More than 20 years after the unauthorized biography of Queen Paola broke out in the affair Delphine Boël and after more than six years of a legal tug of war at the end of which she was able to compel King Albert II of the Belgians to undergo a DNA test, she was successful: Delphine Boël is indeed the biological daughter of the former sovereign, which took note, by way of a press release.
DNA has spoken, King Albert too
“His Majesty King Albert II took note of the results of the DNA sample which he lent himself to at the request of the Brussels Court of Appeal. Scientific conclusions indicate that He is the biological father of Mrs. Delphine Boël“, reports the text disseminated by the lawyers of the 85-year-old ex-monarch, father of the current King Philippe, Princess Astrid and Prince Laurent.
The rest of the press release tries to underline the “dignity“which he would demonstrate by deciding to recognize at this stage his illegitimate daughter, born of an extramarital relationship with Baroness Sybille by Sélys Longchamps – a perception of the situation that everyone will appreciate in his own way, taking into account his relentless efforts, for years, to evade DNA expertise, until his final appeal is dismissed, in December 2019. “Even if there are legal arguments and objections to justify the fact that legal paternity does not necessarily reflect biological paternity and that the procedure adopted seems to him questionable, continues the press release, King Albert decided not to raise them and put an end to this painful procedure in honor and dignity. King Albert wishes to point out that, since the birth of Mrs. Delphine Boël, He was not involved in any family, social or educational decision whatsoever relating to Mrs. Delphine Boël and that He always respected the link that existed between Mrs. Delphine Boël and her legal father [Jacques Boël, NDLR]. “
A story of respect …
The acronym issued in the name of King Albert goes even further: “Over forty years later, Mrs. Delphine Boël has decided to end her legal and socio-emotional bond with her father and to change families, he believes. And this through a long, painful procedure which has proven judicially contradictory. This procedure did not respect the privacy of the parties. Respectful of judicial institutions, King Albert refrained from intervening in debates outside the courtrooms. That is why, He decided to react and explain his position in this matter.“
Renowned visual artist and mother of two children (Joséphine, 16, and Oscar, 11) born of her relationship with James O’Hare, Delphine Boël, 51, has known since 1986, her mother having revealed it to him when she came of age, that she is the daughter of King Albert II of Belgium, of which Baroness Sybille de Selys Longchamps was the mistress from 1966 to 1984, when she herself was married (since 1962) to the wealthy industrialist Jacques Boël (squire of King Albert I and very close to his son). The existence of this illegitimate child of the King of the Belgians was revealed a few weeks before the princely marriage of Philippe and Mathilde by a young Flemish journalist, Mario Danneels, in the unauthorized biography Queen Paola, from dolce vita to the crown. Paola, following the birth of this hidden girl, would have considered divorcing, before changing her mind, in the name of reason of state.
The end of a long fight for Delphine Boël
Delphine Boël had undertaken in 2013 to have Albert II’s paternity recognized, starting by challenging that of her adoptive father Jacques Boël – who, after first opposing it, submitted to a DNA test revealing that he was not actually the parent. After long procedural contests, the Brussels Court of Appeal ordered King Albert on October 25, 2018 to submit to a DNA test within three months, a judgment that the interested party will try to have quashed, but his appeal will ultimately be dismissed in December 2019.
Disinherited by her adoptive father, Delphine Boël had already reported in 2013 that she was not looking for a father or money, but rather to put an end to the repercussions of the case on her private and professional life. In 2016, she thus detailed for the royal columnist Patrick Weber the “discrimination“to which this situation confronted her, between renunciation to exhibit her works and banking incidents.”Burning the abscess is also important for the future of my two children“, she also pointed out. On the other hand, she had long ago given up on a possible peaceful settlement with her biological father, who had cut off all communication with her since 2001, a”break without a word of explanation“.
After so many years of filiation in hiding, the time has come for relief for the daughter, still illegitimate but more hidden, of the former King of the Belgians.
–
