The court ruling in King Albert vs Delphine boel case has put an end to the dilemma regarding boel being King Albert’s daughter. Belgium’s former King Albert II has finally admitted that awell-known sculptor Delphine Boel is his illegitimate daughter, born out of 18 years extra marital relationship and lovelock between Baroness Sybille de Selys Longchamps, who is a Belgian aristocrat. The move makes 51-year-old Delphine Boel a princess and puts her 15th in line to the Belgian throne, and entitles her to a share of Albert’s estate when he dies.
Acceptance by the King has put an end to a seven-year legal battle. The 85-year-old royal made the admission on Monday in an attempt to end ‘painful’ proceedings ‘with dignity’, after submitting to a court-ordered DNA test last year.
While the former King did not confirm the exact circumstances of Ms Boel’s birth, she is thought to be the result of an 18-year affair between the former monarch and Belgian aristocrat Sybille de Selys Longchamps that has rumoured to began in the 1960s.
That affair is believed to have begun in 1966 when Albert was not yet king but was married to Donna Paola Ruffo di Calabria, whom he wed in 1959. Delphine was born in 1968, and the affair is thought to have ended in 1984.
Albert ascended the throne in 1993, following the death of his elder brother, King Baudouin, from heart failure. Delphine – an aristocrat in her own right and an artist – first said in 1999 that she believed she is Albert’s child.
On 19 October 1999, an 18-year-old Flemish schoolboy,[2] Mario Danneels [nl], published his unauthorised biography of Queen Paola, Paola, van ‘la dolce vita’ tot koningin (Paola, from ‘la dolce vita’ to Queen). The book contained a statement referring to the existence of a daughter born out of lovelock to King Albert. The Belgian press made investigations into the identity of this daughter, tracing Boël. At first, both Boël and her mother refused to comment on the matter, and the palace dismissed Danneels’ book as gossip and rumor.
Boël gave an interview on 15 May 2005, to the France 3 presenter Marc-Olivier Fogiel in the broadcast “On nepeut pas plaire à tout le monde” (You Can’t Please Everyone) in which she said that she is indeed Albert’s daughter. She said she made a telephone call to Albert in order to receive help for her mother who was being harassed by journalists. According to her statement, Albert replied “Leave me alone with that story. You are not my daughter,” which she said was hurtful.
In June 2013, Boël summoned Albert, his son Philippe (now king of Belgium) and his daughter Astrid, to appear in court. Boël hoped to use DNA tests to prove that she is Albert’s daughter. As Albert enjoyed complete immunity under the law, Boël decided to summon his children as well.
After the king abdicated on 21 July 2013 and no longer enjoyed immunity, Delphine relaunched proceedings against him. In March 2017, the court ruled that her claim was unfounded, and her lawyers said she would take the claim to appeal.
On 5 November 2018, a court ruling was made public which instructed Albert to submit to a DNA test to determine whether he is Boël’s biological father. Such DNA testing is not obligatory in Belgium, but not submitting to it is considered evidence of paternity. On 27 January 2020, it was determined through DNA tests that King Albert II of Belgium is in fact the biological father of Delphine Boël.
While legal experts believe the ruling will entitle Ms Boel to part of Albert’s estate when he dies, she has denied the case is about money or about gaining recognition from her father.
‘I just finally want a clear legal framework to protect my life and that of my family,’ she said.
