Belgium ex-king's love child seeks royal rights and titles

[Laly]

The love child of the former Belgian King Albert II is hoping a court will grant her the same rights and titles as her father's legitimate children.
Artist Delphine Boël, 52, has taken her case to the appeals court in Brussels.

King Albert finally admitted he was Ms Boël's father in January this year, having fought her paternity claim for more than a decade. DNA test forced Belgian ex-king to admit paternity. The 86-year-old had resisted court orders to undergo DNA testing until he was facing fines of €5,000 per day (£4,611; $5,918, at current exchange rates) for refusing to do so.

Her mother, Baroness Sybille de Selys Longchamps, claims she had an 18-year affair with Albert before he was king.

Rumours of an illegitimate child first emerged in 1999 in an unauthorised biography about Albert's wife Queen Paola, prompting a royal scandal and enduring media gossip in Belgium.

Ms Boël first alleged on the record that King Albert was her biological father during a 2005 interview, but it was not until he abdicated in 2013 - when he lost his immunity to prosecution - that she opened court proceedings.

Her lawyer said on Thursday that she was seeking the same rights as Albert's three other children, Philippe, now King of Belgium, Prince Laurent and Princess Astrid.

"She doesn't want to be a cut-price child, she wants to have exactly the same privileges, titles and capacities as her brothers and her sister."

Reports suggest her children would also be eligible for a royal title if the court rules in her favour.

Albert's lawyer says she can only be given the title "princess" by royal decree, not by a court.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54112797

[Laly]

She is now officially Princess of Belgium.