Alberto of Belgium and his wife Paola have been reunited with the now recognized daughter of the monarch emeritus, Delphine Boël.
It happened last weekend at the castle of Belvédére, where the couple lives, near the Laeken palace, the residence of the Belgian royal family, but it has not been until now that an image of the meeting has been released.
The photo is accompanied by a text signed by the three, which includes the title of Princess of Delphine, in addition to her treatment as royal highness: “This Sunday, October 25, a new chapter has been opened, printed with emotions, of appeasement, understanding and, also, hope.
Our meeting took place in the castle of Belvédère.
A meeting during which each one could share, calmly and with empathy, their feelings and their life.
After the scandals, the wounds and the suffering, comes the time of forgiveness, healing and reconciliation.
Together we decided to take this new path.
This will take patience and effort, but we are determined.
This first step opens a path that is now up to us to follow peacefully.
Delphine saw how in January the justice recognized her as the legitimate daughter of King Albert II.
On October 9, just a few weeks after she obtained the title of princess, Boël was received in the palace by Philip of Belgium, current monarch and brother on her father's side.
“It was a warm encounter.
We had the opportunity to learn to know each other during a long and emotional exchange that has allowed us to talk about our respective lives and to focus on the common interest ”, the Belgian Royal House explained in a statement.
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Gezamenlijke boodschap van de Koning in Prinses Delphine: Op vrijdag 9 oktober hebben wij elkaar voor de eerste maal ontmoet in het Kasteel van Laken.
Het was een warme ontmoeting.
Dit uitgebreid en bijzonder gesprek gaf ons de gelegenheid om elkaar te leren kennen.
We hebben gesproken over onze eigen levens en onze gemeenschappelijke interesses.
Deze band zal zich verder in familieverband ontwikkelen.
Filip & Delphine ————— Message commun du Roi et de la Princesse Delphine: Ce vendredi 9 October, nous nous sommes rencontrés pour la première fois au Château de Laeken.
Notre rencontre fut chaleureuse.
Nous avons e l'occasion d'apprendre à nous connaître lors d'a long et riche exchange qui nous a permis de parler de nos vies respectives et de nos centers d'intérêt communs.
Ce lien va desormais is developed into a family cadre.
Philippe & Delphine ————— Joint communication of the King and Princess Delphine: On Friday 9 October, we met each other for the first time at the Castle of Laken.
It was a warm encounter.
This long and rich discussion gave us the opportunity to learn to know each other.
We talked about our respective lives and areas of shared interest.
This bond will further develop within the family setting.
Philippe & Delphine 📷 Koninklijk Paleis / Palais Royal
A post shared by Belgian Royal Palace (@belgianroyalpalace) on Oct 15, 2020 at 6:45 am PDT
The meeting also served to create a bond between the brothers that will continue to “develop from now on within the family framework”, as indicated by both in the letter issued by the Belgian palace through their social networks, which included an image of Felipe de Belgium and Delphine Boël, dressed informally, very smiling and respecting the physical distance marked by the pandemic.
The current heir, born in the sixties, is the result of the long relationship between her mother, the aristocrat Sibylle de Sélys Longchamps, with the then crown prince.
The story of this romance, and its fruit, became public and notorious at the end of the nineties, when the edition of an unauthorized biography on Queen Paola, wife of Albert II, revealed the existence of a daughter born outside the marriage.
Boël started his court battle in 2013, and went ahead despite the monarch trying for years to deny the evidence and evade requests for a kinship test.
In January of this year a DNA test proved Delphine Boël's affiliation with the emeritus and at the beginning of October a Court of Appeal in Brussels ruled that Boël obtained the title of princess and was treated as "royal highness".
In addition, the surname of the new princess now becomes that of Saxe de Coburg and Gotha, that of the dynasty of the royal family of Belgium.
In the same way, her two children, Joséphine and Oscar, 16 and 12, respectively, have now also become a princess and a prince, receiving the same treatment as their mother.
