8:12 am, August 21, 2026
Here in the UK we have more than a few car dealers who can legitimately claim the moniker of being ‘motor trade royalty’.
However, over in Europe, one motor trader has taken things a step further.
That is because Belgian car salesman Clément Vandenkerckhove has officially been recognised as a prince after his royal father legally recognised him as his son.
Prince Laurent – the younger brother of Belgium’s King Philippe – formally acknowledged Vandenkerckhove’s paternity at a ceremony in a Belgian town hall around six months ago.
The news has only recently come to light and the 26-year-old has officially been acknowledged as a member of the Belgian royal family.
🚨🇧🇪 NEW: Belgium’s Prince Laurent has legally recognised a 26-year-old former car salesman as his son
Clément Vandenkerckhove was born from a relationship between Prince Laurent and Belgian singer Wendy Van Wanten and has now been formally granted the title of Prince pic.twitter.com/E9a53axwFz
— Politics Global (@PolitlcsGlobal) August 20, 2026
While he does take on the title of ‘prince’ the now former car dealer will not receive a public allowance and will not have a role in official royal engagements.
He also remains absent from the Belgian line of succession, so the world’s first car dealer monarch still remains a way off too!
Vandenkerckhove is the son of Belgian singer Wendy Van Wanten – real name Iris Vandenkerckhove – who was in a relationship with Prince Laurent prior to his marriage to the current Princess Claire in 2003.
He did not discover the identity of his father until he was 16, when he contacted the prince and arranged a DNA test, which showed a 99.5% match.
Despite now being entitled to take on his father’s prestigious Saxe-Coburg surname, Vandenkerckhove says he will be keeping his own for the time being.
He told Belgian newspaper, Het Nieuwsblad: ‘I might want to do that, but I am proud of the name Vandenkerckhove.
‘If I were to sacrifice that family name, it would be a betrayal of everything my mother has done for me.’
Pictured: Prince Laurent of Belgium with his wife Princess Claire (Dominic Lipinski/PA Archive/PA Images)