"I Was Royalty": Belgian Car Salesman Becomes Prince at Age 26

A 26-year-old young man who worked as a car salesman in Belgium has belatedly been recognized as part of the royal bloodline, acquiring the status of a prince.

According to the UK's BBC on August 20 (local time), Prince Laurent of Belgium recently recognized Clément Vandenkerckhove, born from a relationship before his marriage, as his legal son and successor.

Prince Laurent is the younger brother of the current King Philippe.

As a result, Clément has been officially recognized as a Belgian prince.

Previously, Clément was integrated into Prince Laurent's family during a quiet official ceremony held at a city hall about six months ago.

However, this news had not been disclosed to the public until recently.

Clément was born in the past between Prince Laurent and Belgian singer Wendy Vandenkerckhove.

He will not be included in the line of succession to the throne, nor will he receive a royal allowance.

This is because Belgium amended its laws in 2013 to provide public allowances to only a very small fraction of royal family members.

Currently, the royals receiving a royal allowance are King Philippe, the king's father former King Albert II, and King Philippe's younger siblings Prince Laurent and Princess Astrid.

In addition, instead of taking his father's surname, Saxe-Coburg, he will keep his mother's surname, Vandenkerckhove, which he has used all along, and will not attend official royal events.

Clément reportedly did not know he was of royal descent until he reached the age of 16.

When he turned 20, he gathered the courage to call Prince Laurent and met him in person after several phone conversations.

A DNA test subsequently confirmed the paternity.

He told Belgian media that it took him several years to get used to the fact that he was royalty.

He added, "If I were to give up my surname, it would be a betrayal of everything my mother did for me," expressing pride in his current name.

The Belgian royal family has previously drawn attention over paternity confirmation issues.

Former King Albert II became embroiled in a royal scandal when it was revealed that he had a daughter from an extramarital affair, leading him to abdicate the throne in 2013.

(Photo: Screengrab from Vandenkerckhove's Instagram, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.