Delphine Boeul's art says it all: a neon sculpture spells out the words "Love Child" alongside a crown askew on a red heart. Another text work in colourful crepe appears to be a blunter message to King Albert II, the Belgian monarch she claims is her father: "F*** You I Exist."
Now the artist has launched a court battle to obtain DNA from the sovereign and his family in a bid to prove her claim. Boeul, a 45-year-old Belgian who studied at the Chelsea College of Art in London, claims she is the product of an affair in the 1960s between King Albert and Belgian aristocrat, Baroness Sybille de Selys Longchamps.
While King Albert has never publicly acknowledged Boeul as his child, Belgian media interpreted a speech he gave in 1999 referring to a "crisis" in his marriage 30 years ago as a tacit admission of a relationship with the baroness. Boeul bears a resemblance to the 79-year-old King, who has three children with Queen Paola.
In action launched this week and confirmed by the royal palace yesterday, Boeul has asked a court to call King Albert, his heir, Prince Philippe, and his daughter Princess Astrid in the hope of then demanding blood samples from them.
A first hearing has been set for June 26. "I am deeply saddened, but I believe blood can work wonders," Boeul was quoted as saying on the Flanders News website. She has previously said she wishes to have a normal relationship with the King.