King Albert

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A New Princess Meets With Her Father

Former King Albert of Belgium denied paternity for years

(Newser) - After years of courtroom battles , the relationship between Delphine Boel and the former king who long denied being her father has moved to the palace. Belgium's Albert II and the woman now recognized as Princess Delphine sat down together Sunday, the Guardian reports. The royal palace announced the reunion...

Court to Rule on Whether King's Daughter Is a Princess

Her father is battling to keep Belgium from granting royal titles to Delphine Boël

(Newser) - Delphine Boël knows her father is the former king of Belgium. Now that the courts have found that to be true, she's waiting for the next ruling—on whether Boel will become Princess of Belgium and Her Royal Highness. Albert II does not approve, per the Guardian . "...

DNA Test Is In, and Ex-King Says Woman Is His Daughter

Belgium's Albert II fathered Delphine Boël 51 years ago during an affair

(Newser) - Accepting the findings of a court-ordered DNA test, Belgium's former King Albert II conceded Monday that woman he's fought a legal battle with for years is his daughter. "The scientific conclusions show that he is the biological father of Mrs. Delphine Boël," his lawyer said...

Report: Former King Will Take Paternity Test, With One Caveat

King Albert II wants the results initially kept secret, according to 'New York Times' report

(Newser) - His options: Pay a $5,600-a-day fine or submit to a paternity test. The former king of Belgium has opted for the latter, though not without plenty of teeth gnashing, according to the New York Times , which is the only media outlet that is so far reporting the news. King...

Ex-King Who Refuses DNA Test Must Pay Daily Fine

Woman is trying to prove that Albert II of Beligum is her father

(Newser) - Delphine Boël could be in a line for a royal inheritance if a DNA test proves she's the love child of Belgium's former king. Until former King Albert II provides a saliva sample, however, Boël will be getting $5,600 a day anyway. A court in...

Belgium's King Albert Abdicates

Son Philippe takes oath in fractious nation

(Newser) - Belgium's King Albert abdicated today after a 20-year reign, as his son, Philippe, took over as this fractured nation's seventh king later in the day. The 79-year-old Albert signed away his rights as the kingdom's largely ceremonial ruler in the presence of Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo,...

Belgium's King Will Abdicate

Albert will hand over throne to Crown Prince Philippe

(Newser) - Europe is getting a new king later this month: Belgium's King Albert says he is too frail to continue at age 79 and will turn over his throne to son Crown Prince Philippe, reports the AP . Albert took over from his brother in 1993 and will be the first...

Belgium Flails as PM Quits in Bailout Scandal

Replacing him tricky as deeply divided nation slips into recession

(Newser) - Belgium is seeking to emerge from its third political crisis in the space of a year after PM Yves Leterme stepped down yesterday in a banking scandal. His government was accused of trying to influence a court case involving the bailout of Fortis, one of the first big banks to...

Belgian Gov't Collapses After Just 4 Months

PM's resignation sparks new fears that country may split

(Newser) - Belgium's fragile five-party coalition government collapsed last night after only four months in power. Yves Leterme, the prime minister, submitted his resignation to the king after failing to resolve several longstanding disputes between the French- and Dutch-speaking regions of Belgium. The fall of the Leterme government plunges the country into...

Belgium Breaks Impasse, Forms New Govt.

Deal reached after 9-month crisis that almost split the nation

(Newser) - It took 9 months of negotiations and threatened to break the country in two, but Belgium's fractious Dutch- and French-speaking political parties struck a deal today to form a new coalition government and work toward shared priorities. Yves Leterme, the leader of the Flemish center-right party that won the June...

PM-Elect Quits As Belgian Crisis Deepens

Kingdom edges nearer to split as Leterme walks out

(Newser) - Belgians awoke today to a fresh political crisis: last night Yves Leterme, the putative PM-elect of last summer's inconclusive elections, abandoned his attempts to form a coalition. Leterme submitted his resignation to the king after an ultimatum issued to other party leaders fell on deaf ears, the Observer reports, and...

With No New Government, Belgium Edges Towards Split

Still no compromise 3 months after election

(Newser) - It's been 3 months since Belgians went to the polls, and their binational kingdom still has no government. Yves Leterme, the winner of June's elections, has been unable to form a coalition in parliament. Now the king has been forced to step in, and the perennial question of whether Belgium...

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