King Albert of Belgium’s love child Princess Delphine reveals why she was snubbed for King’s Day in emotional post

The love child of King Albert II of Belgium has said launched fresh attacks on the ‘cruel’ royal family, claiming she was left hurt’ not invited to celebrate King’s Day last week because her parents weren’t married when she was born. 

The royal is the result of an 18-year affair between the former monarch, 90, who abdicated in 2013 and Belgian aristocrat Sybille de Selys Longchamps, 83, that began in the 1960s.

Last Friday, her father and her half-siblings Prince Laurent and Princess Astrid were pictured at the St. Michael & St. Gudula Cathedral in Brussels. 

The celebration is to honour the monarch, however, her half-brother King Philippe, Queen Mathilde and their four children were not present as the King does not traditionally celebrate it.

But Princess Delphine of Belgium, formerly known as Delphine Boël, was snubbed for the annual celebration and took to her Instagram account on Sunday to write an emotional post about why she was not there. 

The artist, 56, said she continues to speak up about not being treated the same as her other siblings because ‘children do not choose the circumstances into which they are born’. 

Princess Delphine shared the post alongside a black and white image of herself as a child wearing a t-shirt with her name printed on the front.

She wrote: ‘I was reminded again yesterday by the press why I was not invited to celebrate kings Day [sic]. The reason is that I do not take a dotation like my brothers and sister. 

‘So the fact is that I am not welcome because, in essence, at the time I was born, my parents were not married to each other. 

‘I write this again and I continue to speak up because children do not choose the circumstances into which they are born. 

‘Our society and laws should reflect values that welcome children equally whether they are born in marriage, third marriage, fourth marriage, outside marriage or adopted or whatever. 

‘I remain hopeful that one day our leaders in government, society, and church take these truths to heart.’

Princess Delphine then ended the emotional post with: ‘#everychildmatters #equalityforchildren #nochildleftbehind #siblingrights.’

A dotation refers to the grants that members of the working Belgian royal family receive. 

The moving post racked up mixed opinions from her followers, with some defending Delphine and others asking her to leave the Belgium royal family alone.

One wrote: ‘What a freedom fighter started at a young age,’ a comment which Delphine liked. 

Another penned: ‘It’s important to share this. If they remind you,, you remind them and hopefully that will not be necessary in the future.’     

A third said: ‘Leave the Royal Family alone, be discreet.’

A third penned: ‘Why so much hate for Princess Delphine? What has she done to you personally? If her biological father hadn’t disowned her from the start, all this wouldn’t have happened! 

‘I would have done the same because too many fathers don’t take it on and children suffer from it! If these posts bother you, feel free to look somewhere else. This is wickedness in the free state.

‘Every child has the right to know their roots. She hasn’t asked for anything in years so to me, she was right to do what she did.’

Delphine then responded: ‘Thank you so much for your support as this cruelty is extremely hurtful and closed minded and also affects all children of similar situations.

‘Thank you for your understanding and courage to talk to people who don’t understand the message I wrote and who keep on writing hurtful and harmful messages without understanding or caring about the impact they have on a human being.’

Princess Delphine was legally named as King Albert II of Belgium’s daughter in 2020, which now means that she has the same legal rights as his other children. 

In July, all eyes were on Delphine as she attended the National Day 2024 celebrations at the Royal Palace in Brussels, Belgium wearing a statement outfit.

She donned a mesmerising candy and fuschia striped ensemble for the annual day that commemorates the investiture of Leopold I as the first King of the Belgians in 1831.

This comes after she reportedly penned a legal letter to the government last year, asking to be invited to official events like her half-siblings Princess Astrid and Prince Laurent. 

Speaking after a court officially acknowledged her as the love child of Belgium’s former king in October 2020, Delphine said her battle to be recognised as a royal was not about money or status.  

Her lawyer, Marc Uyttendaele, penned a letter to Alexander De Croo, the Prime Minister of Belgium, insisting that she is invited to state occasions and treated with the same respect as Astrid and Laurent, reported The Times.

‘My client has been worried for months about her role in official events,’ wrote the lawyer, explaining that the princess is only invited to a few occasions. 

He added: ‘But even there, she is treated differently from her brother and sister. It is simply a question of respect.’ 

The lawyer went on to state that she has no interest in a financial endowment, in a reference to her siblings annual allowances of more than €260,000 (£217,480). 

However, the prime minister argued that Delphine is a private citizen and the royal family has official duties at these functions. 

He said: ‘The people who are invited to these events are people who have official functions in our country, part of the royal family has an official function. Princess Delphine does not have one.’ 

For decades, the former King distanced himself from Princess Delphine and her mother to preserve his marriage.

After Princess Delphine was born in 1968, the King initially remained in frequent contact with his child and her mother. But when Delphine reached her 16th birthday, the King began to distance himself.

In 2013, the same year King Albert abdicated the throne due to health reasons and was succeeded by his son King Philippe, Princess Delphine launched a legal bid to be officially recognised as Albert’s daughter – which she won in October 2020.

Now Delphine has the right to bear the royal name de Saxe-Cobourg and is formally recognised as a member of the Belgian royal family as are her two children Princess Joséphine of Belgium and Prince Oscar of Belgium who she shares with partner James O’Hare.

Speaking to Tatler last year, the princess, who is an artist, revealed her father’s rejection when she was young still hurts, but added she doesn’t blame him and holds no ill-will towards him.

She argued that royal life is ‘isolating’ and she believed her father had been badly advised at the time. However, she said: ‘You don’t just have a child and kick it.’

Reflecting on her seven-year legal battle, Delphine said the action she brought was not about money or status but ‘principles’.

Delphine has started attending royal engagements and says her relationship with her father has healed after years of bitterness.

When she launched her legal action in 2013, she told Belgian radio show Matin Premiere: ‘I feel like I have a right to exist. Not to exist in the royal family but as me.

‘My decision to call for help through the law, I feel today that it was the right thing to do… The judicial system said that I was right and that I had the right to exist.’

Since the legal action has been settled, Princess Delphine has slowly become integrated into the Belgian royal family.

She met her brother, King Philippe of Belgium who is one of 20 Belgian royals she is related to – in 2020, where they posted a socially distanced picture to Facebook, describing it as a ‘warm meeting.’

When she was granted her royal title Princess Delphine was also invited to Belvédère Castle in Brussels where she had an official meeting with her father and his wife Queen Paola.