After years of court battles, Belgium’s former King Albert II is no longer fighting a claim that he is the father of artist and sculptor Delphine Boel, bringing a major breakthrough in the decades-old royal paternity scandal.
A statement delivered by his lawyers to Belgian media on Monday said that “scientific conclusions indicate that he is the biological father of Mrs. Delphine Boël.” It came after Albert II last year finally agreed to a DNA test.
The royal acknowledgement immediately dominated the evening newscasts across the nation. Boel had been trying to establish paternity for years, and Albert never publicly denied being her father but had long refused to provide DNA.
FILE - In this Wednesday, April 9, 2008 file photo, Delphine Boel, left, poses for photographers with her recently published book, along with her husband, US citizen from Houston, Texas, James O'Hare, right, in the Grand Place of Brussels. After years of legal fights, a decades-old royal paternity scandal saw a major breakthrough Monday, Jan, 27, 2020. Belgium's former King Albert II is no longer fighting a claim that he is the father of artist and sculptor Delphine Boel. ( AP Photo Thierry Charlier, File)
King Albert II, who abdicated in 2013 for health reasons, said Monday that even if there were judicial arguments left to pursue, legal paternity is not necessarily equal to biological fatherhood. He added that even if the case could be continued on procedural ground s, he decided not to do so “to end with dignity this painful procedure."
Boel's lawyer, Marc Uyttendaele, said on RTBF network that “her reaction was one of relief, emotion but also shows a wound that will not heal."
Rumors about Albert and Boel’s mother, the aristocratic wife of a well-heeled industrialist, had been around for years. But the news that the king may have had a child with her broke into the open when a biography of Albert’s wife, Queen Paola, was published in 1999.
In his Christmas message to the nation that year, King Albert alluded to a past infidelity and said he and Queen Paola lived through a “crisis” in the late 1960s that almost wrecked their marriage , but that “a long while ago” they overcame their marital problems.
Six years ago, Boel, who bears a striking resemblance to some members of the royal family, opened court proceedings to prove that Albert is her father.
Boel has always said that she brought the paternity case due to anger since she was being cold-shouldered by the royal family.
JERUSALEM (AP) — President Donald Trump announced early Sunday that the U.S. had rescued an aviator nearly two days after he was shot down over Iran.
The extraction came after a frantic search in what appears to be a remote, mountainous region of Iran. A second crew member had been rescued Friday, soon after the F-15E Strike Eagle crashed. It was the first U.S. aircraft to be downed by Iranian fire since the U.S. and Israel launched the war on Feb. 28.
“This is the first time in military memory that two U.S. Pilots have been rescued, separately, deep in Enemy Territory," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "WE WILL NEVER LEAVE AN AMERICAN WARFIGHTER BEHIND!”
Here’s what we know about the rescue:
Trump noted that Friday's rescue of the first airman was conducted in “broad daylight." The White House avoided confirming the rescue to avoid jeopardizing the search for the second aviator, which was conducted overnight Saturday into Sunday.
That overnight rescue involved “dozens of aircraft,” armed with lethal weaponry, Trump said. Iran had promised a sizable reward to anyone who captured the service member.
Throughout the ordeal, the U.S. had been monitoring the fallen airman's location “24 hours a day, and diligently planning for his rescue," Trump said.
“This brave Warrior was behind enemy lines in the treacherous mountains of Iran, being hunted down by our enemies, who were getting closer and closer by the hour,” he wrote.
Trump said the airman held the rank of colonel and had been seriously wounded. Nonetheless, Trump said he would be “just fine."
Trump gave no details about the first crewman's condition.
Iran’s state TV showed a picture of black smoke from what it said were a destroyed American transport plane and two helicopters.
A regional intelligence official briefed on the mission said the U.S. military was forced to bring in additional aircraft to complete the rescue due to a technical malfunction. The official said the U.S. blew up two transport planes it was forced to leave because of the mishap. He spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the covert mission.
Iranian state media on Friday also said a second U.S. plane — an A-10 aircraft — crashed after being hit by Iranian forces. The U.S. military has not commented on the status of that aircraft or its crew.
Associated Press writer Samy Magdy in Cairo contributed to this report.
In this image provided by Sepahnews, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's official website, black smoke rises into the air at what Iran's state TV claimed was the site where an American transport plane and two helicopters involved in a rescue operation were shot down, in Isfahan province, Iran, April, 2026. (Sepahnews via AP)
In this image provided by Sepahnews, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's official website, wreckage is shown at what Iran's state TV claimed was the site of a downed American transport plane and two helicopters involved in a rescue operation, in Isfahan province, Iran, April, 2026. (Sepahnews via AP)
In this image provided by Sepahnews, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's official website, wreckage is shown at what Iran's state TV claimed was the site of a downed American transport plane and two helicopters involved in a rescue operation, in Isfahan province, Iran, April, 2026. (Sepahnews via AP)
