A 26-year-old former car salesman has become a prince of Belgium, after Prince Laurent, the younger brother of King Philippe, formally recognized him as his biological son. Clément Vandenkerckhove's new title was confirmed this week, though Global News reported the legal paperwork was quietly signed before a civil registrar back in February.
Prince Laurent, 62, is the youngest of three children of King Albert II and Queen Paola and has generally kept a lower public profile than his older brother, the king. News of his son's recognition first circulated in Belgian media this week, months after the paperwork was completed, before spreading to international outlets given the royal family's history of paternity questions.
Vandenkerckhove's mother is Iris Vandenkerckhove, a Belgian singer and entertainer who performs as Wendy Van Wanten and had a relationship with Prince Laurent in the 1990s. She told her son who his father was when he turned 16. About four years later, Vandenkerckhove contacted the prince, and the two underwent a DNA test together at a hospital. Prince Laurent acknowledged the results publicly last September.
I acknowledge that I am the biological father of Clement Vandenkerckhove.
Prince Laurent of Belgium
The recognition makes Vandenkerckhove the eldest of Prince Laurent's four children, ahead of Princess Louise and twins Prince Nicolas and Prince Aymeric, whom Laurent had with his wife, Princess Claire, after their 2003 marriage. But the new prince will not draw a royal allowance, take on official duties, or gain any claim to the Belgian throne, since he was born outside a government-approved marriage. Constitutional law expert Christian Behrendt told CTV News the title is largely honorary under Belgian succession rules.
Belgium's royal family has weathered paternity disputes before: Princess Delphine of Saxe-Coburg spent years in court before King Albert II acknowledged her as his daughter in 2020. Vandenkerckhove's case moved with comparatively little public drama, playing out through private legal filings months before the family's confirmation this week.
