A Real-Life Fairytale: 26-Year-Old Car Salesman Revealed to Be a Prince

Legal Son of Prince Laurent of Belgium

Paternity Confirmed Through DNA Testing and Official Recognition as Prince

Not a Royal Receiving State Allowance

A 26-year-old who had been working as a car salesman in Belgium has drawn attention after it was revealed he is of royal lineage.

On August 20 (local time), the BBC reported that Belgian car salesman Clément Vandenkerckhove (26) had been legally recognized as the son and heir of Prince Laurent of Belgium. Prince Laurent is the younger brother of King Philippe. With this recognition, Clément has now been officially acknowledged as a prince of Belgium.

Earlier this year, Clément was quietly included in Prince Laurent’s family lineage through an official ceremony at a Belgian city hall. However, this is the first time the fact has become public.

Clément was born to Prince Laurent and Belgian singer Wendy Vandenkerckhove. However, he is not in the line of succession to the throne and does not receive any royal allowance.

Prince Laurent of Belgium (left) and his son, revealed to be Clément Vandenkerckhove. Screenshot from Clément's Instagram

Since legal revisions in 2013, Belgium grants royal allowances only to a very small number of royal family members. Currently, the only Belgian royals receiving the allowance are King Philippe, his father former King Albert II, King Philippe’s siblings Prince Laurent and Princess Astrid.

Clément has decided to keep his mother’s surname, Vandenkerckhove, rather than take his father’s, Saxe-Coburg. He also does not plan to attend official royal events.

Clément discovered at the age of 16 that he was the son of Prince Laurent, having previously been unaware of his royal heritage. At age 20, he gathered the courage to call Prince Laurent, and the two subsequently spoke on several occasions. Clément’s status as Prince Laurent’s biological son was confirmed through DNA testing.

Regarding his decision to keep his mother’s surname, Clément emphasized, "If I abandon my surname, I would be betraying everything my mother has done for me." Meanwhile, the Belgian royal family has attracted public attention in the past over paternity issues. For example, former King Albert II became embroiled in a royal scandal when it was revealed that he had a daughter from an extramarital relationship, ultimately abdicating the throne in 2013.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.