Belgium King Admits He Fathered A Child In 1960s Affair

Belgium King Admits He Fathered A Child In 1960s Affair

A woman who has fought for seven years to prove that an abdicated Belgian king is her biological father, has finally had an “grudging admission” from the king’s lawyer. 

The sevenyear legal battle, and decades of rumours, ended after a court-ordered DNA test revealed that Delphine Boёl was in fact correct and was the biological daughter of former Belgian King Albert II.

“His Majesty King Albert II has taken note of the results of the DNA sample he submitted at the requests of the Brussels Court of Appeal. The scientific conclusions indicate that he is the biological father or Mrs Delphine Boël. 

Following the results, King Albert had decided to “put an end to this painful procedure with dignity and honour” and would not be challenging the results in a court of law – reports VRT. 

The legal story began in 2013 when Boël first approached the former king with the objective of proving a biological link, but the king abdicated a month later under “mysterious circumstances”. 

There was evidence that Albert had been involved with Delphine throughout her early childhood, but he had rejected her when she was 17.  It was after 20 years of seeking acknowledgementthat Delphine resorted to legal action. 

Prior to the latest update to the case, there had been various appeals to court from both sides.  After Albert’s abdication, he lost is legal immunity, allowing Boël to relaunch proceedings against him, these were dismissed in 2017 as unfounded. 

In 2018 Boël appealed, resulting in the court ordering Albert to undergo a DNA test to put the case to rest, ruling that if the king should refuse to undergo the test, it would be an admission of paternity. 

An appeal saw the king instead facing a €5,000 per day fine for each day he refused to undergo the test. 

The revelations now mean that Boël can play claim on parts of the former monarch’s estate but will not be in the line of succession. 

VUB law professor and royal family expert Mark van den Wijngaert told the Belga news agency“She will, normally, benefit from his heritage, but the victory she was seeking was, above all, a moral one,” adding that King Albert could disinherit her “if he so wishes.” 

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