Judgment by a court in Brussels
The Brussels Court of Appeals obliges the former King of Belgium, Alberto II, to perform a DNA test. The reason is the allegations of a woman who says that she had an extramarital affair with Albert for many years and that from this relationship a daughter was born, Delphine Boel, who is now 50 years old.
The former king of Belgium, who is now 84 years old, is called to take the test within the next 3 months. If the test proves that Albert is indeed Boel's father, it means that the former monarch's fortune will be divided equally between Boel and the three children he has with his Italian wife, Queen Paola.
Albert resigned from his throne in 2013, for health reasons. On the same day, Boel's mother, Baroness Sibyl de Celli, mentioned in an interview that she had an affair with him. The relationship - with vacations - lasted from 1966 to 1984 and Albert knew about the existence of the child. "He was not the father figure, but he was very sweet to her," the baroness had said.
The news has caused a stir in the country's press. The French-language newspaper Le Soir, both on its front page and in its headline, described the case as unprecedented in the Belgian and European history of Basel. In the Dutch-language press, the newspaper De Morgen, speaks of a "sad" story and harshly criticizes Alberto for the "painless", as he characterizes it, attitude of refusing to assume his responsibilities all these years, as a result of which he is now dragged from justice to acknowledge paternity, a development that is anything but honorable for him.
De Standaard also speaks of Boel's crucial victory in her fight to be officially recognized as the daughter of King Albert, noting that there are not many weapons left in the latter, as any refusal to give a DNA sample will be perceived by everyone as a confession of paternity. .