Prince Laurent of Belgium Formally Recognizes a Son — and the Son Becomes a Prince
Prince Laurent of Belgium has formally registered paternity of Clément Vandenkerckhove, making the 26-year-old officially a Prince of Belgium (Town & Country).
The registration took place earlier in 2026, according to Belgian magazine Soir Mag, which first reported the development (Soir Mag). Laurent, 62, is the younger brother of King Philippe, Belgium's reigning monarch. He and Clément's mother, Iris Vandenkerckhove — a model, actress, and singer — were publicly linked in the 1990s and attended the 1999 wedding of Britain's Prince Edward and Sophie together. When Clément was born in 2000, speculation about paternity followed immediately.
It has now been settled by formal legal process. A 2015 royal decree grants all children and grandchildren of King Albert II — Laurent's father — the title Prince or Princess of Belgium with the style Royal Highness. That decree is what extends the title to Clément now that Laurent's paternity is on the record.
The title comes without a salary. Belgian royal allowances are limited to the monarch and the heir to the throne, so Clément will receive no public funding. He will not undertake official royal duties. He is, however, permitted to use the title.
He could also legally change his surname to Saxe-Coburg, the royal family's house name, but has said he is attached to his mother's surname and intends to keep it. Clément joins Prince Laurent's three children from his marriage to Princess Claire: Princess Louise, born in 2004, and twin sons Prince Nicolas and Prince Aymeric, born in 2005. He becomes eligible for a share of Laurent's inheritance.
The recognition carries a family echo. Five years ago, Laurent's father, King Albert II, acknowledged his own daughter born outside marriage after a years-long legal battle. Princess Delphine, an artist, won the right to her title in 2020 after DNA testing confirmed Albert's paternity (People). Father and son have now each recognized a child outside their marriages.
What sets Clément's case apart is its quiet resolution. There was no court fight, no years of tabloid litigation. Laurent registered paternity through a formal administrative process, and the title followed under existing rules. For an institution that has weathered paternity disputes in public, this one closed in something closer to ordinary legal order.
