It’s been just over five years since King Philippe of Belgium’s half-sister Delphine was officially recognized as the daughter of King Albert II. The former King of Belgium fathered Delphine outside of his marriage to Queen Paola, whom he shares Philippe, Princess Astrid and Prince Laurent with.
Delphine, 57, opened up about her relationship with her older siblings during an appearance on the It’s Reigning Men podcast earlier this month, revealing that “they don’t dislike” her. “You know, they have their lives. I have mine. It is always very nice for me to feel like I have brothers and sisters.I always dreamt of that,” the Princess shared.
Delphine reiterated that her brothers and sister have their own lives, adding, “I think they had it very difficult when they were young. They had a very hard childhood because the parents were not there.” She also stated that she thinks “it’s difficult for them to accept the situation.” Delphine said, “They don’t dislike me at all, but I think it’s hard for them.”
© Didier Lebrun / Photonews via Getty ImagesAlbert II, who abdicated in 2013, publicly acknowledged Delphine as his daughter in January of 2020 following a DNA test. Later that year, she won the right to her Princess title.
“There it was. The truth came out,” Delphine said of the DNA test on the podcast. “And I don’t know what happened to me. Because seriously, titles is not my thing. I’ve always been quite a tomboy. And the idea of being a Princess was just like… It just sounded like Barbie. And I just like, ‘Oh my God.’ But I thought if I don’t take that title, I will always have a problem. Always. It’s not gonna…Because there is the truth, but also there is the society. There’s people. There’s…You live in a community. And if you’re different than your brothers and sister, because you’re, you know, like little ducklets that are all white and then there’s a little black one, he’s going to be treated differently by the nature.”
© Didier Lebrun / Photonews via Getty ImagesShe continued, “So I thought, I’m not gonna be that duck. I have to take my position. I wanted to be equal to my siblings also just for my life, just because I suffered so much because of that. I thought this could help. I have to be equal to them. I am equal to them. For me, I am equal to them. Not to my brother who inherited to be King, but to my sister and the younger one.”
Read the full article here
