A Royal Family member has made a bombshell announcement about the ‘secret’ son he has been hiding for 25 years.
The Prince has ‘publicly acknowledged’ that he has an unknown, 25-year-old son.
According to local media, rumors of such had been circulating years prior to the announcement, but there was never any confirmation until now.
The bombshell statement read: “This announcement is based on a sense of understanding and respect for those involved.
“It is the result of joint consultation.
“I kindly request that you receive this information with the discretion that the nature of this intimate matter requires.
“I will not make any further statements or provide any further explanation on this matter.”
Prince Laurent is the younger brother of King Philippe of Belgium, and has been married to Princess Claire since 2003.
The 61-year-old revealed that he is the biological father of Clement Vandenkerckhove, 25.
He fathered Vandenkerckhove when he was in a relationship with model and singer Wendy van Wanten, prior to his marriage.
The Belgian royal palace declined to comment on the announcement.
The 61-year-old prince shares another three children with his wife Princess Clare, Princess Louise, born in 2003 and twin Princes Nicholas and Aymeric, born in 2005.
It’s been reported that Wendy met Prince Laurent at a fashion show in Paris in the mid-1990s, and that the two attended Prince Edward’s wedding in 1999.
And after the 25-year-old being confirmed to be royal, Clement is technically entitled to a royal title, which would be ‘His Royal Highness Clément, Prince of Belgium, Prince of Saxe-Coburg.’
In a documentary about his royal heritage, Clement said: “My dad didn’t do anything wrong, my mom didn’t do anything wrong.
“I want to be able to live a normal life and not have to keep hearing, ‘Do you really know who your dad is?’
“I want this behind me. I just want to be able to go have a beer with my dad.”
He added that the story surrounding his father ‘brings out a lot of emotions.’
But Prince Laurent isn’t the only member of the Belgium royal family to unearth such a confession.
His father, King Albert II, also recognised an illegitimate child after a long legal battle by the now Princess Delphine.
She was born in 1968, after his affair with Baroness Sybille de Selys Longchamps, during his marriage to Queen Paola.
