Former car salesman in Belgium confirmed as son of Prince Laurent, receives princely title

BRUSSELS, Belgium — A 26-year-old former car salesman has been formally granted the title of prince in Belgium after a DNA test confirmed he is the biological son of Prince Laurent, the younger brother of King Philippe. The recognition followed a legal paternity filing roughly six months ago at a modest ceremony at a town hall, according to CNN. The young man's mother, Belgian singer Wendy Van Wanten, met Prince Laurent at a Paris fashion event in the 1990s. Their son was born in August 2000, and she told him the identity of his father when he was 16. Four years later, the young man contacted Prince Laurent, who agreed to take an initial DNA test at a hospital, the report said. The legal recognition entitles him to an equal share of Laurent's private estate with the prince's three children with Princess Claire, but carries no financial allowance, official duties or right of succession to the Belgian throne. Vandenkerckhove said he does not plan to take his father's Saxe-Coburg surname, calling it a betrayal of his mother's efforts on his behalf. The case is the second known paternity recognition in the Belgian royal family, following King Albert's formal acknowledgment in 2020 of Delphine Boël, born from an extramarital relationship.