Prince Laurent’s now recognized son will be a Prince

Prince Laurent (61) will not only recognize Clément (25) publicly, but now also legally. Father and son prepare the procedure. King Philip had already indicated that he would sign the Royal Decree to grant Clément the title of Prince of Belgium. That's just a formality for him, and yet he takes a risk, says our royalty expert Wim Dehandschutter.

“Clément's father is aware of this documentary. They see each other regularly and take concrete steps towards official recognition.” That text appeared on the screen at the end of the two-part documentary. So it is a matter of time before it will be in black and white that Clément is a son of Laurent and becomes one of his heirs. A legal recognition also means that he becomes a member of the royal family. He can then take the family name Van Saksen-Coburg, bear the title of Prince of Belgium and be addressed as His Royal Highness.

A striking aspect in Clément's testimony: it was Laurent himself who had suggested to take a DNA test. With this he proved to be more human – also wiser – than his own father King Albert. It only gave up saliva after a years of legal battle by Delphine (then still Boël). And even then, the judge first had to impose a penalty payment on him: 5,000 euros per day that he did not cooperate.

By the way, Delphine turned out to be a catalyst in the Clément case. “I can only now put all the links together,” says the future prince in the TV documentary, “but I remember when the Delphine Boël case was running, that mom always wanted to know everything about it. When that appeared on TV, I was suddenly not allowed to say anything more.”

Clément sought contact with Laurent for the first time in 2020, he said. An interesting timing. Earlier that year, Albert received the results of a DNA test and then admitted in a press release that he was Delphine's father. Nine months later, the official recognition in court followed. “I've never seen Delphine before,” says Clément, “but I really want to meet her and build a good relationship with her. Because I think she's one of the only people who knows 100 percent how I feel.”

King Philip has already indicated that he will “give the desired consequences to a possible official recognition” of Clément, reliable sources previously told HLN. A signature under the Royal Decree on this is only a formality for him.
The impact on his role as head of state is in principle also nil. Clément does not become part of the royal family (read: the institute). He is not included in the line of succession to the throne and does not receive an endowment. Unlike his half-sister Princess Delphine, Filip does not have to invite his new nephew for official occasions, such as the national holiday, which he does not do with Laurent's children with Claire.

And yet King Philip unintentionally takes a risk. If Clément Vandenkerckhove – a 25-year-old representative from Aalter – causes a scandal, it has no consequences for the monarchy. Well when it comes to His Royal Highness Prince Clément. Filip has experienced enough times that he has no grip on Laurent, and he will not have a grip on Clément at all.
Since his accession to the throne in 2013, Philip has made every effort to restore the appearance of the monarchy. He modernized the institution and reduced it. His family is the core today: he, Queen Mathilde and their four children are the protagonists. Other family members have become noble extras.

As part of those plans, Philip signed a Royal Decree in 2015 to limit the number of prince titles. In the following decades, only his descendants – i.e. his grandchildren through Elisabeth, Gabriel, Emmanuel and Eléonore – will be able to become princes of Belgium. In the next generation, only Elisabeth can pass on the title through her branch.
Philip felt that the royal house was gradually becoming too extensive. The title threatened to lose value, and the more princes, the greater the chance that one of them would cause a scandal. But Clément was born in 2000, fifteen years before the introduction of the Royal Decree. That is why he can still become a prince retroactively, as Delphine became a princess. And now Filip has to hope that his new family member behaves.

For now, it seems that the Clément case is just positively reflecting on the royal family. Filip is doing well, because he sends the signal that he wants to cooperate in a 'correct legal settlement'. And Laurent has won many souls through his human approach. He could use that good publicity, just as his popularity had reached a historic low. The most recent Great Poll on the monarchy showed that only 22 percent of Belgians still had confidence in him. In Flanders, that is even barely 14 percent.

Laurent only seemed to get the news because of his sour attitude. To his frustration, he was not given access to social security, while he receives an endowment of almost 400,000 euros per year. Laurent also caused a stir with his dream of starting a new life in Italy – something he most likely already talked about with his son. Clément told in the documentary how Laurent is in his cell phone: "If L with an Italian flag, because he is of Italian origin."