Delphine Boël, daughter of King Albert II

[Duc_et_Pair]

Originally Posted by Nice Nofret

True - but that doesn't make it right to offend and hurt her legal father who always was willing to treat her as his daughter - I can't see any good coming from this mudthrowing....

That is indeed what caused the break between Jacques Boël, apparently a very private and discreet gentleman, avoiding any public life, and his daughter going all-out in media and sometimes also in pretty provocative manners (see this picture what F.U.C.K. means) or this picture of mum and daughter posing to promote their story. According Belgian media all this is quelle horreur to Jacques Boël, who has always been a respected man and sees his name slurred by his daughter. With all the stories, never one word has been uttered by Mr Boël, not once he has been seen in media.

[leidi]

Originally Posted by Duc_et_Pair

That is indeed what caused the break between Jacques Boël, apparently a very private and discreet gentleman, avoiding any public life, and his daughter going all-out in media and sometimes also in pretty provocative manners (see this picture what F.U.C.K. means) or this picture of mum and daughter posing to promote their story. According Belgian media all this is quelle horreur to Jacques Boël, who has always been a respected man and sees his name slurred by his daughter. With all the stories, never one word has been uttered by Mr Boël, not once he has been seen in media.

But his feelings don't matter, after all this is only about what Delphine wants, the rest of the world can go hang as long as she gets her way...

Well or at least that's what I get from this

[Marengo]

I don't find it so surprising that a daughter want recognition after being hurt, denounced and ignored by a father. What is surprising is that a father doesn't want to see his own child.

[Zonk]

I agree.

And although I personally don't know any of the parties involved, I would hazard a guess that Mr. Boel would even support her "knowing."

I have read that some adopted children feel that they are missing a part of them because they don't know who their biological parents are. I don't know if this is the case with Delphine or not, but if that was the case and if everything would have been handled in a more dignified manner.....Mr. Boel might have been accepting of this as well.

No matter how it turns out....Delphine is the loser IMO.

Seeking acknowledgement from a person (I dare not call him a father....a real father loves, comforts and support his child both emotionally and financially) who has made it clear that he doesn't care about her one iota. Alienating the true father who was there for her. And what does she end up with if it's proven that Albert is her biological sperm donor.....no father at all.

[Lee-Z]

Originally Posted by Zonk

And what does she end up with if it's proven that Albert is her biological sperm donor.....no father at all.

Yes, but: certainty...and she's affected that much by this "limbo" that that's all it takes, certainty for herself and in public.
And maybe that last part's the problem for her alleged sperm donor, if it's was just certainty for herself and discretion about everything else, maybe K.Albert would have already consented to a DNA-test.

[princess gertrude]

Originally Posted by Duc_et_Pair

The interesting point here is that Delphine Boël is the heiress to her legal father, Jonkheer Jacques Boël. A man of enormous wealth. By all her public actions, the relationship between the two has detoriated so that -in Delphine's own words- her legal father has done everything possible to make sure she will not inherit any penny from him.

Of course Albert de Belgique is not too pauvre either, but his wealth is in no way comparable with that of Jacques Boël. And when Delphine becomes a beneficiante of Albert's inheritance, she has to share it with the surviving spouse and three siblings... With other words: while apparently knowing for sure who her natural father is, by her public actions she is shooting herself in the foot. She already has lost an immense fortune waiting for her (Boël) while the other fortune will -be sure of that- become out of her reach (De Belgique) and all this while she is already on the verge of bankruptcy...

Whoever her advisors were... Pffff...

Thank you for saying this! I was thinking the same. Personally I think she is not so smart for wanting to do all of this. Could she not be happy with knowing about Albert? I suppose not. Well in that case, she shouldn't get all of Jacques Boel's money. And she must have some really goofy advisors!

[maria-olivia]

All this story comes from a bibiography concerning Queen Paola by young dutch writer Mario Danneels in 1999 just before Prince Philippe's Wedding.

The point of this affair is of course the reaction since 1999 of the then Dolce Paola.

[Duc_et_Pair]

Originally Posted by Zonk

[...]

Seeking acknowledgement from a person (I dare not call him a father....a real father loves, comforts and support his child both emotionally and financially) who has made it clear that he doesn't care about her one iota. Alienating the true father who was there for her. And what does she end up with if it's proven that Albert is her biological sperm donor.....no father at all.

With the notion that Delphine was born in the marriage of Jonkheer Jacques Boël and Sybille Baroness de Selys Lonchamps and registered as their daughter. Her father has never fought his paternity and all her life Delphine has carried his name and he has been her responsible father. For so far Delphine claims that Albert de Belgique is her natural father. More we do not know.

For Law counts: all her life, until present day, Delphine has had the pleasure of having a father and a mother. The very same two persons on that birth certificate in 1969. It is even almost impossible for Jacques Boël to fight his paternity now, after almost 50 years, because of legal expiry. The same counts for Delphine. It is hard to go to the Court and say: "Jacques Boël is not my father, I am not his daughter, I do not want his surname, I do not want his inheritance" because for almost half a century she has been so. Maybe in reverse Jacques can say: "Okay: I am not your papa? Fine, I want everything back then, from the fortune I have spent into your upbringing on posh schools and institutions, into your financial failures and your lifestyle!"

[Roslyn]

But Boel is NOT her father. He is just the man to whom her mother was married when she was born. From the limited information I know about him, he seems to be a decent man though and he did the honourable thing by his wife's child. But, in my opinion, that child does not owe him any particular obligation now. She seems to be rejecting his wealth, not claiming it, so she can hardly be labelled a gold-digger. Can't Boel leave his money to charity if he has no relatives or close friends? I doubt Delphine would mount any challenge to the Estate if he did that.

I think that any criticism should be directed to the people who had the affair, but even then I don't know the circumstances of their marriages at the time so I don't want to be too harsh on them. The issue is what has happened since then, and, IMO, none of it is Delphine's fault. She is a victim of circumstance, and I support her quest wholeheartedly. She was rejected by her father at a crucial time in a girl's life. It must have stung horribly and I fully understand her wanting to prove he is her father. I would be less harsh on the sperm donor if he had not kept up the pretense of a relationship of sorts with Delphine until she was 16, but then he wimped out and rejected her. I really want to see him proven to be a liar.

[Missy-]

IMO Mr. Boel was part and parcel to the whole deception all along, so he has no right to expect privacy when helping cover up the personal indiscretions of a world known person. A wise person, concerned for his honor, would fear that sooner or later the cat would be out of the bag. I'd bet he profited from helping in the cover-up, too. Delphine is the only innocent here. She didn't want to continue to live a lie and she refuses to be seen as the unfortunate bi-product of a clandestine relationship, again just my opinion.

[Duc_et_Pair]

In 1968, the sixth year of the lawful marriage between the husband Jacques Paul Pascal Marie Ghislain Boël and the wife Sybille Michèle Emilie Marie Ghislaine de Selys Longchamps a daughter has been born: Delphine Michèle Anne Marie Boël.

This daughter has been registered by her father at the Town Hall in Uccle as being his daughter born inside his marrriage with his lawful wife. That is it. He was and is and remains her father, to the day of today.

Never, ever a civil registrar has ever requested a DNA-proof for registration. When on the 22nd of February 1968 this father arrived at the town hall and declares that Delphine is his daughter, and he has never detested it, to the day of today, then he is her father for law. It is really not so hard to understand.

Originally Posted by Missy-

IMO Mr. Boel was part and parcel to the whole deception all along, so he has no right to expect privacy when helping cover up the personal indiscretions of a world known person. A wise person, concerned for his honor, would fear that sooner or later the cat would be out of the bag. I'd bet he profited from helping in the cover-up, too. Delphine is the only innocent here. She didn't want to continue to live a lie and she refuses to be seen as the unfortunate bi-product of a clandestine relationship, again just my opinion.

It is possible that Mr Boël only later discovered that Delphine was a product of a liaison of his spouse. It is also possible he discovered the relationship before Delphine was born. In any way he has not thrown his spouse on the street, saving her a deep and humiliating fall in the conservative haute société (we are talking about the Belgian aristocracy in the 1960's).

Maybe because he simply adored his wife and forgave her liaison? Maybe because he saw Delphine and his fatherless heart melted by seeing the little baby? Who knows? He has behaved utmost gentlemanlike, until the very day of today. Your "part and parcel" description is an unneccessary defamation this gentleman has not deserved. As only one he has kept the utmost discretion.

The same counts for the "accused", the King, by the way. No word he has uttered in public towards Delphine or her mother. No word. Not when she again trashed him in media, not when she and her mother again revealed claimed indiscretions in TV-interviews, not when they again classified members of the royal family in not-so-elegant wordings, never. Only in 1999 the King vert indirectly remarked about a long crisis in his marriage with the Queen which has caused deep wounds. This however, so stated the King, was part of the private domain of the Queen and himself.

For five years Delphine has not reacted in this at all. In 2004/2005 she suddenly started to out herself in media, surprisingly (?) and co-incidentally (?) with the first exhibitions of her so-called artworks, trying to start a career as an artiste, which was not very succesful seeing the bankrupt state of her commerce.

[royal rob]

No matter what people thought or did when she was born it doesn't mean she can't know who her real father is. That is a right we all should have I know I would want to know.


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[Missy-]

IMO there is no honor in not speaking publicly about a situation most, if not all, of the protagonists wished to remain hidden for their own selfish reasons (mainly pride and entitlement).
I have a hard time believing that a caring husband would not know that his wife was carrying on a long-term relationship with a high profile person. I also have a hard time believing that the motive for not speaking out was for the child's well-being. I believe that all the adults in the matter had full control of the situation and spun it just the way that suited them best. Only now, said child is done playing and the 'chickens have come home to roost'. Totally predictable outcome, and utterly shameful for all the adults concerned. And this includes Delphine's mother just as much as the probable biological father, and to a lesser degree their respective partners.

[Roslyn]

Originally Posted by Duc_et_Pair

In 1968, the sixth year of the lawful marriage between the husband Jacques Paul Pascal Marie Ghislain Boël and the wife Sybille Michèle Emilie Marie Ghislaine de Selys Longchamps a daughter has been born: Delphine Michèle Anne Marie Boël.

This daughter has been registered by her father at the Town Hall in Uccle as being his daughter born inside his marrriage with his lawful wife. That is it. He was and is and remains her father, to the day of today.

Never, ever a civil registrar has ever requested a DNA-proof for registration. When on the 22nd of February 1968 this father arrived at the town hall and declares that Delphine is his daughter, and he has never detested it, to the day of today, then he is her father for law. It is really not so hard to understand.

I think we all understand, it's just that some of us don't care. She's a middle aged woman with children of her own; who her father is for the purposes of the law is irrelevant as far as I'm concerned. The issue is, who is her real father?

[Marengo]

Mr. Boël knew perfectly well about the relationship indeed, his marriage was already a sham at that point. He also knew rather quickly that Delphine was not his biological daughter. From what Delphine and her mother told on television it seems that the relationship with Boël has been ice cold for decades and that he never really acted as her father. If all stories are true Mr. Boël was a cruel man. His main concern was perhaps to keep up appearances, as one would expect from a man of his social standing. Apparently for some that image of 'grand seigneur' is enough to portray him as a loving and suffering man due to this situation. However his main concern supposedly is that his name is dragged through the press, not his 'love' for Delphine.

King Albert was practically living with Sybille and Delphine for years. He continued seeing Delphine regularly untill well in the 90-ties. But when he joined one of these scary catholic sects & became king, he slowly changed his tune. It is said that under pressure of Paola he broke contact with his daughter. It is also said that he found that a man of his position could not have an extramarital daughter (a bit late for that perhaps).

Bss Sybille seems rather bitter about Paola -as can be expected perhaps- as does Delphine. Many people find it difficult to believe that Albert -who is generally seen as a warm-hearted and good natured man - would denounce his own child on his own initiative. Of course Albert himself is first and foremost responsible for his own actions. He created this mess and he fails to do the responsible, adult and humane thing.

After spending years in this thread I still do not understand it -at all- why some people are so eager to attack Delphine. Parents need to be there for their children and Albert has been a horrible father to Delphine, while he and Paola already didn't receive the 'parents of the year' award in regards to their own children. Pss Astrid seems to be the only one who has a healthy relationship with her parents. Quite sad.

[Missy-]

Thank goodness Philippe, Astrid and Laurent have found such supportive and loving partners in their married lives, it surely must be a huge comfort for them. I hope that eventually Delphine finds closure to a difficult past as well, she certainly deserves it and I think that is all she is truly looking for, which is quite understandable IMO.

[carlfraley]

Did Delphine ever surface during HM King Baudoin's reign? Anyone know what HM thought or ever took any action ? Didn't King Baudoin and Queen Fabiola practically raise King Phillipe ?


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[Duc_et_Pair]

Originally Posted by royal rob

No matter what people thought or did when she was born it doesn't mean she can't know who her real father is. That is a right we all should have I know I would want to know.


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Delphine knows who her real father is. Or doesn't she? In that case she is doubting her mother's words...

Originally Posted by Missy-

Thank goodness Philippe, Astrid and Laurent have found such supportive and loving partners in their married lives, it surely must be a huge comfort for them. I hope that eventually Delphine finds closure to a difficult past as well, she certainly deserves it and I think that is all she is truly looking for, which is quite understandable IMO.

What makes you say "she certainly deserves it"?

She was raised in one of the most wealthy families of Belgium, was born with a load of silver spoons in her mouth and has been given opportunities and entrances in society any other Belgian in her position could only dream about.

Your classification of the partners of Philippe, Astrid and Laurent as "supportive and loving", is that not applicable on Mr James O'Hare, the husband of Delphine and father of their two children Joséphine and Oscar? He is not "supportive and loving"? Or am I interpreting it the wrong way?

[eya]

MercatorNet: Belgian artist fights to be recognised as king’s daughter

Delphine Boël – the Road to Justice – Royal Central

[Duc_et_Pair]

Originally Posted by Marengo

[...] Mr. Boël knew perfectly well about the relationship indeed, his marriage was already a sham at that point. [...]

Delphine was born in the sixth year of the marriage of Jacques Boël and Sybille de Selys Longchamps. If the marriage was already "a sham" and the relationship was "ice cold for decades" how come that after Delphine's birth they couple still remained married for 11 years afterwards?

Originally Posted by Marengo

[...] Of course Albert himself is first and foremost responsible for his own actions. He created this mess [...]

It takes two to tango. I missed the contribution and the responsibility of the proved mother, Madame Sybille Boël née De Selys Longchamps making herself accessible for other gentlemen inside her marriage, like the alleged father, then the Prince de Liège?

It is a bit to much Santa Sibilla versus Devil Albert here...