King Philippe’s half sister Delphine is set to appear on Dancing with the Stars
Belgium’s hidden princess no more! King Philippe’s half-sister Delphine set to appear on the country’s Strictly Come Dancing – a year after she was finally recognised as Albert II’s daughter
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The half-sister of King Philippe of Belgium is to appear on the country’s version of Strictly Come Dancing – a year after she was finally recognised as former king Albert II’s daughter following a lengthy legal battle.
Princess Delphine de Saxe-Cobourg Gotha, 52, formerly known as Delphine Boël, is thought to be the result of an 18-year affair between the former monarch, 86, and Belgian aristocrat Sybille de Selys Longchamps, 79, that began in the 1960s.
Speaking after a court officially recognised her as the love child of Belgium’s former king on last October, Delphine said her battle to be recognised as a royal was not about money or status.
However it has now been revealed she has signed up for Belgium’s Dancing with the Stars – with her appearance fee going to the charity, Make-a-Wish.
Princess Delphine de Saxe-Cobourg Gotha, 52, is to appear on the country’s version of Strictly Come Dancing – a year after she was finally recognised as former king Albert II’s daughter following a lengthy legal battle (pictured)
The Belgian palace was informed of the news last week, with RoyalCentral reporting it was a ‘surprise’ for the organisation.
However officials described it as a ‘private’ initiative which they wouldn’t be commenting on it.
Delphine is set to be paired with Dutch professional dancer, Sander Bas.
However it is not clear how likely she is to be lifting the glitter ball trophy – after she said her dancing was limited to ‘a few often uncomfortable, dance steps at weddings and receptions.’
Delphine is set to be paired with Dutch professional dancer, Sander Bas, on the dancing programme (pictured together)
Delphine met her half-brother, King Philippe of Belgium for the first time last October, with the pair having a ‘warm meeting’ which took place at the Castle of Laeken
Delphine may be the first princess to compete in the show, but other royals have spoken out about being fans of the programme.
The Duchess of Cornwall made a video cameo on last year’s Strictly Come Dancing finale, as she praised the show for ‘uplifting the nation’ during the Covid pandemic.
Camilla is said to be a ‘massive fan’ of the show and even ‘votes every week’ for her favourite dancing duo.
And in 2018, Sophie Wessex and Lady Louise were in the Strictly audience as a treat for the teenager’s 15th birthday, host Tess Daly has revealed.
Both Sophie and Louise are also said to be ‘big fans’ of the programme.
Delphine was recognised as former king Albert II’s daughter following a lengthy legal battle last year (pictured)
The Belgian palace was informed of the news last week, with RoyalCentral reporting it was a ‘surprise’ for the organisation
Delphine met her half-brother, King Philippe of Belgium for the first time last October, with the pair having a ‘warm meeting’ which took place at the Castle of Laeken.
It came after Delphine was recognised as former king Albert II’s daughter following a lengthy legal battle last year.
At the time, she explained that her mother’s husband, wealthy industrialist and aristocrat Jacques Boel, is ‘much richer than the royal family’.
Delphine also revealed she will not be using the ‘Her Royal Highness’ prefix, adding: ‘I just wanted to be the same as my brother and my sister.’
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.’
Speaking at the time, Delphine revealed she last spoke to Albert in 2001 and ‘expects nothing more’.
The Countess of Wessex and her daughter Lady Louise were in the Strictly audience three years ago as a treat for the teenager’s 15th birthday, host Tess Daly has revealed
Meanwhile Camilla is also a fan of the programme (pictured dancing with former Strictly professional Brendan Cole at a charity tea dance)
‘I tried to solve the problem behind the walls, in secret, for years,’ she added, but said Albert’s repeated denials forced her to go public.
Describing her life before the judgement, she called herself ‘a black sheep’ adding that her existence was ‘unpleasant and unlivable’.
She added that she now wants to go back to focusing on her art, while moving on from the scandal of her birth.
‘It is not [the child’s] fault, they do not ask to be born,’ she said. ‘The child who comes from a love affair outside of marriage should not be treated any differently.’
Delphine, pictured at a press conference in Brussels last year after she won the legal battle to be confirmed as a princess, said her battle to be recognised as a royal was not about money or status
The alleged affair between Albert II and Sybille de Selys Longchamps is believed to have begun in 1966 when Albert was not yet king but was married to Italian aristocrat and later queen Donna Paola Ruffo di Calabria, whom he wed in 1959.
The couple lived apart for a large part of their early marriage, amid rumours that she disliked living in Belgium, finding it too cold and rainy.
Delphine was born in 1968, and the affair is thought to have ended in 1984.
Albert’s other children – Philippe, who assumed the throne after Albert’s abdication, Princess Astrid and Prince Laurent – were born in 1960, 1962 and 1963 respectively.
Albert ascended the throne in 1993, following the death of his elder brother, King Baudouin, from heart failure.
Albert (left) confirmed in January 2020 that he was no longer contesting Delphine’s claim of paternity, after taking a DNA test (pictured right, her mother Sybille de Selys Longchamps)
Delphine – an aristocrat in her own right and an artist – first said in 1999 that she believes she is Albert’s child.
Her statement was made shortly after the publication of an unofficial biography of Queen Paola which alluded to an affair the King had which produced a lovechild.
Albert acknowledged problems with his marriage in his Christmas speech the same year, referring to a ‘crisis’ which nearly ended his marriage 30 years before, but said he and his wife ‘surpassed those difficulties to find a deep understanding love’.
But Albert never addressed the issue of a child, and for years the palace neither confirmed nor denied the reports, merely saying that it was a ‘private matter’.
Delphine (left, with her mother in 2000) first claimed to be Albert’s lovechild in 1999, after an unofficial biography of the Queen claimed he had an affair and a child born out of wedlock
Despite years of private lobbying, Ms Boel was unable to get Albert to recognise her true identity.
After years of questions over her identity, which Delphine claimed stopped her from opening bank accounts, she went to the courts in 2013 in an attempt to prove her biological father was Albert.
The same year the legal case began, Albert abdicated for ‘health reasons’, passing the throne to son Philippe – Delphine’s half-brother.
After several early setbacks, the breakthrough for Ms Boel came in November last year when a court ruled that Albert must provide a DNA sample for testing.
Failure to comply would result in a €5,000 fine for each day the sample was missing.
Albert is thought to have undergone the DNA test shortly afterwards, which proved he is the father.
Delphine Boel, now 52 (pictured in Paris in 1999) has been recognised as the illegitimate lovechild of Albert II, former King of Beligum, after a seven-year legal battle
In January 2020, he issued a statement confirming that he is no longer contesting paternity.
The court ruled that Delphine should be recognised as part of the royal family, putting her 15th in line to the throne and entitling her to a share of Albert’s estate when he dies.
A statement released by Delphine’s lawyers last year said: ‘Delphine de Saxe Cobourg has taken note of the judgment… which gives her full satisfaction.
‘Her other requests for it to be dealt with on the same footing as her brothers and sister have also been satisfied.
‘She is delighted by this court decision which ends a long process which is particularly painful for her and her family.
A legal victory will never replace the love of a father but offers a feeling of justice, further reinforced by the fact that many children who have gone through the same ordeals will find the strength to face them.’
