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Former King Albert of Belgium has met his daughter Delphine for the first time, after she won a seven-year legal battle to prove that he is her father, gaining recognition as a princess.
The two met Albert’s wife, Queen Paola, last Sunday at her royal residence, Belvedere Castle, in the Brussels suburb of Laeken, the royal house said.
“This Sunday, October 25, a new chapter has opened, full of emotions, calm, understanding and also hope,” the king, queen and Delphine said in a statement.
“Our meeting took place at Belvedere Castle, a meeting during which each of us was able to express, calmly and with empathy, our feelings and our experiences.
“After the turmoil, the wounds and the suffering, it is time for forgiveness, healing and reconciliation. This is the path, patient and sometimes difficult, that we have decided to undertake together with determination.”
Delphine Boel, 52, a Belgian artist, fought a seven-year legal battle to prove that the former king is her father.
After a DNA test confirmed that, a court awarded her the title of princess earlier this month. Albert, 86, who abdicated six years ago in favor of his son Philippe, had long questioned his claim.
Since then he has changed his surname from Boel to Saxe-Cobourg, his father’s surname.
Delphine had previously met Philippe for the first time on October 15.
Until then, she said her father and siblings, including Philippe, had refused to contact her and she expected nothing from them.
“These first steps pave the way that it is now up to us to follow peacefully,” the statement said.
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