2019 seems to be the year that royalty, and minor royalty who “sewed the royal seed” outside of the “royal bedchamber”, are being taken to task.

Recently, in England, Jordan Adlard Rogers rose from being a penniless care home worker to the lord of a substantial estate, after a DNA test proved that his father was the late, very wealthy Charles Rogers.

In Belgium, a similar case is underway.

Rumours that former King Albert II had an illegitimate child first came to light in 1999 in an unauthorised biography about his wife. Naturally, this prompted a royal scandal.

Then, in a 2005 interview, artist Delphine Boël (below) claimed that she was the child, fathered by Albert in the 1960s, reports BBC.

After more than a decade of denying her claims, he has been forced to provide a paternity test.

The former king was ordered by a Brussels court in February to provide a sample within three months or risk being presumed to be the father of Ms Boël.

…Her mother, Baroness Sybille de Selys Longchamps, has claimed the two had an affair between 1966 and 1984 when he was still Prince Albert of Liège.

However, following his older brother’s death in 1993 at 62, King Albert unexpectedly came to the throne.

He held the position until July 2013, when he announced his abdication – citing ill health – and was replaced by his son, Philippe. He is said to receive an annual income of about €1m.

Shortly after, Ms Boël opened court proceedings to prove her paternity, provoking speculation the scandal had influenced the move.

Earlier this year, Albert refused to fulfil a court order to provide a DNA test and launched an appeal. That appeal was overturned, his DNA is now in the lab, and we’re awaiting results.

There was certainly zero nobility in Albert’s decision, as he only agreed to the DNA test in order to avoid being hit with a €5 000 (R83 000) a day fine.

Belgium has a constitutional monarchy, so the king plays a largely ceremonial role for which he is well paid.

Good to know the 60s were a wild time for royalty, too.

[source:bbc]