Belgium's Prince Laurent has legally recognised 26-year-old Clement Vandenkerckhove as his son, granting him the title of prince but no royal allowance and no place in the line of succession.

The recognition took place at a town hall ceremony six months ago, though details have only recently come to light.

Vandenkerckhove was born from a relationship between Prince Laurent and Belgian singer Wendy Van Wanten, whose real name is Iris Vandenkerckhove. The prince went on to marry Princess Claire in 2003.

The newly recognised prince said he is not yet certain whether he will adopt his father's family name, Saxe-Coburg.

"I might want to do that, but I am proud of the name Vandenkerckhove," he told Het Nieuwsblad.

"If I were to sacrifice that family name, it would be a betrayal of everything my mother has done for me."

Vandenkerckhove will not be included in Belgium's royal line of succession, unlike his half-sister Princess Louise and half-brothers Prince Aymeric and Prince Nicolas. He will also not take part in public royal activities.

He is already a familiar figure to Belgian audiences, having been the subject of a Flemish television documentary last September in which he described how he came to know his father.

In the documentary, Clement recounted meeting Prince Laurent by chance in a shopping centre in 2013, without knowing who he was. It was not until he was 16 that his mother revealed his father's identity.

Four years later, he gathered the courage to call the prince. After several phone conversations, the two met in person, and Prince Laurent eventually proposed a DNA test.

"We went to the hospital together and I remember him saying 'I'll go first so you're feeling at ease'," he told the programme. He later received an email from the laboratory confirming a 99.5% DNA match.

The episode draws a parallel with the experience of Prince Laurent's father, former King Albert II, who underwent a DNA test following a lengthy paternity dispute. Albert admitted in 2020 that he had fathered a daughter during an extramarital affair and eventually recognised her as his own.

Albert II abdicated in 2013 as the paternity issue developed into a royal scandal.

The daughter, artist Delphine Boel, won her court battle and gained the right to a royal title. She now goes by the name Delphine de Saxe-Coburg.

Under Belgian law as amended in 2013, only a limited number of royals are entitled to public allowances: King Philippe, former King Albert II, Prince Laurent, and Princess Astrid. Vandenkerckhove does not qualify under those provisions.