Overview
- Clément Vandenkerckhove, 26, was legally registered as the son of Prince Laurent after a DNA test reported about a 99.5% match, according to documentary and media reports.
- The paternity was formalized quietly in a town‑hall ceremony in February 2026, after Laurent agreed to and completed the genetic test with Clément.
- Legal recognition gives Clément the same rights to Prince Laurent’s private inheritance as Laurent’s other children but does not place him in the line of succession or entitle him to state-funded royal pay.
- Clément has said he may keep his birth name Vandenkerckhove and has spoken publicly about the emotional toll of carrying the family secret and the value of being allowed to know his father.
- The case follows the 2020 Delphine Boël ruling and underscores how Belgian civil registration and DNA testing provide a private legal route to recognition for children born outside royal marriages.