Princess Delphine of Belgium has announced she forgives her father, former King Albert II, for denying her royal recognition for over 50 years.
The 57-year-old, born from Albert II’s extramarital affair, shared her feelings in a Belgian interview filmed five years ago but released this week.
Formerly Delphine Boël, she gained royal recognition in 2020 after years of legal battles.
The princess and her mother enjoyed a strong relationship with Albert for years, until 1984, when he stepped back to protect his marriage.
His accession to the throne in 1993 further complicated the possibility of mending ties.
In her interview, Delphine reflected on her journey towards understanding her parents' decisions.
"Has the wound completely disappeared? No. A wound like that never completely disappears and becomes a scar," she said.
The princess explained that considering her mother’s and father’s viewpoints clarified why events happened the way they did and why recognition took so long.
Delphine also suggested Albert’s choices might have been different in another environment: “I don’t think he was surrounded by good people,” she mentioned.
Albert stepped down from the throne in 2013 as a constitutional crisis mounted over his continued refusal to submit to DNA testing in his daughter's legal proceedings.
