Delphine Boël, daughter of King Albert II

[Duc_et_Pair]

It was written that King Albert should show class by recognizing Delphine as his daughter. This indicates the assumption that Delphine IS his daughter.

My question was: what if Delphine is not his daughter? With other words, as long as there is no proof that Delphine IS Albert's daughter, we can not say so much about all this. A few days ago on this forum someone popped up with "proof" that he was a descendant of Nicholas and Alexandra. The fact that DNA has proven that the remains of the Tsar, the Tsarina, the Tsarevich and the four Grand Duchesses were all found was of no any importance.

Morale of the story, let us await the outcome of the lawsuit. Until it is proven, I regard King Albert II as "the alleged father" and Delphine as "the alleged daughter".



In the meantime Delphine is not clear about her motives. In Belgian media she was cited "I want King Albert to take his responsibility. I am not looking for a father. I only want to be free of discrimination and disadvantages for the sake of my children."

What responsibility King Albert exactly has to take and what that means is unclear to me. What discrimination and disadvantages the daughter of a dazzling rich aristocrat has faced is also unclear to me. Any possible discrimination, disadvantages or public hostility are all the result of her very own public outings. Before her public existence, no any Belgian knew who the high- and wellborn Jonkvrouw Delphine Boël was. She lived part of her youth in England, on the estate of her stepfather. So what discrimination of disadvantage did she face when she started to live in überposh Portobello Road in Notting Hill? Come on! How privileged can someone ever be?

Alleged natural father: the wealthy King of the Belgians
Natural mother: the wealthy Sybille Baroness de Selys Longchamps
Legal father: the wealthy Jonkheer Jacques Boël
Stepfather: the wealthy Michael-Anthony Rathmore Cayzer (of the barons Rotherwick of Tilney)

How many golden spoons does someone need in life, how many fantastic connections and opportunities? The lady herself destroyed it all. One by one. The lady just need good psychologic counsel.

 

[Marengo]

There is a very legitimate base for the idea that she is his daughter.

- it is a fact that her legal father is not her biological father
- it is a fact that Albert had a relationship with her mother 9 months before she was born and for many years afterwards
- it is a fact Albert lived with her and her mother for years
- it is a fact that her mother claims that Albert is the father
- it is a fact that she resembles Albert's mother
- it is a fact that many sources around the court and high standing officials say that she is his daughter
- it is a fact that nobody -including Albert- ever denied she is his daughter. Instead of a denial Alberts lawyer once stated that Albert refuses to be regarded as her father. A rather insightful nuance
- it is a fact that Laurent and Delphine were in touch even these last years
- it is a fact that nothing has ever shown up in the press or in books that casts even one doubt on Delphine's story

One or two of these things may not be convincing, but all of them together gives a nearly finished puzzle. The only piece lacking is his DNA sample but that will most likely never be given voluntarily.

People keep going on about golden spoons, titles, fortunes, gold-digging, psychiatrists, Portobello road, spoiled heiresses, etc. which have nothing to do with this matter. Whatever motives she may have is irrelevant to the issue too. In the end of the day this is a very simple story of a woman who wants to prove who her father is. Nothing more, nothing less. I am sure that that isn't such an extraordinary wish.

 

[scooter]

^ *Standing Ovation*!!!!

 

[Benjamin]

Thank you for that post, Marengo!

 

[AristoCat]

Excellent post, but she is not someone who suffered any real deprivations in life. So I don't pity her if she has some issues with happiness. There are a lot of pieces of circumstantial evidence and could all add up.

But what then? Life will go on and I wonder, what kind of life does she think she will get?

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

There is a very legitimate base for the idea that she is his daughter.

- it is a fact that her legal father is not her biological father
- it is a fact that Albert had a relationship with her mother 9 months before she was born and for many years afterwards
- it is a fact Albert lived with her and her mother for years
- it is a fact that her mother claims that Albert is the father
- it is a fact that she resembles Albert's mother
- it is a fact that many sources around the court and high standing officials say that she is his daughter
- it is a fact that nobody -including Albert- ever denied she is his daughter. Instead of a denial Alberts lawyer once stated that Albert refuses to be regarded as her father. A rather insightful nuance
- it is a fact that Laurent and Delphine were in touch even these last years
- it is a fact that nothing has ever shown up in the press or in books that casts even one doubt on Delphine's story

One or two of these things may not be convincing, but all of them together gives a nearly finished puzzle. The only piece lacking is his DNA sample but that will most likely never be given voluntarily.

People keep going on about golden spoons, titles, fortunes, gold-digging, psychiatrists, Portobello road, spoiled heiresses, etc. which have nothing to do with this matter. Whatever motives she may have is irrelevant to the issue too. In the end of the day this is a very simple story of a woman who wants to prove who her father is. Nothing more, nothing less. I am sure that that isn't such an extraordinary wish.

If it is all so clear that Albert is Delphine's father, even without the DNA, and as -in Delphine's own words- "she is not seeking for her father", why then all this hullabaloo, this media-circus, if she does not want anything from him? If it is so clear that Albert is her father, if there are so many pictures, if there is so much proof, then Delphine already KNOWS he is her father. She has already publicly stated she does not want anything from him. So WHAT does she want then? Public humiliation? Going on his knees or something? I have ZERO empathy with her, while I have a big heart for all those others growing up in difficult circumstances, without a father, in harsh conditions and with a disadvantage in life. Nothing of all this for the high- and wellborn Jonkvrouw Delphine Michèle Anne Marie Ghislaine Boël. The Lady Born With The Golden Spoon just has an über-zealous rage in her head, instead of going on with her privileged life, with her family and children, She Has A Mission. What she exactly wants to achieve is unclear (she already seems to know so perfectly well that Albert is her father). There is a reason why King Albert, King Philippe, Archduchess Astrid and Prince Laurent do not cooperate. I think it is the demanding way she acts, her ever pouting mouth, her victimization as if gross injustice and unbearable sufferings have hit her, while most Belgians can only dream about the circumstances of her privileged life.

 

[Benjamin]

Both Delphine Boël and her lawyers have made it clear that it is their intention to prove that HM King Albert is her legal father.

This fact has been in practically every single article about this case.

That is what she wants: legal recognition of her parentage.

 

[AristoCat]

Agree.

As for Delphine, if the Belgian RF consents, ti means that they would be setting a precedent for every other lunatic coming out of the woodwork and demanding that one royal or another give their DNA/blood to a lab.

There are a lot of crazy people who think that they're related to royals and frankly put, it might cause a deluge in requests.

Delphine is acting crazy; she had everything on a silver platter, two fathers in her life, both fathers connected and wealthy. She had the life of privilege and apparently never worried about bills since she plays at being an artiste. In no way has she lived a disadvantaged life n any respect, no sympathy for her.

She has no business mouthing off about discrimination since I am certain she does not know the meaning of the word. Discrimination my arse. She has had it all growing up. A mother who loves her and is titled in her own right. She hasn't had ot deal with anything negative and she's not the first kid to be born out of a union between a royal and his titled mistress.

She's on this horrendously destructive rampage and to what end?

 

[Marengo]

As Benjamin said, to the end of legal recognition.

It is unlikely that they will consent voluntarily indeed. But I don't think it is a precedent for every nutter out there. Her claim has a rather solid base, uncomparable with wild stories of others.

Again, she didn't have two fathers in her life. Mr. Boël knew rather early that she wasn't his daughter, he lived seperately from his wife and Delphine and never saw him much. Their relationship was strained, not all that surprising as the situation must have been difficult for Mr Boël too. Albert was there until her teenage years.

I wonder again why this focus on her supposed privilige and wealth. What does it have to do with the matter? Well-to-do people don't have human emotions? Money makes people immune for setbacks in life? What curious logic. And apart from a curious logic it is also an incorrect logic, as this report from the University of Michigan shows:

http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/re...being income/subjective well being income.pdf

She doesn't need sympathy or pity. I understand that people question her motives. These motives may or may not be unedifying (or both), who knows? But I don't think that should alter her -or any other child's- moral right to establish her parentage. Her motives and her being allowed to establish her parentage are two different issues.

I agree however that it is unlikely that she will ever win this case. It will probably be lost, or even more likely: postponed, postponed and postponed. I also agree that probably the best thing for her own health is to accept the present and move on. But she is obviously not able or willing to do that.

 

[Roslyn]

It seems to me that we have essentially divided into two camps on this thread: (a) those who accept it as reasonable for a woman to want to prove who her father is, with that as an end goal in itself, and (b) those who cannot accept that such a simple goal is something any person in her circumstances might reasonably seek to achieve, or do not accept that is all she, in particular, wants. And I think the discussion has reached the stage where we will simply have to agree to disagree.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

Delphine has (had) three fathers, so to speak:


1969
Born as Jonkvrouw Delphine Michèle Anne Marie Ghislaine Boël, in Uccle (near Brussels)

1978
Her legal parents, Jonkheer Jacques Boël and Sybille Baroness De Selys Longchamps separate

1982
Sybille Baroness de Selys Longchamps remarries with Michael-Anthony Rathmore Cayzer. Delphine starts her life as a stepdaughter to her "third father"

1990
Delphine was sent to a tradional Swiss boarding school but did not finish. She went to the Chelsea School of Arts in London and obtained her Bachelor of Arts.

1991
Delphine starts her independent life and takes residence at Portobello Road in Notting Hill, in the borough Kensington and Chelsea (London)

2003
Delphine moves to Brussels, gets a daughter (Joséphine) from the Irish-American Jim O'Hare. In 2008 a son follows: Oscar.

 

[GracieGiraffe]

There is a very legitimate base for the idea that she is his daughter.

- it is a fact that her legal father is not her biological father
- it is a fact that Albert had a relationship with her mother 9 months before she was born and for many years afterwards
- it is a fact Albert lived with her and her mother for years
- it is a fact that her mother claims that Albert is the father
- it is a fact that she resembles Albert's mother
- it is a fact that many sources around the court and high standing officials say that she is his daughter
- it is a fact that nobody -including Albert- ever denied she is his daughter. Instead of a denial Alberts lawyer once stated that Albert refuses to be regarded as her father. A rather insightful nuance
- it is a fact that Laurent and Delphine were in touch even these last years
- it is a fact that nothing has ever shown up in the press or in books that casts even one doubt on Delphine's story

One or two of these things may not be convincing, but all of them together gives a nearly finished puzzle. The only piece lacking is his DNA sample but that will most likely never be given voluntarily.

People keep going on about golden spoons, titles, fortunes, gold-digging, psychiatrists, Portobello road, spoiled heiresses, etc. which have nothing to do with this matter. Whatever motives she may have is irrelevant to the issue too. In the end of the day this is a very simple story of a woman who wants to prove who her father is. Nothing more, nothing less. I am sure that that isn't such an extraordinary wish.

EXCELLENT!

It seems to me that we have essentially divided into two camps on this thread: (a) those who accept it as reasonable for a woman to want to prove who her father is, with that as an end goal in itself, and (b) those who cannot accept that such a simple goal is something any person in her circumstances might reasonably seek to achieve, or do not accept that is all she, in particular, wants. And I think the discussion has reached the stage where we will simply have to agree to disagree.

Well said. I am in the camp who thinks it's reasonable that a daughter would want legal recognition of who her father is.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

Well said. I am in the camp who thinks it's reasonable that a daughter would want legal recognition of who her father is.

Now I learned that her legal father, Jonkheer Jacques Boël, has made sure that his wealth (estimated on around 750-800 million Euro (950-1,016 million US Dollar) is "safe" for Delphine's hands (he has set up foundations and other legal entities to make his inheritance as small as possible), I feel the answer for Delphine's zelotic and frantic search must be sought there.

As she is so sure that, for 99,999%, Albert is her father, why then fighting for that 0,001% absolute security? She has simply flushed her whole life through the loo with her crazy actions and now clings to King Albert's fortune (which compares like a mouse to Boël's elephant). That is my impression.

For the rest I hope that this nasty case will be settled soon and that the lady can continue with her "art" (usually larded with words as:
"Battle For The Best"
"Endless Hypocrites"
"There Is Nothing Than Blabla"
"Delphine = Love Child!"
"This System Is Corrupt: Be Happy!"
"If His Lips Are Moving, He Is Lying"
"10.000 Earplugs And I Can Still Hear You LIE"
"F.U.C.K. Y.O.U. / I Exist"
"Polished BlaBla"
"Fornicate Under The Consent Of The King"
"Sex Explained"
"The TRUTH Can Set You Free"
"The King Is My Father, Eh... Brother"
Etc.
Etc.
Etc.

 

[Marengo]

I think it is clear that you disapprove of the lady and find her a gold digger and attention seeker, which is your good right. Still, that does not take away that she has good grounds to seek this recognition. Although people can vilify her all they want, these grounds stay the same and they are solid.

As Roslyn said, we are going around in circles indeed.

Note that the Boël family is rather large. Jacques Boël has to share the assets with many relatives so his share must be somewhat smaller. He is certainly not a beggar of course.

http://www.asbl-csce.be/journal/57vanheesboel.pdf

--

It is rather curious that an overly devout man like Albert II, is so un-christian in this matter btw. As others said before, this should have been settled in 1999 when the thing was made public, Delphine should have stayed in London and the king should have made a private arrangement, even if his wife found it painful. All would probably have been happier because of it. Alas, the king just ignored the 'problem' and ignoring things usually tends to work only for a short time, until reality catches up. By now the whole thing has escalated and has become a circus.

 

[COUNTESS]

I, believe, Marengo said it best. She just wants to be recognized by her biological father. If she were a gold digger as some put forth, she would have remained silent and inherited a great fortune. There are adopted children that never seek their natural parents and those that do. For them it is a link in a chain, call it what you will. I have no idea what Delphine thinks, nor do others here, yet they have accused her of all kinds of ugly things. I still maintain that Albert could have closed this with a donation of his DNA, very painless, and let the chips fall where they may. Then and only then can Delphine and the others decide how they would like to handle this situation. Very poorly handled.

 

[AristoCat]

Life isn't about fairness; she had a handful of father figures and a titled mother, I do think that she's had a good life.

This area of real estate is where she started living independently as a young adult. So forgive me for not being too empathetic about her sense of being persecuted: Notting Hill properties for sale | Buy houses & flats in Notting Hill | PrimeLocation

It's a HECK of a start out of life and frankly I just can't feel too sorry for her at all. No one has it all, not one person.

 

[SElizabeth]

Life isn't about fairness; she had a handful of father figures and a titled mother, I do think that she's had a good life.

This area of real estate is where she started living independently as a young adult. So forgive me for not being too empathetic about her sense of being persecuted: Notting Hill properties for sale | Buy houses & flats in Notting Hill | PrimeLocation

It's a HECK of a start out of life and frankly I just can't feel too sorry for her at all. No one has it all, not one person.

Yet regardless of the circumstances in her life, *every person on this earth has a right to know who their parents are be they rich or poor of whatever*,

KA has handled this very poorly indeed........he has shown his true character and it is not a pretty picture. Being royal does not make him a better person then anyone else on this earth, just a darn accident of birth.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

Yet regardless of the circumstances in her life, *every person on this earth has a right to know who their parents are be they rich or poor of whatever*,

KA has handled this very poorly indeed........he has shown his true character and it is not a pretty picture. Being royal does not make him a better person then anyone else on this earth, just a darn accident of birth.

She knows. It is Albert according her full conviction and apparent knowledge. There seems to have been years of contact, photo's even. She does not want a relationship with him. So what does she want then? Recognotion? And then, she already knows he is her father, so it can not be "news"...

 

[Osipi]

From what I've been reading, it seems that Albert was very much involved in her life up to a point where he then decided to (or was advised to) focus on his marriage and family. This had to have caused some harsh feelings on Delphine's part as she probably felt that she was tossed aside.

To seek out and gain acknowledgement that she is, in fact, his daughter may not bring her closer to Albert or pad her bank account but it would be something that factually states that a father abandoned his daughter. This perhaps would give her some closure.

 

[AristoCat]

^So she wants the world to know that at first, she had a closer relationship with him during her formative years than his heirs, but wants the world to heap contempt on Albert for ending it, going back to his wife and nation and heirs, while leaving her living the life of a princess with a legal father who was close to leaving her hundreds of millions.

Would Delphine have minded if Albert had instead repudiated Paola and married her mother, making her a legitimate princess and likely putting her closer to the throne than Astrid and Laurent? If Albert had kicked Paola out, instead married Sybille, would Delphine be acting so upset? Or would Delphine be a complacent happy princess of the Belgian RF?

I've been abandoned in life and left under much less comfortable environments. I didn't have a rich step-daddy who paid for my boarding school and then art school so I could drift around life creating bizarre modern art and have it exhibited.

 

[Osipi]

It just doesn't seem that likely that even if Albert had divorced Paola and married Delphine's mother, Delphine would be a legitimate princess as she was born "on the wrong side of the blanket" so to speak. I really am not that literate in how the Belgian royal family works.

As we're just outsiders looking in, I don't think we really have any idea of how Dephine is thinking or what her motives are but it sure makes for some interesting conversations eh?

 

[AristoCat]

Oh yes; I do believe that if this involved the BRF, it would be all over the media.

 

[Ish]

^So she wants the world to know that at first, she had a closer relationship with him during her formative years than his heirs, but wants the world to heap contempt on Albert for ending it, going back to his wife and nation and heirs, while leaving her living the life of a princess with a legal father who was close to leaving her hundreds of millions.

Would Delphine have minded if Albert had instead repudiated Paola and married her mother, making her a legitimate princess and likely putting her closer to the throne than Astrid and Laurent? If Albert had kicked Paola out, instead married Sybille, would Delphine be acting so upset? Or would Delphine be a complacent happy princess of the Belgian RF?

I've been abandoned in life and left under much less comfortable environments. I didn't have a rich step-daddy who paid for my boarding school and then art school so I could drift around life creating bizarre modern art and have it exhibited.

Okay, let's put some things into perspective.

That Delphine grew up wealthy is irrelevant. That she very likely did not have a hard life is also irrelevant.

She did not grow up with a good relationship with her legal father - that has been said several times here. Her mother separated from her first husband when Delphine was very young. Albert was in her life, but not as a father - Delphine has said that she was not told that Albert was her biological father until she was 18. She did not have Albert in her life completely; while he lived separate from his wife and had really abandoned his other children, he wasn't entirely on the Sybille and Delphine train. If he ever lived with them (I don't know if he did or didn't) he stopped doing so by the time Delphine was 9, when she and her mother moved to the UK. Albert and Sybille continued talking for a few years, but that ended too. We know that Albert's relationship with his elder children was less than ideal when he wasn't with their mother, it seems logical to assume that his relationship with Delphine - who he hadn't acknowledged as his child at all - was also less than ideal.

I read somewhere that Albert continued to have a bit of a relationship with Delphine - talking sometimes and sending presents - until the book was released in 1999. I have never read that he had anything that he had a fatherly type of relationship with her though - granted, he's not exactly the fatherly type. He then cut off his relationship with Delphine when her existence became public knowledge.

Now, we could argue about what Delphine's motives are at this point. She's claiming that it's purely to have her father's identity confirmed. Which is her right; every person should have a right to know, once and for all, who her father is. I kind of doubt that Albert has ever actually said to her "Delphine, I am your father." In fact, she has claimed he's said the opposite.

I don't think this is about money. She's not going to get a lot of money from him, and she's already had a privileged life. She seems to be pretty financially independent on her own - say what you want about her art, but it seems to be supporting her, which is really rather something. Some of this scandal may have benefited her art and the publicity may have helped to make her more well known... But as she's based in the UK, not Belgium, I doubt it's as much of a benefit as people are assuming.

I do kind of think there is a bit of a revenge element to Delphine's motivations... But while it makes her look bad, I don't actually blame her. Albert has not been a good father - not to his children with Paola, not to Delphine. He has at various points in his life abandoned all four of his children. He has never truly provided for Delphine like a father is supposed to. He's fulfilled much of the role of the dead beat dad, and however much he may have professed to love Sybille, he has spent his life publicly pretending like his life with her didn't happen. If Delphine is motivated by an attempt to call her father out on his bad behaviour, can we hold it against her?

Finally, AristoCat, you keep on coming back to the idea of Delphine being in the succession and titles. This needs to be made clear: Delphine is illegitimate. That means that she will never be in the line of succession to the Belgian throne. It does not matter if Albert were to marry Sybille or not. She was born illegitimately and thus has no spot in the line of succession. Albert would have had to marry her mother before she was born in order for her to have a space in the succession. As for titles, Albert isn't in a position to give her any titles. He's not the reigning monarch, he can't bestow titles on anyone. Philippe might be able to, but not Albert.

 

[Ish]

It just doesn't seem that likely that even if Albert had divorced Paola and married Delphine's mother, Delphine would be a legitimate princess as she was born "on the wrong side of the blanket" so to speak. I really am not that literate in how the Belgian royal family works.



As we're just outsiders looking in, I don't think we really have any idea of how Dephine is thinking or what her motives are but it sure makes for some interesting conversations eh?

I looked it up, only legitimate descendants are in the line of succession. I don't think any succession allows for illegitimate descendants to be in the succession, and only Monaco retroactively legitimizes children who were born out of wedlock and had parents who subsequently married provided that an affair didn't happen (meaning that if Albert of Monaco had married his daughter's mother Jazmin Grace still wouldn't be in the succession, but if he had married his son's mother then Alexandre would be his heir).

 

[COUNTESS]

I looked it up, only legitimate descendants are in the line of succession. I don't think any succession allows for illegitimate descendants to be in the succession, and only Monaco retroactively legitimizes children who were born out of wedlock and had parents who subsequently married provided that an affair didn't happen (meaning that if Albert of Monaco had married his daughter's mother Jazmin Grace still wouldn't be in the succession, but if he had married his son's mother then Alexandre would be his heir).

I am not sure I follow you. But, that is not important. I come from a very fortunate situation, my mother and father were married and wonderful, loving parents. That being said, those who cannot see the need for a child, Delphine, in this case, wanting the confirmation, that her father, whom she believes is her father, is so. At this state of the game, I do not think Paola would up and leave Albert if he stated the facts. And, if he truly, doesn't believe he is not her father, YEA DNA. Yes, there is little equity in this life, but as it is quite provable, she has that right for her peace of mind. Many who have excoriated her, think Prince Albert should do this and that for his illegitimate children. He is a wonderful man in this instance as opposed to Albert.

 

[nascarlucy]

When the person wrote the book, did the Author know anything about Delphine and her mother relationship with the King prior to writing the book or researching it. Someone would have had to tell the author about this or the author perhaps had heard about it and was investigating it further when researching the book.

It would be interesting to find out who told the author? I doubt that it was Delphine or her mother and it certainly wouldn't have been the King. It most likely was someone else who knew about the relationship and it would have been interesting to find out what their motive was for revealing this.

If Delphine wanted a relationship with the King, this would not be the route to go if she was the one who told this to the reporter which I tend to doubt.

Growing up I lacked a father figure or any male figure for that matter (my biological father met me but didn't really know what to do with me, so he totally distanced himself from me) and my adopted father left when I was very young. People over the years have felt sorry for me or felt bad for me but such is life.

 

[RoyalNight]

Wow, many of you are really harsh.

I, somehow, feel for her. It must be awful to be a mistake that needs to be cover up. It must be heartbreaking for her to be resented by her biological father.

Albert doesn't seem to be man enough to acknowledge his daughter, so she has to force him to do so. I truely believe that Delphine deserves the same treatment as Albert's other children. Of course, titles and place in succession are impossible, but she should be granted some inheritence and the most importantly a recognition as his child.

No matter who you are, if you create a child you have to take responsibility for it. Also each child (no matter how old, wealthy, priviliged he/she is) has a right to know his/hers parents.

 

[SElizabeth]

Okay, let's put some things into perspective.

That Delphine grew up wealthy is irrelevant. That she very likely did not have a hard life is also irrelevant.

She did not grow up with a good relationship with her legal father - that has been said several times here. Her mother separated from her first husband when Delphine was very young. Albert was in her life, but not as a father - Delphine has said that she was not told that Albert was her biological father until she was 18. She did not have Albert in her life completely; while he lived separate from his wife and had really abandoned his other children, he wasn't entirely on the Sybille and Delphine train. If he ever lived with them (I don't know if he did or didn't) he stopped doing so by the time Delphine was 9, when she and her mother moved to the UK. Albert and Sybille continued talking for a few years, but that ended too. We know that Albert's relationship with his elder children was less than ideal when he wasn't with their mother, it seems logical to assume that his relationship with Delphine - who he hadn't acknowledged as his child at all - was also less than ideal.

I read somewhere that Albert continued to have a bit of a relationship with Delphine - talking sometimes and sending presents - until the book was released in 1999. I have never read that he had anything that he had a fatherly type of relationship with her though - granted, he's not exactly the fatherly type. He then cut off his relationship with Delphine when her existence became public knowledge.

Now, we could argue about what Delphine's motives are at this point. She's claiming that it's purely to have her father's identity confirmed. Which is her right; every person should have a right to know, once and for all, who her father is. I kind of doubt that Albert has ever actually said to her "Delphine, I am your father." In fact, she has claimed he's said the opposite.

I don't think this is about money. She's not going to get a lot of money from him, and she's already had a privileged life. She seems to be pretty financially independent on her own - say what you want about her art, but it seems to be supporting her, which is really rather something. Some of this scandal may have benefited her art and the publicity may have helped to make her more well known... But as she's based in the UK, not Belgium, I doubt it's as much of a benefit as people are assuming.

I do kind of think there is a bit of a revenge element to Delphine's motivations... But while it makes her look bad, I don't actually blame her. Albert has not been a good father - not to his children with Paola, not to Delphine. He has at various points in his life abandoned all four of his children. He has never truly provided for Delphine like a father is supposed to. He's fulfilled much of the role of the dead beat dad, and however much he may have professed to love Sybille, he has spent his life publicly pretending like his life with her didn't happen. If Delphine is motivated by an attempt to call her father out on his bad behaviour, can we hold it against her?

Finally, AristoCat, you keep on coming back to the idea of Delphine being in the succession and titles. This needs to be made clear: Delphine is illegitimate. That means that she will never be in the line of succession to the Belgian throne. It does not matter if Albert were to marry Sybille or not. She was born illegitimately and thus has no spot in the line of succession. Albert would have had to marry her mother before she was born in order for her to have a space in the succession. As for titles, Albert isn't in a position to give her any titles. He's not the reigning monarch, he can't bestow titles on anyone. Philippe might be able to, but not Albert.

Excellent Excellent comment, the very best comment on this subject. I am of the firm belief that she has every right to call her father KA out. When you have a child, and this is for everybody out there, you take care of that child, you love, nurture and guide that child. I know personally what it's like to be abandoned by a parent who to the day she died didn't want anything to do with me all because she could not accept responsibility for her actions, and then to be given to well that is not to be told here, so yes I hope she calls him out and he is ashamed of what he did. I don't care if your a king or queen or president or whatever title you have in life, you care for your child and admit that that child is your if you had anything to do with creating that child. It's a shame that this young woman had to do this and I bet she is doing this to make him acknowledge his responsibility. I don't think it has to do with money or line to the throne, it's about a daughter wanting the man to acknowledge her. We all have the right to know and be acknowledged by our parents. We don't have to like whom our parents are, yet they are just that all because of an accident of birth. I don't think KA is a nice man, more like a deadbeat man with no morals or decency in life given how he has treated his son Phillip now the king. I won't wish anybody to have a father like that regardless of who they are or a mother like mine regardless of what she had.

 

[Ish]

I am not sure I follow you. But, that is not important. I come from a very fortunate situation, my mother and father were married and wonderful, loving parents. That being said, those who cannot see the need for a child, Delphine, in this case, wanting the confirmation, that her father, whom she believes is her father, is so. At this state of the game, I do not think Paola would up and leave Albert if he stated the facts. And, if he truly, doesn't believe he is not her father, YEA DNA. Yes, there is little equity in this life, but as it is quite provable, she has that right for her peace of mind. Many who have excoriated her, think Prince Albert should do this and that for his illegitimate children. He is a wonderful man in this instance as opposed to Albert.

I'll explain myself better, and I apologize for delving a bit off topic.

There are 3 degrees of legitimacy.
1. You are legitimate and born in wedlock - that is, your parents were married at the time of your birth
2. You have been legitimatized. You were born out of wedlock - your parents were not married at the time of your birth - but subsequently married
3. You are illegitimate. Your parents have never been married

In Europe there are no Royal Houses that allow for people who are illegitimate to be in the line of succession, at least not that I know of.

Monaco, however, allows for children who were born out of wedlock but later legitimatized by their parents' marriage to inherit. Their law gets a little tricky, because there are circumstances in which a child is not legitimatized - namely if one parent was married to someone else at the time of the child's birth. So, when Albert of Monaco's eldest child was born her mother was legally married to another man, meaning that the daughter can't be legitimatized under Monegasque law.

Other realms allow for children to be legitimatized by their parents' marriage, but don't include them in the line of succession. An example would be Britain; while it hasn't actually happened among the royals, the rule for the nobility (which would likely be used for the royal family if it came up) is that a child born before the wedding of his/her parents can use the courtesy titles associated with the younger child of the parent, but are not in the line to succeed to any of their parents' titles. An example of this would be the children of the current Earl of Harewood. His eldest son was born out of wedlock and thus can't inherit his title, so his heir is his second son, who was born after his marriage. The eldest son instead is titled as the younger son of an Earl.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

[....]As for titles, Albert isn't in a position to give her any titles. He's not the reigning monarch, he can't bestow titles on anyone. Philippe might be able to, but not Albert.

As (legal) daughter of Jonkheer Jacques Boël, Delphine is a Jonkvrouw, with the form of address Hoogwelgeboren Vrouwe (High- and Wellborn Lady).

Jonkheer (Jonkvrouw) is no title but a predicate for sons and daughters of a Jonkheer (= untiled nobility). In Belgium however it is seen a title, worn by all nobles who do not have a higher title, often younger sons of titled nobles.

In French the title Jonkheer is translated as Écuyer but is not used. Instead the form of address is different: Messire (and not Monsieur) and Dame (and not Madame). That comes close to the English Sir and Dame.