Brit expat, 79, found out he was adopted thanks to Brexit

A British pensioner found out he was adopted and has a secret half-brother thanks to Brexit.

Peter Scott, 79, who has been living in France for more than 30 years, made the shock discovery for the first time when forced to apply for a residency card following the UK's departure from the European Union.

The new rules under the Withdrawal Agreement signed by Boris Johnson required Peter, like thousands of other British expats living in France, to provide their full birth certificate, something he had never done before. Previously, he had been able to remain under an EU residency card.

When the document arrived in the post, it showed that Peter, born in Haslemere, Surrey, in 1945, had actually been adopted. His adoption certificate was also included.

Peter, who lives in the picturesque village of Porte-du-Quercy, joked: 'Thanks to Brexit, I found out that I was an adopted child!'

He told MailOnline: 'It's a complete accident, but if it hadn't been for Brexit - which I actually thought was a really stupid thing - I wouldn't have a clue.'

Peter, who renovated gites in the village with wife Zoe until their recent retirement, went on: 'It really was a bolt from the blue, a total shock.

'We had never had to do any of this stuff before because it wasn't needed. My wife came back when we were putting together all of the research for the paperwork, and said you've probably got a shortened birth certificate because you were adopted. I thought, 'Rubbish!', but it wasn't. I was completely stunned.'

Prior to Brexit, Peter, who lived in Portsmouth before emigrating to the Lot region of South-West France, had always been able to hand in a shortened birth certificate summary when required to provide documentation by the French authorities.

The new bureaucratic hurdles Britons living in France are now obliged to overcome meant that he was seeing his biological mother's name for the first time.

Encouraged by his wife to research the family he had never known existed, he sent a DNA sample to a US heritage site which can match samples to people with similar DNA.

It came up with a result, that he had a 4 per cent match with someone, typically within the range for a person who could be within an extended relative, such as a cousin.

Peter got in contact with the match, who ultimately turned out to be his nephew's daughter. 

She had uploaded her details to the DNA database as part of a school project. 

When his nephew, who lives in Ireland, got back in touch several weeks later, it gave him the first opportunity to uncover the identity of his unknown family history.

After establishing contact through the site, he was put in touch with his half-brother, Graham, who was born 13 months after him to the same mother.

Three years after applying for his birth certificate, Graham, who lives in South Africa, flew over to France.

'I was so happy,' Peter explained to La Dépêche. 'I found out that after me, my biological mother had two daughters and two sons, of whom the oldest, Graham, was born 13 months after me.

Describing being reunited, he went on: 'It was a very emotional moment, but everything passed naturally. He is like me; we look like each other. He likes to joke, and to live well. It's extraordinary! What has happened is so incredible.

'I've got no problems with it at all,' added Peter. 'In fact, I'm much happier. It's amazing, and very unusual at my age.'

Peter's biological mother gave him to her sister after he was born to be placed into adoption. 

She was already engaged to a man who was a prisoner-of-war in Germany, and never mentioned the existence of Peter following his return to England from captivity.

Following their amazing reunion, Peter and Zoé spent three weeks in South Africa with Graham and his family earlier this year.

The couple, who have a daughter in the city of Lyon and three grandchildren, hope to reunite again for Peter's 80th birthday next year, and to meet other members of his long-lost family.

They return to the UK most years to visit relatives.