undergoing a DNA test, which confirmed a 99.5% biological match.
- Rather than dragging the matter through lengthy court battles, Prince Laurent took steps to formally register legal parentage in a private civil ceremony.
Clément Vandenkerckhove, born in 2000 to Belgian singer Wendy Van Wanten, has been officially recognized as the son of Prince Laurent after a DNA test confirmed a 99.5% biological match. This recognition grants him inheritance rights to Laurent's private estate, equal to that of his three half-siblings, Princess Louise, Prince Nicolas, and Prince Aymeric.125678910
Despite his new status, Vandenkerckhove will not perform any royal duties, receive a state allowance, or have a claim to the throne. He has chosen to retain his mother’s surname, stating that adopting the royal name Saxe-Coburg would feel like a betrayal of the mother who raised him.
The formal acknowledgment took place during a discreet ceremony about six months ago, with details emerging recently. Vandenkerckhove discovered the identity of his father at age 16 and reached out to Prince Laurent a decade later. Their relationship developed privately before the DNA test confirmed their connection.
This event mirrors the 2020 acknowledgment of Princess Delphine by King Albert II, highlighting a trend of reconciliation within the Belgian royal family. Unlike that protracted legal battle, the relationship between Laurent and Vandenkerckhove has focused on personal reconciliation rather than public spectacle.
“The recognition came through a discreet civil ceremony about six months ago, with details emerging only now. Clément, who learned of Laurent at 16, says he will keep his mother's surname, calling it a tribute to her sacrifices.”
News18
