Prince Laurent of Belgium has acknowledged that he fathered a secret son with a Flemish model and singer before his marriage to Princess Claire. The royal, 61, publicly revealed he is the father of 25-year-old Clement Vandenkerckhove born from his relationship with Wendy van Wanten in a statement shared with Belga News Agency.
It read: "With this announcement, I acknowledge that I am the biological father of Clement Vandenkerckhove. We have spoken openly and honestly about this in recent years. This announcement is based on a sense of understanding and respect for those involved. It is the result of joint consultation."
"I kindly request that you receive this information with the discretion that the nature of this intimate matter requires. I will not make any further statements or provide any further explanation on this matter," he added.
HELLO! has reached out to the Belgian royal palace for comment.
Prince Laurent reportedly met Wendy in Paris in the mid-1990s during a fashion show. Clement was born in 2000, and there has long been speculation about the identity of his father over the years, with many noticing the physical resemblance between father and son. The prince married British-Belgian Claire Coombs in 2003, and the couple share three children, Princess Louise, 21, and 19-year-old twin sons, Prince Nicolas and Prince Aymeric.
Laurent's statement came just hours ahead of Flemish TV channel VTM airing a new documentary, titled Clément, Son of… in which his son spoke for the first time about his father. According to Nieuwsblad, Clement said in the programme: "I was only born, and things were already being said about me. That was my normal life. Now I can say it in my own words. I'm 25 now, and I just think: we're all human. 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 constantly be told, 'Do you even know who your father is?' 'Is he dead yet?' I want to be done with that. I just want to go for a beer with my dad."
King Albert's paternity bombshell
Prince Laurent is the second son and third child of the former king of Belgium Albert II and Queen Paola – making him the younger brother of the current monarch, King Philippe. He is currently 15th in line to the throne, but as Clement was born from a relationship outside of marriage, he is unlikely to be included in the line of succession.
The latest shock for the Belgian royal family comes just five years after King Albert admitted that he is the father of artist Delphine Boël, following a seven-year legal battle. She was born in 1968 from Albert's extra-marital affair with Baroness Sybille de Selys Longchamps.
Although Delphine and her children are not included in the Belgian line of succession, the court granted them the titles of prince and princess in October 2020. She was granted them the titles of prince and princess, for the first time that month and has since joined the royal family for a number of public engagements.
Albert, now 91, abdicated in 2013, citing ill-health, in favour of his son, Philippe. In July, it was confirmed that the former monarch has undergone cancer treatment for the sixth time in 11 years.