Belgian car salesman becomes prince after royal parentage confirmed

Belgium’s Prince Laurent has formally recognised 26‑year‑old former car salesman Clément Vandenkerckhove as his son and heir. Vandenkerckhove, whose mother is the Belgian vocalist Wendy Van Wanten – whose legal name is Iris Vandenkerckhove – was quietly brought into the prince’s household at a municipal hall ceremony six months ago, although details of the arrangement have only recently become public. Although he now holds the title of prince, Vandenkerckhove will not receive a royal allowance. He has spent several years adjusting to the idea of having a royal father and said he is still uncertain whether he will adopt his father’s surname, Saxe‑Coburg. “I mightiness privation to bash that, but I americium arrogant of the sanction Vandenkerckhove,” helium told Het Nieuwsblad. “If I were to sacrifice that household name, it would beryllium a betrayal of everything my parent has done for me.” Vandenkerckhove will not be placed in the line of succession, unlike his half‑sister Princess Louise and half‑brothers Prince Aymeric and Prince Nicolas, nor will he participate in official national royal engagements. He first gained public attention through a Flemish television documentary aired last September, in which he recounted how he came to know his father. The documentary notes that Prince Laurent had been in a relationship with Wendy Van Wanten before marrying Princess Claire in 2003. During the VTM programme, Vandenkerckhove described meeting the prince unexpectedly at a shopping centre in 2013, unaware of his identity. It was only when he turned 16 that his mother disclosed his father’s name. Four years later he summoned the courage to call the prince, and after several further conversations they met in person, where Prince Laurent proposed a DNA test. “We went to the infirmary unneurotic and I retrieve him saying 'I'll spell archetypal truthful you're feeling astatine ease'," helium told VTM. He subsequently received an email from the laboratory confirming a 99.5 % DNA match. The situation echoes an earlier paternity case involving Prince Laurent’s father, former King Albert II, who underwent DNA testing after a prolonged dispute. Albert II admitted in 2020 that he had fathered a daughter during an affair and later acknowledged her as his own. He abdicated the Belgian throne in 2013 amid the ensuing scandal. Artist Delphine Boël likewise won a court battle to secure the title of princess and now uses the name Delphine de Saxe‑Coburg. Under amendments to Belgian law enacted in 2013, only a limited number of royals are eligible for state allowances: King Philippe, his father King Albert II, Prince Laurent and Princess Astrid.