Belgium's King Philippe has met princess Delphine for the first time at the Castle of Laken last week, the Royal Palace announced in a joint press release on Thursday.
"It was a warm encounter," they said in a Facebook post with a photo, adding that they had a "long and rich discussion" which allowed them to get to know each other.
Delphine, the illegitimate daughter of Belgium's former King Albert II, has been allowed to officially call herself Delphine of Saxe-Coburg and a Princess of Belgium since 1 October, following a judgment of the Brussels' Court of Appeal.
Following the verdict, Delphine said that she had not heard from the Royal Palace, and that she also "did not expect anything."
However, eight days after the Court's decision, Philippe invited his half-sister for lunch at the Castle, where they spent three hours talking to each other, reports VRT.
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"We talked about our respective lives and areas of shared interest. This bond will further develop within the family setting," they said in the joint message.
In 2013, Delphine - then known as Boël - embarked on a legal battle to prove she was King Albert II's daughter, despite his repeated denials. At the beginning of this year, a court-ordered DNA test proved that he was Delphine's biological father.
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times
