Vandenkerckhove previously spoke about discovering his

She had a relationship with Prince Laurent in the 1990s but did not reveal his identity to their son until he was 16. Vandenkerckhove later contacted Laurent, who agreed to undergo a DNA test.

The test confirmed that the prince was his biological father. About six months ago, the pair formalized their relationship at a low-key town hall ceremony, and Laurent subsequently registered his paternity with Belgium’s civil registry,.

The recognition gives Vandenkerckhove the same inheritance rights to Laurent’s private estate as his three half-siblings: Princess Louise, 20, and twins Prince Nicolas and Prince Aymeric, both 19, whom Laurent has with his wife, Princess Claire. However, Vandenkerckhove will not receive a royal allowance or undertake official royal duties.

He also has no claim to the Belgian throne. He could adopt his father’s family name, Saxe-Coburg, but has indicated that he intends to keep Vandenkerckhove, his mother’s surname. “I am proud of the name Vandenkerckhove,” he.

“If I were to sacrifice that family name, it would be a betrayal of everything my mother has done for me.”Vandenkerckhove previously spoke about discovering his royal parentage in a documentary broadcast by Belgian network VTM last September.

He recalled his mother telling him that Laurent was his father and later described meeting Laurent to discuss the matter. The two eventually underwent the DNA test together at a hospital.

Vandenkerckhove said Laurent tried to put him at ease by volunteering to take the test first. After paternity was confirmed, Vandenkerckhove said he and his father began having “open and honest conversations.”The development echoes another long-running paternity story involving Belgium’s royal family.

Laurent’s father, former King Albert II, spent years denying a paternity claim before acknowledging in 2020 that he had fathered a daughter, Delphine Boël, during an affair. Boël, who ultimately won her legal battle, was granted the title of princess and now uses the name Delphine de Saxe-Coburg.