Prince Laurent of Belgium has legally recognised 26-year-old former car salesman Clement Vandenkerckhove as his son and heir, according to the BBC.
The official recognition took place during a municipal ceremony at a town hall in February, establishing Clement as the nephew of reigning monarch King Philippe. The formal announcement was withheld from the public for six months before being confirmed.
Formally, Clement has been granted the title of prince. However, he will not receive a royal allowance or financial content from the state, cannot inherit the Belgian throne, and will not participate in official public events associated with the royal family.
The young man was born from a relationship between Prince Laurent and Belgian singer Wendy Van Wanten, whose real name is Iris Vandenkerckhove. Through his father, Clement has three half-siblings: Princess Louise, Prince Aymeric, and Prince Nicolas, all born to Prince Laurent and his wife, Princess Claire.
Belgium is a constitutional monarchy in Western Europe, where the national sovereign serves as head of state. Prince Laurent, the younger brother of King Philippe, is known within the nation as a member of the royal house of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
Title and Heritage Decisions
Clement said he has not yet decided whether he will start using his father's surname, Saxe-Coburg. He explained that abandoning the familiar surname he has carried all his life might seem like a betrayal of his mother.
The Belgian public first learned about Prince Laurent's illegitimate son in September 2025, when Clement featured in a television documentary. During the program, he revealed that he only discovered the truth regarding his royal heritage when he was 16 years old.
Four years after learning of his parentage, Clement gathered the courage to contact Prince Laurent by telephone. Following their initial conversation, the two men underwent a joint DNA test that conclusively confirmed Prince Laurent as his biological father.
Belgian Royal Family News
In other news concerning the Belgian royal family, the youngest son of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde recently acknowledged that he is trying to build a career as a disc jockey. Prince Emmanuel Leopold Guillaume Francois Marie creates and releases his music under the stage name DJ Vyntrix.
Members of European royal houses frequently navigate personal artistic pursuits alongside traditional public expectations. Under Belgian law, private legal recognitions of parentage do not automatically alter constitutional lines of succession, which remain governed by strict parliamentary regulations regarding royal matrimony and state approval.
