Former Belgian king's secret daughter wins the right to call herself a princess

The once-secret daughter of former Belgian King Albert II will now be officially known as Princess of Belgium.

She has has won a legal battle over her rights to a royal title.

The Brussels Court of Appeal ruled the king's biological daughter Delphine Boel is entitled to the the same rights and royal titles as her father's other three children.

Belgium’s appeals court granted Boel the title “Princess of Belgium” after the former monarch’s DNA test proved that he was her father, Boel’s lawyers said in a statement, adding Boel was “fully satisfied” with the ruling.

Boel launched a lawsuit in 2013 to have the former king recognised as her father. She claimed the king had an affair with her mother, Sibylle de Selys Longchamps, resulting in her birth in 1968.

The king had contested the claims for seven years. In January this year, he acknowledged he was indeed Boel's biological father.

Albert II married Paola Ruffo di Calabria, later Queen Paola of Belgium, in 1959 and became king in 1993.

Albert II abdicated the throne in favour of his son Philippe in 2013 when he was 79, citing concerns over his age and health.

As well as being recognised as a princess, Boel will change her surname to her father’s, Saxe-Cobourg. Her two children Josephine and Oscar will also receive royal titles and the right to be referred to as his or her royal highness.