This is not really a surprise for most Belgians, but an upheaval for the royal house of Laeken: the ex-king Albert II admitted, in a press release published on Monday January 27, that he was the father of Delphine Boël, a 50-year-old artist who embarked on a long judicial crusade in 2013. Her existence, hitherto carefully hidden, had been revealed by a journalist in 1999.
Mme Boël, after having made it known that his legal father, Jacques Boël, a wealthy industrialist, was not his sire, had won the right to seek paternity and obtained, in 2019, that Albert, 85, be subjected to a DNA sample. The latter was to remain secret until the final conclusion of the case by the courts, Albert II objecting to the result of the expert’s report being made public.
The conclusion of the test was sent to him on Monday. A press release from one of his lawyers, Me Alain Berenboom, then, quickly followed. “His Majesty King Albert II has taken cognizance of the results of the DNA sample which he has lent himself to at the request of the Brussels Court of Appeal. Scientific conclusions indicate that he is the biological father of Mrs. Delphine Boël “, reports the text.
“This procedure did not respect the privacy of the parties”
Judging the procedure “Contestable” and pointing out that“There are legal arguments and objections to justify the fact that legal paternity is not necessarily a reflection of biological paternity”, Albert II however decided to “Put an end to this painful procedure with honor and dignity”, continues the press release.
This seems to indicate clearly that the former monarch does not intend to renew contact with his daughter, with whom he has severed all ties since 2001. “The King wishes to point out that, since the birth of Mme Delphine Boël, he was not involved in any family, social or educational decision relating to Mme Delphine Boël and that he always respected the bond that existed between Mme Delphine Boël and her legal father »said the press release.
“More than forty years later, Mme Delphine Boël decided to end her legal and socio-emotional bond with her father and to change families. And this through a long, painful procedure which has proven judicially contradictory. This procedure did not respect the privacy of the parties. Respectful of judicial institutions, King Albert for his part refrained from intervening in debates outside the courtrooms “, still insists on the text.
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