Car salesman becomes Belgian prince after DNA test confirms royal parentage

A former Belgian car salesman has become a prince at 26 after a DNA test confirmed that he is the son of Prince Laurent, the younger brother of King Philippe.

Clément Vandenkerckhove, whose mother is Flemish singer Wendy Van Wanten, was formally recognised by Prince Laurent as his son at a low-key town hall ceremony around six months ago, according to CNN.

The recognition was registered with Belgium's civil registry and gives Clément equal inheritance rights to Laurent's private estate alongside his three half-siblings – Princess Louise, Prince Nicolas and Prince Aymeric.

However, Clément will not receive a royal allowance, perform official duties or have any claim to the Belgian throne.

The legal recognition followed a DNA test that Clément and Prince Laurent underwent together. The test showed a 99.5% match, according to Clément's account in a 2025 documentary and an interview with Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad.

Clément's mother, whose real name is Iris Vandenkerckhove, had a relationship with Prince Laurent in the 1990s. She told her son when he was 16 that Laurent was his biological father.

Four years later, Clément contacted Laurent. The pair subsequently met and agreed to undergo a DNA test together.

"We went to the hospital together and I remember him saying, 'I'll go first so you're feeling at ease,'" Clément said.

After the test confirmed his parentage, he said he and his father began having "open and honest conversations".

Under Belgian rules, Clément could take the Saxe-Coburg family name associated with his father. However, he has indicated that he may continue using Vandenkerckhove.

"I am proud of the name Vandenkerckhove," he told Het Nieuwsblad. "If I were to sacrifice that family name, it would be a betrayal of everything my mother has done for me."

Clément was born in August 2000. His mother and Laurent reportedly met at a fashion show in Paris in the 1990s and later had a relationship.

Prince Laurent publicly acknowledged Clément as his biological son in September 2025, ending years of speculation over his parentage.

The development is not the first time a secret over Belgium's royal family has led to a paternity dispute.

Prince Laurent's father, former King Albert II, acknowledged in 2020 that he had fathered a daughter, Delphine Boël, during an extramarital affair after a lengthy legal battle.

Boël was subsequently granted the title of princess and uses the name Delphine de Saxe-Coburg.