Princess Delphine of Belgium, the illegitimate daughter of former King Albert II, has spoken out over her mistreatment in royal functions when compared to her half-siblings.
Arguing that she wants to benefit from the same rights as them, Princess Delphine penned a letter to Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, which was then leaked to the Flemish press. The letter came just days after King's Day on 15 November – to which Princess Delphine was not invited, unlike Prince Laurent and Princess Astrid.
"My client has been worried for months about her role in official events. She is struck by the fact that she is only invited to a few, like 21 July and the tribute to deceased members of the Royal Family," her lawyer Marc Uyttendaele wrote. "But even there, she is treated differently from her brother and sister."
A question of respect
De Croo, however, told reporters that, unlike other members of the Royal family, Princess Delphine does not occupy "any official function" – which would justify her being invited to certain ceremonies. "The people who are invited to these events are people who have official functions in our country. Part of the Royal family has an official function. Princess Delphine does not have one."
Additionally, she "is not accountable for such a function, unlike Princess Astrid and Prince Laurent," he added.
For Delphine, however, "it is simply a question of respect," stressed Uyttendaele, underlining that this has nothing to do with endowments or other monetary issues. "As she said when she officially became a princess, she has no intention of asking for anything in terms of money. Certainly not an endowment like the one Prince Laurent and Princess Astrid are exceptionally entitled to."
Related News
- Royal rip-off? Belgian monarchy will cost taxpayer more in 2024
- Princess Delphine inaugurates photo exhibition in tribute to King Baudouin
Professor emeritus of constitutional law Francis Delprée told La Capitale that Delphine's recognition as the daughter of King Albert II only concerns private law and therefore has nothing to do with the question of her endowment or official status.
"She was established as the daughter of Albert II. She therefore has the same rights as Astrid and Laurent regarding, for example, inheritance. But as far as public law is concerned, it is something else," he explained. "Should all the King's children have the same functions? The endowment of members of the Royal family is linked to rights and obligations such as not attending an official event if it has not been validated, for example. But Princess Delphine has no endowment."
After years of legal battles and a court-ordered DNA test in early 2020, King Albert II acknowledged that he was Delphine's biological father. However, she did not settle for that and went to court because she wanted to be treated like Albert's other children (Belgium's current King Philippe, Princess Astrid and Prince Laurent), and also bear the name 'of Saksen-Coburg.'
