First photo of Prince Laurent with newly acknowledged son, Clément

A first photo of Prince Laurent of Belgium with his newly acknowledged son, Clément Vandenkerckhove, has been released by VTM.

The photo was released ahead of the second episode of the documentary “Clément, zoon van…” (Clément, son of…). The episode tells the story of how Clément met his father for the first time by accident and their first phone call. Clément also shares how he and Prince Laurent took a DNA test together at the hospital.

Photo: VTM

In a preview of the episode, Clément says, “At one point, my father suggested we get a DNA test. We went to the hospital together. I still remember him saying to me, ‘I’ll go first so you feel comfortable.’ Afterwards, they took my DNA, and a few weeks later, we had the results. At one point, I got an email from the lab saying the DNA was a 99.5% match.”

Photo: VTM

The news of Prince Laurent’s son comes just a few years after his father, King Albert, was forced to recognise a daughter he fathered in an extramarital affair. The former monarch consented to a DNA test after a Belgian court ordered that he be fined 5,000 euros a day until he complied. The test proved he was the father of Delphine Boël, and the Brussels Court of Appeal recognised Delphine as a princess and gave her the surname of Saxe-Coburg.