Who Is Clément Vandenkerckhove? Belgian Car Salesman, 26, Becomes Prince After DNA Test
A 26-year-old former Belgian car salesman has suddenly found himself part of the country’s royal family after Prince Laurent formally recognized him as his son, turning a long-hidden paternity story into one of Belgium’s most unusual royal revelations.
Clément Vandenkerckhove is the son of Prince Laurent, the younger brother of King Philippe, and Flemish model and singer Iris Vandenkerckhove, better known as Wendy Van Wanten.
His legal recognition took place quietly at a town hall around February 2026, but details of the ceremony only emerged publicly this week.
Who Is Clément Vandenkerckhove?
Born in August 2000, Vandenkerckhove grew up without publicly identifying his biological father.
His mother told him when he was 16 that Prince Laurent was his father, but he was asked to keep the information secret.
Four years later, Vandenkerckhove contacted Laurent himself.
The two eventually underwent a DNA test, which showed a 99.5% match, according to Vandenkerckhove’s account in a Flemish television documentary.
Before his royal status became public, Vandenkerckhove worked as a car salesman making his sudden transition into Belgium’s royal family striking.
Speaking to Belgian newspaper Nieuwsblad, he said his childhood was shaped by uncertainty about his parentage and the burden of keeping the secret.
“What matters most to me right now is that I am a son who is allowed to get to know his father,” Vandenkerckhove said.
When Did Prince Laurent Recognize Him?
The legal recognition did not happen this week.
Prince Laurent formally acknowledged Vandenkerckhove as his son at a discreet civil ceremony around six months ago, with the development becoming public in August 2026.
Belgian reports said the formal acknowledgment followed Laurent’s public confirmation of the relationship in 2025.
The recognition has now given Vandenkerckhove the right to use the title Prince of Belgium under the rules governing royal titles.
It also gives him inheritance rights to his father’s private estate.
Is Clément Vandenkerckhove in Line to the Belgian Throne?
No.
His new title does not make him a contender for the Belgian crown.
Vandenkerckhove will not enter the Belgian line of succession, will not receive a royal allowance and is not expected to undertake official royal duties.
He is therefore a member of the royal family without becoming a working royal or a future king.
He also appears unlikely to immediately abandon the surname that has defined his life.
Vandenkerckhove has said he is proud of his mother’s family name and is uncertain about adopting the royal surname associated with the Belgian dynasty.
“I am proud of the name Vandenkerckhove,” he told Nieuwsblad. “Sacrificing that surname would be a betrayal to everything my mother did for me.”
Who Is Prince Laurent?
Prince Laurent, 62, is the younger brother of King Philippe and the third child of former Belgian King Albert II and Queen Paola.
He married Claire Coombs in 2003 and has three children with her, Princess Louise and twins Prince Nicolas and Prince Aymeric.
Vandenkerckhove’s recognition adds another chapter to the Belgian royal family’s complicated history surrounding children born outside royal marriages.
But for the newly recognized prince, the story appears to be less about royal privilege than about finally establishing a relationship with the father whose identity he spent years keeping private.
“I am a son who is allowed to get to know his father,” Vandenkerckhove said.
