Belgium’s exking finally meets his daughter
A long-running royal scandal which riveted Belgians as much as it damaged those involved reached a new milestone when former King Albert II reunited with the daughter he fathered out of wed lock more than half a century ago.
Capping a momentous few weeks, Albert I I was pictured sitting in between his wife Queen Paola and the former Delphine Boel, who is now recognised as Her Royal Highness Princess Delphine following a bitter two-decade paternity fight.
“After the tumult, the suffering and the hurt, it is time for forgiveness, healing and reconciliation”, the three said in a joint statement issued by the Royal Palace yesterday, two days after the meeting.
Last month, a Belgian court ruled in Princess Delphine's favour and officially recognised her as the daughter of King Albert II, something the ageing monarch had fought to avoid ever since paternity rumours became public in 1998.