The Belgian Royal Family is facing fresh public debate after one princess appeared to criticise her relations in a controversial interview just days before the anniversary of her brother’s reign.
Belgium gained another princess in 2020 when the illegitimate daughter of King Albert II was granted a royal title after he admitted paternity in the midst of a court case.
Princess Delphine describes relationship with king
His daughter, now known as Princess Delphine, has shared in a new interview how difficult it was to broach her relationship with her father.
In an interview on the It’s Reigning Men podcast, Princess Delphine has opened up about her life. She said that by the mid 2000’s, she was hoping that her father would acknowledge that she existed and she added ”“I wasn’t asking for recognition with his name. I was asking for us to be seen in a park or in a gallery or in a restaurant so that people would say, ‘Okay, they have a private relationship, it’s a part of life, he’s got a child outside but it’s okay, he accepts it and that’s it…
Delphine is the daughter of Baroness Sybille de Selys Longchamps and King Albert II of Belgium. Born in 1968, she did not find out who her biological father was until she was 17. When a 1999 biography of Queen Paola mentioned a child born out of wedlock, Delphine began to seek recognition.
By the mid-2000s, Delphine was hoping for her father to at least acknowledge that she existed. When the podcast host, Daniel Rosney, asked if she was able to contact the King on a direct line, Delphine shared that she was not able to make contact at all, saying “It was blocked, everything was blocked”.
Royal events with half brother
It was not until a court ordered that Delphine and her two children receive royal titles in late 2020 that the Belgian Royal Family formally welcomed her, with her half-brother, King Philippe, meeting with her on 9 October.
Princess Delphine does attend events with the Belgian Royal Family; however, she is a working artist and continues to dedicate herself to her artistic career.
