Overview
- Prince Laurent completed a low‑key civil registration in February 2026 that legally established Clément Vandenkerckhove as his son and made him a Prince of Belgium, a fact disclosed publicly in August 2026.
- Laurent publicly acknowledged paternity in September 2025 after a DNA test reported a 99.5 percent match, and the two have since developed a private father‑son relationship.
- Under Belgian rules set by recent royal decrees and reforms, the recognition allows Clément to use a princely title and to inherit from Laurent’s private estate but does not give him a place in the line of succession or a state royal allowance.
- Clément, 26 and a former car salesman, has said he is likely to keep his mother’s surname and that the main value of recognition is the chance to know his father rather than public perks.
- The case follows a recent pattern in Belgian royal paternity matters, most notably the Delphine Boël ruling involving former King Albert II, and highlights how private family reconciliations are handled through quiet civil procedures before becoming public.