Princess Delphine & Family, News & Events 2; 2023 -

[Tatiana Maria]

It is worth remembering that during Delphine Boël's court battle to become King Albert II's legal daughter, she and her lawyers publicly told the media that she had no interest in becoming a princess, until September 2020 when she reversed herself and demanded the same titles as her soon to be siblings.

So if she has seemed to be satisfied for the past three years but is now asking for more, it is consistent with her past record. However, I believe her recent letter is more or less consistent with her and her lawyers' public statements since 2020, and if she goes on to ask for taxpayer funding and a place in line to the throne, that would be consistent also.

Her lawyer stated in 2020 that "she wants to have exactly the same privileges, titles and capacities as her brothers and her sister". Taken at face value, "the same privileges" would include dotations and state-founded housing, as her brothers and sister receive them, and "the same capacities" would include attending official events as a working royal, which her brothers and sister are.

In 2021 her lawyer called it "scandalous" that children born out of wedlock were excluded from the throne and said it violated European and United Nations treaties.

Linda_26, thank you for the updates and your (as always) informative summaries.

 

[maria-olivia]

In the latest news the Lawyer's letter to our Prime Minister was confidentiel but it went to the Press. Delphine regrets it and did not want this embarrasing situation.

 

[Linda_26]

It is worth remembering that during Delphine Boël's court battle to become King Albert II's legal daughter, she and her lawyers publicly told the media that she had no interest in becoming a princess, until September 2020 when she reversed herself and demanded the same titles as her soon to be siblings.

So if she has seemed to be satisfied for the past three years but is now asking for more, it is consistent with her past record. However, I believe her recent letter is more or less consistent with her and her lawyers' public statements since 2020, and if she goes on to ask for taxpayer funding and a place in line to the throne, that would be consistent also.

Her lawyer stated in 2020 that "she wants to have exactly the same privileges, titles and capacities as her brothers and her sister". Taken at face value, "the same privileges" would include dotations and state-founded housing, as her brothers and sister receive them, and "the same capacities" would include attending official events as a working royal, which her brothers and sister are.

In 2021 her lawyer called it "scandalous" that children born out of wedlock were excluded from the throne and said it violated European and United Nations treaties.

Linda_26, thank you for the updates and your (as always) informative summaries.

You're most welcome!?

Well, there's certainly precedent of her doing the opposite of what she had previously said. In her interviews and in her 2022 documentary, Delphine claimed she decided to ask for a royal title only after Albert's press release admitting he was her biological father, which she considered too cold and hurtful. The press release was indeed too cold, but I'm convinced she would've gone for it regardless, as her lawyers had found a loophole in the badly-worded 2015 Royal Decree about Royal Titles.

However, in 2020 she was only granted a royal title, and not the "same privileges and capacities" as her sibilings, as the Prime Minister correctly pointed out yesterday. And, until this incident, she seemed to be happy with her current condition, which, to be fair, has many advantages and very few responsibilities, if compared to her half-sibilings. Of course, she has every right to change her mind as often as she wants, but it doesn't make her look good. Most comments I've read on social media were negative, and PM De Croo was very clear in his response. If she ever decided to ask for a dotation, I'm sure reactions would be worse, and it would lead to all dotations for the king's sibilings to be abolished. Astrid doesn't need it, but Laurent does.

Thanks for sharing the 2021 article about royal succession-I hadn't read it yet. Delphine's lawyer is an outspoken republican, so it's really not surprising that he was criticizing the system of hereditary succession

 

[leidi]

At this rate Delphine is gonna make Laurent look good
I understand her wanting to be recognized as Albert's daughter, that was her right and she got it.
But now she wants to be in equal grounds to her siblings and that's not how monarchies work, specially since her eldest brother is the actual Head of State of her country.
It's just ridiculous

 

[maria-olivia]

In my newspaper page 8 and 15 sentences Prime Minister De Croo said :having no Official Fonction , she has nothing to ask to the Governement and the Parlement , on the contrary of Princess Astrid and Prince Laurent who have and do Official Fonctions. The Princess notices that the condidentiel letter from her Lawyer to the Prime Minister has been communicated to the press , what she did not know and regrets it.
A big flop for the future of Princess Delphine and a bigger flop for her Lawyer.
Amen

 

[Marengo]

In my newspaper page 8 and 15 sentences Prime Minister De Croo said :having no Official Fonction , she has nothing to ask to the Governement and the Parlement , on the contrary of Princess Astrid and Prince Laurent who have and do Official Fonctions. The Princess notices that the condidentiel letter from her Lawyer to the Prime Minister has been communicated to the press , what she did not know and regrets it.
A big flop for the future of Princess Delphine and a bigger flop for her Lawyer.
Amen

Do you expect her to give it a rest? Or is she now expected to ask for an official function?

 

[An Ard Ri]

Was there any reason as to why she wasn't invited to the King's Feast Mass on the 15th of November?

 

[Adda]

Was there any reason as to why she wasn't invited to the King's Feast Mass on the 15th of November?

Because she's not a working royal.

 

[Linda_26]

Was there any reason as to why she wasn't invited to the King's Feast Mass on the 15th of November?

I thought it was clear enough from previous posts here. As PM De Croo said, because she doesn't have any official role

 

[An Ard Ri]

I thought it was clear enough from previous posts here. As PM De Croo said, because she doesn't have any official role

I must have missed that part trying to catch up in a hurry!
Sounds like she has ended up with egg on her face after creating unnecessary fuss.

 

[Marengo]

Wim Dehandschutter quotes 'sources close to the royal'. They claim that the princess seeks respect and does not want a dotation.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1734258856102875491

 

[sunflowers]

Ah, this judge who reasoned that Delphine should receive the princely title, back in 2020 created this whole mess. Delphine fought tooth and nail to receive a title. The judge who agreed with her, IMO ridiculous request, was probably an activist judge, hating the monarchy (just saying). The king showed weakness, IMO, to allow her to the family, they should just do nothing. It only got worse since than.

 

[Marengo]

In Belgium a judge follows the law. Not an activist agenda. The law is not politicized as perhaps is the case in some other countries.

 

[sunflowers]

Thank you, Marengo. Then, it was a very poorly written law, it should specify that only legitimate, marriage offspring of the king can have a title. Oh, well.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

In Belgium a judge follows the law. [...]

However, the judges' 2020 title decision was not (at least as far as I read) anticipated by the legal experts interviewed in the press, so it seems the judges' interpretation of the law was not the most common one.

My personal opinion is that the 2020 legal ruling was not compliant with Article 106 of the Constitution, which states: "The King may confer titles of nobility". To me it would seem the Constitution's intended meaning is that is for the King and not the judges to confer titles of nobility.

The judges based their decision on Article 10, which stipulates that "Belgians are equal before the law", and Article 11, which stipulates that "Enjoyment of the rights and freedoms recognised for Belgians must be provided without discrimination". But (again in my personal opinion) their ruling was not truly consistent with those articles, because it did not equalize the system of nobiliary titles, which continues to discriminate against women and all illegitimate children other than Delphine. (Children of noble women, and illegitimate children of noble men other than Delphine, still do not bear their parents' titles. Article 10 also states "Equality between women and men is guaranteed.")

https://www.lachambre.be/kvvcr/pdf_sections/publications/constitution/GrondwetUK.pdf
https://www.justice-en-ligne.be/Delphine-de-Saxe-Cobourg-membre-de

I would be happy to move my response to the titles thread if appropriate.

 

[Linda_26]

Wim Dehandschutter quotes 'sources close to the royal'. They claim that the princess seeks respect and does not want a dotation.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1734258856102875491

But she's clearly not satisfied with the PM's response, so I wonder what's next.
It's a bit disappointing to see that she thinks she was not "respected" after being welcomed into the family and being invited to many events. Her current requests are revealing a sense of entitlement, not a (legitimate) desire to be respected

 

[Moonmaiden23]

Wim Dehandschutter quotes 'sources close to the royal'. They claim that the princess seeks respect and does not want a dotation.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1734258856102875491

Famous last words, right? Remember how many times she insisted that she didn't want a title, only acknowledgement from her father King Albert? Which I understood btw.

If this tiresome woman had really wanted money and respect, she should not have traded in the considerable Boel fortune by hurting and rejecting the man who had loved and raised her.

She should have thought twice before embarking on the path that she did.

King Philippe shouldn't feel obligated to always invite Delphine.

 

[Linda_26]

Famous last words, right? Remember how many times she insisted that she didn't want a title, only acknowledgement from her father King Albert? Which I understood btw.

If this tiresome woman had really wanted money and respect, she should not have traded in the considerable Boel fortune by hurting and rejecting the man who had loved and raised her.

She should have thought twice before embarking on the path that she did.

King Philippe shouldn't feel obligated to always invite Delphine.

Just to clarify: Delphine and her mother (we only have their version of the story) repeteadly said that her former legal father, Jacques Boel, who was married to Sybille at the time of Delphine's birth, wasn't a loving figure to her, who always had a difficult and distant relationship with him. But she did indeed think he was her biological father until her late teens, and I'm not sure if their version is completely reliable (they talked about him with much bitterness, many decades later, even revealing some intimate details that I found troubling-but I'm digressing)
In any case, I'm not sure what are her current motives, but she clearly loves being at the centre of attention and sounds entitled (it's not only an impression I got from this incident, but also from previous declarations and interviews)

 

[tommy100]

I think there are alot of royals out there who would be quite happy with Delphine’s situation- the titles and invites to most but not all events in return for no work, no obligations, no official oversight by the Royal Court or government. If she wants “equality” is she prepared to give up her art shows, her videos showing off her new outfits etc? Accepting a more limited role in many ways in return for official obligations? I doubt it. Be careful what you wish for it seems to me.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

Further to my previous comment, given Princess Delphine's strong statements on being treated as equal to her half-siblings in all "privileges, titles and capacities", I wonder why she does not speak up for all the other illegitimate children of titled families who are denied the same titles as their legitimate half-siblings. She herself has at least received that much, but every other illegitimate child in the hundreds of titled families in the kingdom continues to be denied that right. Likewise, she has remained silent on another case of royal siblings being treated unequally (Princess Maria Laura not being permitted to share her title with her spouse as a courtesy even while her brother is permitted to do so) which is even clearer than her own case (unlike Delphine and her half-siblings, Amedeo and Maria Laura are full siblings and there is no difference in legal status between them, other than simple sexism).

 

[PhillyMonarchist]

Famous last words, right? Remember how many times she insisted that she didn't want a title, only acknowledgement from her father King Albert? Which I understood btw.

If this tiresome woman had really wanted money and respect, she should not have traded in the considerable Boel fortune by hurting and rejecting the man who had loved and raised her.

She should have thought twice before embarking on the path that she did.

King Philippe shouldn't feel obligated to always invite Delphine.

His own father literally abandoned him for a while Delphine growing up what is the attachment to this woman?

 

[leidi]

I think she saw the TERRIBLE public backslash and is backtracking right now

 

[An Ard Ri]

I think she saw the TERRIBLE public backslash and is backtracking right now

Delphine has behaved rather silly in this matter and hopefully will have learned her lesson.

 

[maria-olivia]

Totally agree , and the answer of the Prime Minister and his Governent is clear and correct.

Delphine has behaved rather silly in this matter and hopefully will have learned her lesson.

 

[Mbruno]

However, the judges' 2020 title decision was not (at least as far as I read) anticipated by the legal experts interviewed in the press, so it seems the judges' interpretation of the law was not the most common one.

My personal opinion is that the 2020 legal ruling was not compliant with Article 106 of the Constitution, which states: "The King may confer titles of nobility". To me it would seem the Constitution's intended meaning is that is for the King and not the judges to confer titles of nobility.

But the ruling argued that the King did confer a title on Delphine and her children under Art.2 of the Royal Decree of 2015 as children and grandchildren born of the descendancy of King Albert II. The royal decree does not make any explicit mention of a legitimacy requirement, so no such requirement exists unless we interpret "Les Princes et Princesses" at the beginning of Articles 1-4 as implicitly referring only to dynasts (as in the French "Princes du Sang"). Personally I think that should be the proper interpretation, but the Court had a different opinion.

 

[Kataryn]

However, the judges' 2020 title decision was not (at least as far as I read) anticipated by the legal experts interviewed in the press, so it seems the judges' interpretation of the law was not the most common one.

My personal opinion is that the 2020 legal ruling was not compliant with Article 106 of the Constitution, which states: "The King may confer titles of nobility". To me it would seem the Constitution's intended meaning is that is for the King and not the judges to confer titles of nobility.

The judges based their decision on Article 10, which stipulates that "Belgians are equal before the law", and Article 11, which stipulates that "Enjoyment of the rights and freedoms recognised for Belgians must be provided without discrimination". But (again in my personal opinion) their ruling was not truly consistent with those articles, because it did not equalize the system of nobiliary titles, which continues to discriminate against women and all illegitimate children other than Delphine. (Children of noble women, and illegitimate children of noble men other than Delphine, still do not bear their parents' titles. Article 10 also states "Equality between women and men is guaranteed.")

https://www.lachambre.be/kvvcr/pdf_sections/publications/constitution/GrondwetUK.pdf
https://www.justice-en-ligne.be/Delphine-de-Saxe-Cobourg-membre-de

I would be happy to move my response to the titles thread if appropriate.

I believe it's different wir Royal/noble titles. In the Royal case, there is an ild tradition behind it. Think Louis XiV. who wanted his illegitime oldest son to get the throne in case the legal dynasty died out. But with noble titles we have often see adopted persons not accepted by the aristocracy, even if it was a father-son relationship on the basis of the adoption. The "blood Royal" (Or the Royal seed) is allegedly something special!

 

[Marchesina]

I think she saw the TERRIBLE public backslash and is backtracking right now

She should have thought about it before, and her lawyer should have adviced her better.
It made her look terribly greedy and ungrateful in sight of the beautiful family footage we've seen during the National Day.

 

[Skippy]

I think that "equal treatment" should be clarified - how she is treated now (in her experience) as opposed to how she should be treated, for example. Within the possible ranges, of course, because she simply isn't equal.
That she shares King Albert II as father with Philippe, Astrid and Laurent is not enough.

I think her current situation (recognition, title and appearances at family events) is really the best she could get. King Philippe has been generous, and now this?
She starts to sound entitled.
Her fight to be recognized was understandable and I admired it, but this is another level.

Truthfully, when i saw that King's Feast photo with Astrid and Laurent on it, I did wonder where Delphine was. But the subsequent explanation from PM De Croo explains it all and makes perfect sense.

When you want respect, behave in a way that makes you earn respect. Respect can only be earned, not demanded.

 

[princess gertrude]

From the way I see this, Delphine demanded that she be recognized and then demanded a title. Honestly, I saw things like this coming right after the court ruling. And I so agree with you Skippy, respect needs to be earned. This entitlement stuff needs to stop.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

But the ruling argued that the King did confer a title on Delphine and her children under Art.2 of the Royal Decree of 2015 as children and grandchildren born of the descendancy of King Albert II. The royal decree does not make any explicit mention of a legitimacy requirement, so no such requirement exists unless we interpret "Les Princes et Princesses" at the beginning of Articles 1-4 as implicitly referring only to dynasts (as in the French "Princes du Sang"). Personally I think that should be the proper interpretation, but the Court had a different opinion.

Will move my reply to the titles thread, here.

I see what you mean, but even then the judicial court's ruling remains contradictory. If they did not interpret "the Princes and Princesses" as restricting the Royal Decree's conferrals of titles to dynasts, then – using the same interpretation – they should have granted the title Prince or Princess of Belgium to (among others) Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg and Alexandra Moncada under Article 1 of the same Royal Decree, since they are also grandchildren of a King:

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