Belgium has acquired a brand new prince but he will have no royal role.
Clement Vandenkerckhove has been formally recognised by Prince Laurent of Belgium as his natural son. Laurent confirmed he was the father of Clement, 26, in a DNA test several years ago. Now, the legal paperwork has been signed that acknowledges the relationship meaning Clement becomes a prince of Belgium.
Current royal rules stipulate that descendants of King Albert II, legitimate or illegitimate, are entitled to be HRH and Prince or Princess.
Laurent is the younger son of Albert and a younger brother of King Philippe of the Belgians.
Prince Clement, as he is now known, is not in the line of succession as that is limited to those born in marriage only. And he will have no royal role and he won’t be entitled to any public money.
Clement was born in 2000 following a relationship between Prince Laurent and a well known Belgian singer, Wendy Van Wanten, whose real name is Iris Vandenkerckhove. Their relationship ended and Laurent met and married Claire Coombs in 2003. Clement became aware of his natural father’s identity as a teenager and they began speaking about six years ago. A DNA test confirmed that they were father and son.
In 2025, Clement appeared in a TV programme in Belgium about his links to the royal family and his parentage.
Now, it’s been revealed that Laurent has officially recognised him as his son. As well as giving him the right to be a prince, it also means Clement can change his name to Saxe-Coburg. However, Clement is unsure about that, saying that changing from Vandenkerckhove would be a ”betrayal” of all that his mother has done for him through the years.
Laurent has three children with Princess Claire who all have royal titles. Princess Louise and twins, Prince Nicholas and Prince Aymeric, are in the line of succession.
This isn’t the first time that King Philippe has had to welcome a new royal into his family. His father, King Albert, finally acknowledged paternity of a daughter born in a relationship he had several years into his marriage. Princess Delphine, as she is now known, pursued her claim in the courts before Albert finally acknowledged her. She’s since gone on to take part in Belgium’s version of Strictly Come Dancing.
King Philippe and his wife, Queen Mathilde, have been keen to welcome Delphine into the family, inviting her to big events including National Day celebrations in Belgium.
