From Car Salesman to Prince: DNA Confirms Belgian Royal Father

26-year-old Belgian car salesman Clement Vandenkerckhove becomes prince after DNA confirms Prince Laurent is his father.

A 26-year-old car salesman from Belgium has officially become a prince. Clément Vandenkerckhove, born in August 2000, has been legally recognized as the son and heir of Prince Laurent, the 63-year-old younger brother of King Philippe.

The recognition followed a DNA test that ended years of quiet speculation. It was formalized at a low-key town hall ceremony six months ago, though details only emerged this week.

A secret kept until he was 16

Clément is the son of Belgian singer Wendy Van Wanten. Her real name is Iris Vandenkerckhove.

She met Prince Laurent in the 1990s at a fashion show in Paris. The two had a relationship during that period.

She did not tell her son who his father was until he turned 16.

Four years later, Clément decided to reach out. In a television documentary, he said he reconnected with Prince Laurent at age 20.

The two went to a hospital together for a DNA test. That test confirmed what he had been told.

Clément said the result opened the door for honest conversations between father and son.

What becoming a prince means and what it doesn’t

The legal process changes his status in a big way.

He now has equal rights to Prince Laurent’s private estate, just like his three half-siblings, Princess Louise, Prince Nicolas, and Prince Aymeric.

But the royal title comes with clear limits.

He will not receive a royal allowance from the state. He will not carry out official duties. And he has no place in the line of succession to the Belgian throne.

He was born years before Prince Laurent married Princess Claire in 2003.

Although he is eligible to take his father’s house name, Saxe-Coburg, Clément says he will keep his current surname.

He explained it as a mark of respect for his mother. Dropping the name Vandenkerckhove, he said, would feel like a betrayal of everything she did for him growing up.

Another chapter for the Belgian royal family

This is not the first time the Belgian monarchy has faced a paternity acknowledgment.

In 2020, former King Albert II formally recognized Princess Delphine as his daughter after a long legal battle.

For Clément, who once sold cars for a living, life has taken an unexpected royal turn without the palace duties.