Princess Delphine, love child of Belgium’s former King Albert, shares her Never Give Up shawl design on Instagram, sending a cryptic message about a “rotten system”

She asked the government to officially consider her a member of the royal family before Christmas, and now the beloved child of Belgian King Albert II has shared her Never Give Up shawl design on Instagram.

Artist Princess Delphine, 53, formerly known as Delphine Boel, took to her social media accounts on Tuesday to promote her wearable art.

She posted a snap of herself holding up a €495 graffiti-style scarf emblazoned with the phrases “When the system is corrupt”, “When the future is shit” and “When the going gets tough” .

Delphine, 55, has been in a relationship for 18 years with the former king, 89, who abdicated in 2013 for his son King Philippe, 63, and Belgian aristocrat Sybil de Celys Longchamp, 82. It is believed to be the result of an affair. 1960s.

She was legally named the daughter of Belgium’s King Albert II three years ago, but reportedly wrote a legal letter to the government last year asking to be invited to official events like her half-brothers. Princess Astrid (61 years old) and Prince Laurent (60 years old).

Delphine said her fight to be recognized as a royal was not about money or status, after a court officially recognized her as the beloved child of Belgium’s former king in October 2020.

Her lawyer, Marc Uittendale, then wrote a letter to Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo, insisting that she be invited to state affairs and treated with the same respect as Astrid and Laurent, the Times reported.

“My client has been concerned for months about her role in official events,” the lawyer wrote, explaining that the princess was only invited to a few occasions.

He added: “But even there she is treated differently than her brother and sister.” It’s simply a matter of respect. ”

The lawyer went on to note that the brothers’ annual allowance exceeds €260,000 and said they were not interested in donations.

However, the prime minister insisted that Delphine was a private citizen and that the royal family had official duties at these events.

“The people who are invited to these events are people who have a public role in our country, and some members of the royal family also have a public role,” he said. Princess Delphine doesn’t have that. ”

For decades, the former king estranged himself from Princess Delphine and her mother in order to save his marriage.

After Princess Delphine was born in 1968, the King initially maintained frequent contact with the child and her mother. However, when Delphine reached her 16th birthday, the king began to distance himself from her.

In 2013, the same year King Albert abdicated the throne for health reasons and was succeeded by his son King Philippe, Princess Delphine launched a legal bid to be officially recognized as King Albert’s daughter. Won in October 2020.

Currently, Delphine has the right to use the royal name de Saxe-Cobourg, and her two children, Princess Josephine of Belgium (19 years old) and Prince Oscar of Belgium (14 years old), are also officially members of the Belgian royal family. is recognized. Her partner is James O’Hare.

Speaking to Mr Tatler last year, the artist revealed that she still hurt from being rejected by her father as a child, but added that she did not blame him or harbor any ill will towards her.

She claimed that royal life was “isolating” and believed her father was receiving bad advice at the time. But she said: She said, “You can’t just give birth to a child and kick it.”

Reflecting on her seven-year legal battle, Delphine said her lawsuit was not about money or status, but about “principles.”

Currently, Delphine attends royal functions and says that her relationship with her father has been repaired after many years of bitterness.

When she filed her lawsuit in 2013, she told Belgian radio show Matin Premiere: “I feel like I have a right to exist. Not to exist in the royal family, but to exist as me.

“My decision to seek help through the law feels today that it was the right thing to do…The justice system said I was right and I have a right to life.”

Since the lawsuit was resolved, Princess Delphine has gradually integrated into the Belgian royal family.

In 2020, she met her brother King Philippe, one of 20 related Belgian royals, and posted a socially distanced photo on Facebook, describing it as a “warm encounter”. described.

When she was given her royal title, Princess Delphine was also invited to Belvedere Castle in Brussels, where she held an official meeting with her father and his wife Queen Paola.