Belgian Prince Admits to Secret Son After Father’s Paternity Bombshell

The royal family of Belgium just got a little bit bigger, as Prince Laurent has reportedly recognized the paternity of an adult son.

On Sept. 9, Belga News Agency reported that Prince Laurent, 61, said he “publicly recognizes” the paternity of Clement Vandenkerckhove, 25, in communication with the outlet.

According to Belga, there had “long been rumors” of Prince Laurent having a love child with Wendy van Wanten, a Flemish actress and singer whose real name is Iris Vandenkerckhove.

The Belgian Royal Palace did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

Prince Laurent is the younger brother of King Philippe of Belgium and has been married to Princess Claire since 2003. The couple shares three children: Princess Louise, 21, and twins Prince Nicolas and Prince Aymeric, 19.

On Sept. 9, VRT News published the statement that they said Prince Laurent shared with Belga News Agency.

“With this message, I acknowledge that I am the biological father of Clement Vandenkerckhove. We have spoken openly and honestly about this over the past few years. This announcement is based on a sense of understanding and respect for those involved. It is the result of joint consultation,” the statement said. 

“I ask that you receive this information with the restraint that the nature of this intimate matter requires. I will not make any further statements or provide further explanations about this,” it continued. “Laurent von Sachsen-Coburg.” 

VRT reported that Wendy met Prince Laurent at a fashion show in Paris in the mid-1990s and that they attended Prince Edward‘s wedding in 1999. 

After Clement was born in 2000, speculation was sparked that the Belgian prince was his father. Clement’s name was allegedly a reference to Villa Clémentine, Prince Albert’s home in Tervuren.

Prince Laurent is the youngest son of King Albert and Queen Paola of Belgium, and Belga said that he and Wendy never officially confirmed their romance.

According to VRT, Clement brushed off a question about his father’s identity when he joined his mom on the VRT 1 show Het Huis in 2021.

“It won’t be the answer you expect. It’s a fairy tale that everyone thinks that, but fairy tales are just fairy tales,” Clement said then, adding that the story surrounding his father “brings out a lot of emotions.”

The outlet reported that elsewhere in the episode, Wendy said her love with Prince Laurent “lasted about seven years.” 

According to royal reporter Rick Evers, Clement is entitled to a royal title: “His Royal Highness Clément, Prince of Belgium, Prince of Saxe-Coburg.”

“King Filip wanted to limit the granting of titles, but since Clément is a descendant in the male line of King Albert, the Royal Decree of 12 November 2015 applies,” Evers wrote on X on Sept. 9.

Prince Laurent acknowledged the paternity of Clement as his son on the same day that Flemish TV channel VTM announced that a documentary would air on Sept. 9 titled Clément, Son of…

A logline shared to Facebook from VTM said, “This is Clément, son of Wendy Van Wanten. He speaks for the first time and answers the question: Who is his father? Clément, son of… Tuesday September 9 at 8:35 pm at VTM and on VTM GO.”

“My dad didn’t do anything wrong, my mom didn’t do anything wrong. I want to be able to live a normal life and not have to keep hearing, ‘Do you really know who your dad is?’… I want this behind me. I just want to be able to go have a beer with my dad,” Clement says in the documentary, according to Sudinfo. 

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In 2020, King Albert — who abdicated the throne in 2013 — similarly recognized that he was the father of a daughter he welcomed outside of his marriage.

That January, King Albert publicly conceded that Delphine Boël was his biological daughter following a seven-year legal battle and DNA test.

A court later ruled that Delphine has the same legal rights as Albert’s other children — King Philippe, Princess Astrid and Prince Laurent — a move that allows her to use the title of Princess of Belgium.