Prince Laurent of Belgium has stated that he fathered a secret son with a Flemish fashion and singer earlier than his marriage to Princess Claire. The royal, 61, publicly published he’s the daddy of 25-year-old Clement Vandenkerckhove born from his dating with Wendy van Wanten in a commentary shared with Belga Information Company.
It learn: “With this announcement, I recognize that I’m the organic father of Clement Vandenkerckhove. We have now spoken overtly and in truth about this lately. This announcement is in keeping with a way of working out and recognize for the ones concerned. It’s the results of joint session.”
“I kindly request that you simply obtain this knowledge with the discretion that the character of this intimate topic calls for. I will be able to now not make any longer statements or supply any longer clarification in this topic,” he added.
HELLO! has reached out to the Belgian royal palace for remark.
Prince Laurent reportedly met Wendy in Paris within the mid-Nineteen Nineties all over a manner display. Clement was once born in 2000, and there has lengthy been hypothesis in regards to the identification of his father over time, with many noticing the bodily resemblance between father and son. The prince married British-Belgian Claire Coombs in 2003, and the couple percentage 3 kids, Princess Louise, 21, and 19-year-old dual sons, Prince Nicolas and Prince Aymeric.
Laurent’s commentary got here simply hours forward of Flemish TV channel VTM airing a brand new documentary, titled Clément, Son of… by which his son spoke for the primary time about his father. Consistent with Nieuwsblad, Clement mentioned within the programme: “I used to be handiest born, and issues had been already being mentioned about me. That was once my commonplace existence. Now I will say it in my very own phrases. I am 25 now, and I simply assume: we are all human. My dad did not do anything else mistaken, my mother did not do anything else mistaken. I would like so that you can are living a typical existence and now not continuously be informed, ‘Do you even know who your father is?’ ‘Is he useless but?’ I wish to be finished with that. I simply wish to opt for a lager with my dad.”
King Albert’s paternity bombshell
Prince Laurent is the second one son and 3rd kid of the previous king of Belgium Albert II and Queen Paola – making him the more youthful brother of the present monarch, King Philippe. He’s these days 15th in line to the throne, however as Clement was once born from a dating out of doors of marriage, he’s not going to be incorporated within the line of succession.
© GettyThe newest surprise for the Belgian royal circle of relatives comes simply 5 years after King Albert admitted that he’s the daddy of artist Delphine Boël, following a seven-year prison combat. She was once born in 1968 from Albert’s extra-marital affair with Baroness Sybille de Selys Longchamps.
© GettyDespite the fact that Delphine and her kids don’t seem to be incorporated within the Belgian line of succession, the court docket granted them the titles of prince and princess in October 2020. She was once granted them the titles of prince and princess, for the primary time that month and has since joined the royal circle of relatives for a lot of public engagements.
© GettyAlbert, now 91, abdicated in 2013, mentioning ill-health, in favour of his son, Philippe. In July, it was once showed that the previous monarch has gone through most cancers remedy for the 6th time in 11 years.
