In surprise ruling, Belgian court orders former King Albert II to pay $5,588, [€5,000] a day until he takes a DNA test to resolve a long-running paternity dispute

The Belgian royal was ordered by the Brussels court to provide DNA sample six moths ago, but he has refused to comply

Delphine Boël, 50, who is claiming to be his daughter, has been trying to establish paternity for years

She filed her lawsuit in 2014,  but a lower court ruled Boel could not rely on forensic evidence [DNA], to establish paternity

Claimant’s mother, Baroness Sybille de Selys Longchamps, has claimed she had an affair between 1966 and 1984 with then Prince Albert of Liège

King Albert II, the country’s former monarch, who stepped down for health reasons, has not explicitly denied the paternity claims

Boël’s attorneys say she’s not motivated by money, coming from a billionaire family herself

If her case is successful, Boël would be 15th in line for the Belgian throne

 

   King Albert II, 84, [photo] so far has ignored court order to attend provide a DNA sample in the presence of a justice official to establish paternity of a 50-year-old woman. Now he will pay a daily fine until he complies

 

A Belgian appeals court has ruled that the country’s former monarch, must pay $5,588 [€5,000] for each day that he refuses to provide DNA in a case brought by a woman who claims to be his love child.
King Albert II, 84, was ordered by the Brussels court to attend an appointment and provide a DNA sample in the presence of a justice official. He will be fined for each day he fails to respect that appointment.
Artist Delphine Boël, 50, has been trying to establish paternity for years and her story has often made headlines.
Albert has never publicly denied being her father but has refused to provide DNA despite a November court order to do so.
In February, he refused to undergo such a test in a case aimed at proving he fathered a love child in the 1960s.

 

King’s love child? 50-year-old Artist Delphine Boël, [photo], has been trying to establish paternity for five years and her story has often made headlines. Her attorneys say she’s not motivated by money, coming from a billionaire family herself

In November last year the court ruled that King Albert must provide the DNA which came as a surprise after a lower court ruled Delphine Boël could not rely on such forensic evidence to establish paternity. 
Boël claims that King Albert II had an affair with her mother Sybille de Selys Longchamps.
The ruling gave Albert three months to provide a DNA sample which would be used to determine if he was Boël’s father.
If Boel’s case was successful, she would be 15th in line for the Belgian throne. 
Boël started court proceedings in 2014 and her lawyer Alain De Jonge at the time said that his client is not motivated by money as she is a member of a major Belgian industrial family worth $1 billion.

   Six months ago, a court ruled the retired King, [photo], must provide the DNA which came as a surprise after a lower court ruled Delphine Boël could not rely on such forensic evidence to establish paternity

Rumors the king had an illegitimate child first emerged in 1999 in an unauthorized biography about biography of Queen Paolo, Albert’s Italian wife.
The allegation prompted a royal scandal and enduring media gossip in Belgium.

It said Albert had formed an extra-marital relationship resulting in the birth of a daughter in the 1960s, when his brother Baudouin was king. Delphine Boël first alleged on the record that King Albert was her biological father during a 2005 interview.
Her mother, Baroness Sybille de Selys Longchamps, has claimed the two had an affair between 1966 and 1984 when he was still Prince Albert of Liège.
However, following his older brother’s death in 1993 at 62, King Albert unexpectedly came to the throne.
He sat on the throne until July 2013, when he announced his abdication – citing ill health – and was replaced by his son.
Shortly after, Boël opened court proceedings to prove her paternity, provoking speculation the scandal had influenced the move.

 

    King Albert II abdicated to his son Philippe in 2013 due to health reasons. If her case is successful, Boël would be 15th in line for the Belgian throne