The illegitimate daughter of the emeritus king of Belgium, the artist Delphine Saxe-Coburg (formerly surnamed Boël), has protested to the Prime Minister of Belgium, Alexander de Croo, for not receiving the same treatment as her half-siblings Laurent and Astrid at the time of being invited to royal family events.
In a letter written by the artist’s lawyer, Marc Uyttendaele, and whose content was revealed by several Belgian newspapers, Delphine Saxe-Coburg expresses that she would like to “be invited to all royal events”, and not only to the national holiday, on June 21, or tributes to deceased relatives. She explains, for example, that on November 15 she was excluded from the celebration of King’s Day.
Belgian justice determined in 2020, seven years after Delphine’s first paternity lawsuit and after a long battle in the courts, that the 53-year-old woman was the result of an extramarital relationship with King Emeritus Albert II of Belgium. The sentence forced the royal family to treat her under the same conditions as the younger brothers of the current king, Philip.
His lawyer clarified this Saturday that the letter – initially sent to King Felipe, but redirected to the Government due to a question of powers – should not have been leaked. She added that, in no case, she wanted to “provoke any controversy”, but warned that her client was in an “unsustainable” situation having to choose between staying silent or telling the truth and damaging the image of the monarchy. .
“In a spirit of good will and discretion, she considered it necessary to clarify an embarrassing situation in which she is treated differently from her sister Astrid and her brother Laurent” – the younger brothers of the current King Philip – added the lawyer.
The Belgian press points out that the now princess had been justified in the difference in treatment due to the fact that she does not receive – and has never requested – an endowment from the public treasury, but her lawyer believes that “there is no justification for her not fully considered as a member of the royal family”