Former Belgian King's love child Princess Delphine to participate in 'Dancing with the Stars'; palace keeps mum

Princess Delphine of the Belgians, half-sister of King Philippe, has announced that she will be participating in her country's version of "Dancing with the Stars."

Delphine, the love child of former King Albert II with Baroness Sybille de Selys Longchamps who was made a working royal last year, is taking part in the series for charity. The artist hopes the reality TV show will help her raise money and awareness for the Make-a-Wish organisation, which helps grant dream wishes for children with life limiting and threatening conditions, reports Royal Central.

In the show, the 53-year-old will be paired with Dutch professional dancer, Sander Bas. She downplayed her dancing skills while announcing her participation, noting that her moves are limited to "a few, often uncomfortable, dance steps at weddings and receptions." She also said that she is feeling weak at the moment as she is recovering from Covid-19 and recently came out of isolation.

The Belgian Royal Palace came to know that Delphine had signed with the show last week after they were informed by her husband Jim O'Hare. They were also sent a press release by Play4, the station broadcasting Belgium's Dancing with the Stars. However, royal officials described it as a "private" initiative and said they wouldn't be commenting on it.

Delphine was given the Her Royal Highness title in 2020 after a long legal battle with the Belgian monarch to recognise her as his natural daughter. King Albert II refused to acknowledge the paternity for years until he had to confirm in October last year after DNA tests corroborated Delphine's claims.

DNA testing is not obligatory in Belgium, but not submitting to it is considered evidence of paternity. Albert was told he would have had to pay $5,586 for every day he did not provide a sample for the test.

After the royal's admission, a Belgian court granted Delphine and her children royal titles, though they were not included in the line of succession to the throne as Delphine was born out of wedlock. She marked her first royal event as a Princess by attending a National Day military parade outside the Royal Palace of Brussels in July this year.