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'{{Infobox royalty|type=monarch | name = Leopold III | full name = Leopold Philip Charles Albert Meinrad Hubertus Maria Michael | succession = [[List of Belgian monarchs|King of the Belgians]] | image = Leopold III of Belgium.jpg | caption = | reign = 23 February 1934 &ndash; 16 July 1951 | coronation = | predecessor = [[Albert I of Belgium|Albert I]] | successor = [[Baudouin of Belgium|Baudouin]] | spouse = [[Astrid of Sweden]] <br>[[Lilian Baels]] | issue = [[Princess Josephine-Charlotte of Belgium|Josephine-Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg]] <br> [[Baudouin of Belgium|King Baudouin of the Belgians]] <br> [[Albert II of Belgium|King Albert II of the Belgians]] <br> [[Prince Alexander of Belgium|Prince Alexander]] <br> [[Princess Marie-Christine of Belgium|Princess Marie-Christine]] <br> [[Princess Maria-Esmeralda of Belgium|Princess Maria-Esmeralda]] | house = [[House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]] | royal anthem = | father = [[Albert I of Belgium]] | mother = [[Elisabeth of Bavaria (1876-1965)|Elisabeth of Bavaria]] | birth_date = {{Birth date|1901|11|3|df=y}} | birth_place = [[Brussels]], [[Belgium]] | death_date = {{Death date and age|1983|9|25|1901|11|3|df=y}} | death_place = [[Woluwe-Saint-Lambert]], [[Belgium]] | place of burial = [[Church of Our Lady of Laeken]] }} {{Infobox Belgian Royalty styles|1921 | name = Leopold III of Belgium | reference = [[Majesty|His Majesty]] | spoken = Your Majesty | alternative = Sire }} '''Leopold III''' (born as ''Léopold Philippe Charles Albert Meinrad Hubertus Marie Miguel'' ([[French language|French]]) or ''Leopold Filips Karel Albert Meinrad Hubertus Maria Miguel'' ([[Dutch language|Dutch]]) or ''Leopold Philipp Karl Albert Meinrad Hubertus Maria Miguel'' ([[German language|German]]); 3 November 1901 &ndash; 25 September 1983) reigned as [[List of Belgian monarchs|King of the Belgians]] from 1934 until 1951, when he abdicated in favour of the [[heir apparent]], his son [[Baudouin I of Belgium|Baudouin]]. Leopold III was born in [[Brussels]] as Prince Leopold of Belgium, Prince of [[Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]], and succeeded to the throne of Belgium on 23 February 1934 following the death of his father, [[Albert I of Belgium|King Albert I]]. He was invested as the 1,154th [[Knight]] of the [[Order of the Golden Fleece]] in Spain in 1923, the 355th [[Grand Cross]] of the [[Order of the Tower and Sword]] (Portugal) in 1927 and the 833rd Knight of the [[Order of the Garter]] (England) in 1935. ==Early life and family== {{unreferenced section|date=July 2013}} Prince Leopold, [[Duke of Brabant]], fought as a private during [[World War I]] with the [[12th-13th Battalion of the Line|12th Belgian Regiment]] while still a teenager, but was sent by his father to [[Eton College]] in the [[United Kingdom]], in 1915. After the war, in 1919, the [[Duke]] enrolled at St. Anthony Seminary in [[Santa Barbara, California|Santa Barbara]], [[California]]. He married [[Astrid of Sweden|Princess Astrid of Sweden]] in a civil ceremony in [[Stockholm]] on 4 November 1926, followed by a religious ceremony in [[Brussels]] on 10 November. The marriage produced three children: * [[Princess Joséphine Charlotte of Belgium|Joséphine-Charlotte]], Princess of Belgium, born at the [[Royal Palace of Brussels]] on 11 October 1927, Grand Duchess of [[Luxembourg]]. She was married on 9 April 1953 to [[Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg|Prince Jean]], later [[Grand-Duke]] of [[Luxembourg]]. She died at [[Fischbach Castle]] on 10 January 2005. * [[Baudouin of Belgium|Baudouin]], [[Duke of Brabant]], Count of Hainaut, Prince of Belgium, who became the fifth King of the Belgians as '''Baudouin''', born at Stuyvenberg on the outskirts of [[Brussels]] on 7 September 1930, and died at [[Motril]] in [[Andalusia]], [[Spain]], on 31 July 1993. * [[Albert II of Belgium|Albert]], [[Prince of Liège]], Prince of Belgium, who became the sixth King of the Belgians as '''Albert II''', born at Stuyvenberg on 6 June 1934. He abdicated in July 2013. On 29 August 1935, while the King and Queen were driving along the winding, narrow roads near their villa at [[Küssnacht am Rigi]], [[Schwyz]], Switzerland on the shores of [[Lake of Lucerne|Lake Lucerne]], Leopold lost control of the car which plunged into the lake, killing Queen Astrid. Leopold married [[Lilian Baels]] on 11 September 1941 in a secret, religious ceremony, with no validity under [[Belgian law]]. They originally intended to wait until the end of the war for the civil marriage, but as the new ''Princesse de Réthy'' was soon expecting their first child, the ceremony took place on 6 December 1941. They had three children in total: * [[Prince Alexander of Belgium|Alexander]], Prince of Belgium, born in Brussels on 18 July 1942. In 1991, he married [[Princess Lea of Belgium|Lea Inga Dora Wohlman]], a marriage revealed only seven years later. She was created a Princess of Belgium in her own right. He died on November 29, 2009. * [[Princess Marie-Christine of Belgium|Marie-Christine]], Princess of Belgium, born in Brussels on 6 February 1951. Her first marriage, to Paul Drucker in 1981, lasted 40 days (though they were not formally divorced until 1985); she subsequently married Jean-Paul Gourges in 1989. * [[Princess Maria-Esmeralda of Belgium|Maria-Esmeralda]], Princess of Belgium, born in Brussels on 30 September 1956, a journalist, her professional name is Esmeralda de Réthy. She married [[Salvador Moncada]], a noted pharmacologist, in 1998. They have a son and a daughter. ==World War II== [[File:Royal Monogram of King Leopold III, King of the Belgians.svg|thumb|right|120px|Royal Monogram]] When World War II broke out in September 1939, the French and British governments immediately sought to persuade Belgium to join them. Leopold and his government refused, maintaining Belgium's neutrality. Belgium considered itself well-prepared against a possible invasion by [[Axis powers of World War II|Axis]] forces, for during the 1930s the Belgian government had made extensive preparations to deter and repel an invasion of the country, as in 1914, by an increasingly-belligerent Germany. On 10 May 1940, the [[German Army (1935-1945)|German Army]] invaded Belgium. On the first day of the offensive the principal Belgian strong point of [[Fort Eben-Emael]] was overwhelmed by a daring paratroop operation and the defensive perimeter thus penetrated before any French or British troops could arrive, and after a short running battle eventually involving the armies of all four belligerents, Belgium was overwhelmed by the numerically superior and better-prepared Germans. Nevertheless, the Belgian perseverance prevented the British Expeditionary Force from being outflanked and cut off from the coast, enabling the [[Dunkirk evacuation|evacuation from Dunkirk]]. After his military surrender, Leopold (unlike [[Wilhelmina of the Netherlands|Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands]], in a similar predicament) remained in Brussels to face the victorious invaders, while his entire civil government fled to Paris and later to London. {{House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Belgium)}} ===Surrender and constitutional crisis=== On 24 May 1940, Leopold, having assumed command of the [[Belgian Army]], met with his ministers for the final time. The ministers urged the King to leave the country with the Government. [[Prime Minister of Belgium|Prime Minister]] [[Hubert Pierlot]] reminded him that capitulation was a decision for the Belgian government, not the King. The King indicated that he had decided to remain in Belgium with his troops, whatever the outcome. The ministers took this to mean that he would establish a new government under the direction of Hitler, potentially a treasonous act. Leopold thought that he might be seen as a deserter if he were to leave the country: "Whatever happens, I have to share the same fate as my troops."<ref name=royalarticles/> Leopold had long had a difficult and contentious relationship with his ministers, acting independently of government influence whenever possible, and seeking to circumvent and even limit the ministers' powers, while expanding his own.<ref name=royalarticles/> French, British, and Belgian troops were encircled by German forces at [[Battle of Dunkirk|Dunkirk]]. Leopold notified [[George VI of the United Kingdom|King George VI]] by telegram on 25 May 1940 that Belgian forces were being crushed, saying "assistance which we give to the Allies will come to an end if our Army is surrounded".<ref>The Miracle of Dunkirk, Walter Lord, New York 1982, page 101, ISBN 0-670-28630-3</ref> Two days later (27 May 1940), Leopold surrendered the Belgian forces to the Germans. Prime Minister Pierlot spoke on French radio, saying that the King's decision to surrender went against the [[Belgian Constitution]]. The decision, he said, was not only a military decision but also a political decision, and the King had acted without his ministers' advice, and therefore contrary to the Constitution. Pierlot and his Government believed this created an ''impossibilité de régner'': {{quote|Should the King find himself unable to reign, the ministers, having observed this inability, immediately summon the Chambers. Regency and guardianship are to be provided by the united Chambers.<ref>[http://www.fed-parl.be/constitution_uk.html The Belgian Constitution] Belgian Constitution, Title III, Chapter 3, Art 93</ref>}} It was impossible, however, to summon the Chambers at this time, and impossible to appoint a Regent. After the liberation of Belgium in September, 1944, the Government would ask Leopold's brother [[Prince Charles, Count of Flanders|Prince Charles]] to serve as Regent. After Leopold's surrender, the British press denounced him as "Traitor King" and "King Rat"; the ''[[Daily Mirror]]'' published a picture of Leopold with the headline "The Face That Every Woman Now Despises'". A group of Belgian refugees in Paris placed a message at King Albert's statue denouncing his son as "your unworthy successor".<ref name="atkin1990">{{cite book | title=Pillar of Fire: Dunkirk 1940 | publisher=Birlinn Limited | author=Atkin, Ronald | year=1990 | location=Edinburgh | pages=140-141 | isbn=1 84158 078 3}}</ref> French Prime Minister [[Paul Reynaud]] accused Leopold of treason. Flemish historians Valaers and Van Goethem wrote that Leopold III had become "The scapegoat of Reynaud"<ref>In Dutch ''De zondebok van Reynaud'', from Velaers and Van Goethem, ''Leopold III'', Lannoo, Tielt, 1994 ISBN 90-209-2387-0, p. 264.</ref> because Reynaud was likely already aware that the [[Battle of France]] was lost. Leopold's surrender was also decried by [[Winston Churchill]]: in the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] on 4 June 1940 he said: {{cquote|At the last moment when Belgium was already invaded, King Leopold called upon us to come to his aid, and even at the last moment we came. He and his brave, efficient Army, nearly half a million strong, guarded our left bank and thus kept open our only line of retreat to the sea. Suddenly, without prior consultation, with the least possible notice, without the advice of his ministers and upon his own personal act, he sent a plenipotentiary to the German Command, surrendered his Army and exposed our whole flank and means of retreat."<ref>[[Jean Stengers]], ''Léopold III et le gouvernement'', Duculot, Gembloux, 1980, p. 28. ISBN 2-8011-0282-4{{Please check ISBN|reason=Check digit (4) does not correspond to calculated figure.}}. The text is quoted in French in this book but the original text{{Citation needed|date=September 2009}} is quoted here.</ref>}} In 1949, Churchill's comments about the events of May 1940 were published in ''[[Le Soir]]'' (12 February 1949). Leopold's former secretary sent a letter to Churchill saying that Churchill was wrong. Churchill sent a copy of this letter to the King's brother, the Regent Prince Charles, via his secretary André de Staercke. In his own letter Churchill wrote, {{cquote|With regards to King Leopold, the words which I used at the time in the House of Commons are upon record and after careful consideration I do not see any reason to change them (...) it seemed to me and many others that the King should have been guided by the advice of his Ministers and should not have favoured a course which identified the capitulation of the [[Belgian Army]] with the submission of the Belgian State to Herr [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler]] and consequently taking them out of the war. Happily this evil was averted, and in the end, all came right. I need scarcely say that nothing I said at the time could be interpreted as a reflection upon the personal courage or honour of King Leopold."<ref>Churchill's letter to de Saercke, quoted in English in André de Staercke, ''Tout cela a passé comme une ombre, Mémoires sur la Régence et la Question royale'', Preface of [[Jean Stengers]], Racine, Bruxelles, 2003, p. 279. ISBN 2-87386-316-1</ref>}} De Staercke replied that Churchill was right: "The Prince, Monsieur Spaak and I read your text, which states the precise truth and seems perfect to us."<ref>French ''Le Prince, Monsieur Spaak et moi-même avons lu (...) votre texte [qui] exprime l'exacte vérité, nous semble parfait.'' André de Staercke, ''Tout cela a passé comme une ombre, Mémoires sur la Régence et la Question royale'', Ibidem, p. 280.</ref> André de Staercke was one of the most important witnesses to the Belgian government's internal crisis of 1940. At his request, his memoirs about Prince Charles (which he wrote at Churchill's suggestion) were only published after de Staercke's death in 2003, with the help of, and a preface by, Belgian historian [[Jean Stengers]]. The memoir underlines the fact that while [[Baudouin of Belgium|King Baudouin of the Belgians]] generally did not like the people who opposed his father at the time of the Royal Question, de Staercke had become a friend of his. At the meal following the funeral of Prince Charles in June 1983, Baudouin placed de Staercke at his right.<ref>Preface of Jean Stengers of the book ''Tout cela a passé comme une ombre'', opus citatus, p. 15.</ref> Belgian historian Francis Balace wrote that capitulation was inevitable because the [[Belgian Army]] was not able to fight any longer against the German army.<ref>Francis Balace, ''Fors l'honneur. Ombres et clartés sur la capitulation belge'' in ''Jours de guerre'', n° 4, Bruxelles 1991, p. 5-50, ISBN 2-87193-137-2.</ref> Even Churchill admitted that their position was perilous: in a telegram to [[Field Marshal (United Kingdom)|Field Marshal]] [[John Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort|Lord Gort]] on 27 May, only one day before the Belgian capitulation, he wrote, "We are asking them to sacrifice themselves for us."<ref>Balace, opus citatus, p. 21.</ref> ===After the fall of France=== Upon Leopold's surrender, the government ministers left for exile, mostly in France. When France fell at the end of June 1940, several ministers sought to return to Belgium. They made an overture to Leopold but were rebuffed: {{cquote|Pierlot and his government saw that Western Europe had been conquered by the Germans completely and tried to make amends to their king. Would it be possible for them to return to Belgium and form a new government? Leopold showed his stubborn nature; he was insulted by his ministers... His reply was short: 'The situation of the King is unaltered; he does not engage in politics and does not receive politicians.'&nbsp;<ref name=royalarticles>[http://www.theroyalarticles.com/articles/34/1/Belgian-Royal-Question---the-Abdication-Crisis-of-King-Leopold-III-of-the-Belgians/Page1.html The Royal Articles]</ref>}} Because of the great popularity of the King, and the unpopularity of the civil government from the middle of 1940,<ref>Jean Stengers, Léopold III et le gouvernement, opus citatus, pages 199-128</ref> the government crisis persisted. ''The Royal Articles'' state: {{cquote|This refusal [of the King to reconcile with the ministers] left the ministers with no other option than to move to London, where they could continue their work representing the independent Belgium. From the time of their arrival in London, they were confident about an Allied victory and soon were treated with respect by the Allies.... Pierlot and Spaak helped to build Leopold's reputation as a heroic prisoner of war and even said that the Belgians should support their King. But they had no idea what Leopold was doing in [the Royal Palace at] Laeken. He refused to reply to their messages and stayed cool toward them. What was he doing in the castle? Was he collaborating, did he oppose the Germans, or had he decided to just shut his mouth and wait to see how things would go?<ref name="royalarticles"/>}} On 2 August 1940, several ministers conferred in [[Le Perthus]], in France near the Spanish border. Prime Minister Pierlot and Foreign Minister [[Paul-Henri Spaak]] were persuaded to go to London; but they were able to start only at the end of August, and could travel only via neutral Spain and Portugal. When they reached Spain, they were arrested and detained by the [[Francisco Franco|Franco]] regime; they arrived finally in London on 22 October. ===Meeting with Hitler=== Leopold rejected cooperation with the [[Nazis]] and refused to administer Belgium in accordance with their dictates, and the Germans implemented a military government. Leopold attempted to assert his authority as monarch and head of the Belgian government although he was a prisoner of the Germans. Despite his defiance of the Germans, the Belgian government-in-exile in London maintained that the King did not represent the Belgian government and was unable to reign. The Germans held him at first under [[house arrest]] at the [[Royal Palace of Laeken]] in Brussels. Having desired a meeting with [[Adolf Hitler]] since June 1940, Leopold III finally met with him on 19 November 1940. Leopold wanted Hitler to issue a public statement about Belgium's future independence. Hitler's vision of a [[Pre-1945 ideas on European unity#Impact of the Second World War|united Europe]] did not include independent countries within its borders.{{Citation needed|date=July 2013}} Hitler refused to speak about the independence of Belgium or issue a statement about it. In refusing to publish a statement, Hitler unintentionally preserved the King from being seen as cooperating with Germany, and thus engaged in treasonous acts, which would likely have obliged him to abdicate upon liberation of Belgium. "The [German] Chancellor saved the King two times."<ref>Jean Stengers, opus citatus, p. 161</ref> ===Second marriage=== On 11 September 1941, while a prisoner of the Germans, Leopold secretly married [[Lilian Baels]] in a religious ceremony that had no validity under [[Belgian law]], as Belgian law required a religious marriage to be preceded by a legal or [[civil marriage]]. On 6 December, they were married under [[civil law (legal system)|civil law]]. The reason for the out-of-order marriages was not made public, but they had a child seven months later, in June 1942. It would have been unacceptable for a King of the Belgians to have maintained an "unofficial" relationship with Lilian. [[Doctor (title)|Dr]] [[Jozef-Ernest Cardinal van Roey]], [[Archbishop of Mechelen]], wrote an open letter to parish priests throughout the country announcing Leopold's second marriage on December 7. The letter from the [[Cardinal (Catholicism)|Cardinal]] revealed that the King's new wife would be known as Princesse de Réthy, not Queen Lilian, and that any children they had would have no claim to the throne (though they would be Princes or Princesses of Belgium with the style [[Royal Highness]]). Leopold's new marriage damaged his reputation further in the eyes of many of his subjects. ===The ''Political Testament''=== [[File:Belgium 5 francs 1941 obverse.jpg|200px|thumb|The face of Leopold III on the [[5 francs (World War II Belgian coin)|zinc 5 franc coin]].]] The ministers made several efforts during the war to work out a suitable agreement with Leopold III. They sent Pierlot's son-in-law as an emissary to Leopold in January 1944, carrying a letter offering reconciliation from the Belgian government in exile. The letter never reached its destination, however, as the son-in-law was killed by the Germans en route. The ministers did not know what happened to either message or messenger, and assumed Leopold was ignoring them. Leopold wrote his ''Political Testament'' in January 1944 shortly after this failed attempt at reconciliation. The testament was to be published in case he was not in Belgium when Allied forces arrived. The testament, which had an imperious and negative tone, considered the potential Allied movement into Belgium an "occupation", not a "liberation". It gave no credit to the active Belgian resistance. The Belgian government in London did not like Leopold's demand that the government ministers involved in the 1940 crisis be exonerated. The Allies did not like Leopold's repudiation of the treaties concluded by the Belgian government-in-exile in London. The United States was particularly concerned about the economic treaty it had reached with the Belgian government in London that enabled them to obtain [[Belgian Congo|Congolese]] [[uranium]] for America's secret [[atom bomb]] program. The Belgian government did not publish the ''Political Testament'' and tried to ignore it, partly for fear of increased support for the [[Communist Party of Belgium|Belgian Communist party]]. When Pierlot and Spaak learned of its contents in September 1944, they were astonished and felt deceived by the king. According to André de Staercke, the Regent's Secretary, they were dismayed "in the face of so much blindness and awareness".<ref>In French: ''ils étaient dominés par la consternation devant tant d'aveuglement et d'inconscience'' André de Staercke, ''Tout cela a passé comme une ombre, Mémoires sur la Régence et la Question royale'', opus citatus p. 75.</ref> Churchill's reaction to the Testament: "It stinks."<ref>Jean Stengers, ''Léopold III et le gouvernement'', opus citatus, p. 176</ref> In a sentence inspired by a quote of [[Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord|Talleyrand]] about the Bourbons after the restoration of the French monarchy in 1815, Churchill declared: "He is like the [[Bourbons]], he has learned nothing and forgotten everything."<ref>Jean Stengers, ibidem</ref> ==Exile and abdication== <!-- box no template no longer exists? {|align=right |{{Infobox monarch styles |image=[[File:Coats of arms of Belgium Government.svg|50px]] |royal name=King Leopold III of the Belgians |dipstyle=[[Majesty|His Majesty]] |offstyle=Your Majesty |altstyle=Sire}} |} --> ===Deportation and exile=== In 1944, [[Heinrich Himmler]] ordered Leopold deported to Germany. Princess Liliane followed with the family in another car the following day under an [[SS]] armed guard. The [[Nazis]] held the family in a fort at [[Hirschstein]] in [[Saxony]] from June 1944 to March 1945, and then at [[Strobl]], Austria. The British and American governments worried about the return of the king. [[Charles W. Sawyer]], US Ambassador to Belgium, warned his government that an immediate return by the king to Belgium would "precipitate serious difficulties". "There are deep differences even in the Royal family and the situation holds dynamite for Belgium and perhaps for Europe".<ref>United States Department of State Records (USDSR), National Archives, 855.001 Leopold, Sawyer to Secretary of State Edward R. Stettinius, Mar. 29.1945.</ref> "The Foreign Office feared that an increasing minority in French-speaking Wallonia would demand either autonomy or annexation to France. Winant, the American Ambassador to the Court of Saint James's, reported a Foreign Office official's concern regarding irredentist propaganda in Wallonia."<ref>[http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:aq35wpppx6AJ:www.flwi.ugent.be/btng-rbhc/pdf/BTNG-RBHC,%252009,%25201978,%25201-2,%2520pp%2520001 Jonathan E. Helmreich, Dean of Instruction (Allegheny College), United States Policy and the Belgian Royal Question (March - October, 1945)]</ref> and that "the French Ambassador in Brussels... is believed to have connived in the spreading of this propaganda".<ref>USDSR Ibidem, Winant to Stettinius, 26 May 1945. J. E. Hemelreich adds "There is no further mention in the file of any alleged French activities".</ref> Leopold and his companions were freed by members of the United States [[106th Cavalry Group (United States)|106th Cavalry Group]] in early May 1945. Because of the controversy about his conduct during the war, Leopold III and his wife and children were unable to return to Belgium and spent the next six years in exile at [[Pregny-Chambésy]] near [[Geneva]], Switzerland. A regency under his brother [[Prince Charles of Belgium|Prince Charles]] had been established by the Legislature in 1944. ===Resistance to Leopold's return=== Van den Dungen, the rector of the [[Université Libre de Bruxelles]] wrote to Leopold on 25 June 1945 about concerns for serious disorder in [[Wallonia]], "The question is not if the accusations against you are right or not [but that...] You are no more a symbol of the Belgian unity."<ref>Dutch ''Het is niet de vraag of de aantijgingen die tegen U werden ingebracht terecht zijn [''maar dat...''] U niet langer een symbool is voor de Belgish eenheid.'' Velaers en Van Goethem ''Leopold III'', Lannooo, Tielt, 1994 ISBN 90-209-2387-0,p. 955</ref> Gillon, the President of the Belgian Senate, told the king that there was a threat of serious disorder: "If there are only ten or twenty people killed, the situation would become terrible for the King.".<ref>Dutch ''Al vielen er maar tien of twintig doden, de situatie van de koning zou vlug vreselijk worden'' Velaers en Van Goethem, opus citatus, p. 968</ref> The President of the [[Belgian Chamber of Representatives]], [[Frans Van Cauwelaert]], was concerned that there would be a [[General strike]] in Wallonia and revolt in [[Liège (city)|Liège]]. He wrote, "The country is not able to put down the disorders because of the insufficient forces of the police and a lack of weapons."<ref>Dutch ''Het land zou de ontlusten niet kunnen bedwingen wegens een ontoereikende politie macht een een tekort aan wapens.'' Velaers and Van Goethem, opus citatus, p. 969</ref> In 1946, a commission of inquiry exonerated Leopold of treason. Nonetheless, controversy concerning his loyalty continued, and in 1950, a referendum was held about his future. Fifty-seven per cent of the voters favoured his return. The divide between Leopoldists and anti-Leopoldists ran along the lines of socialists and Walloons who were mostly opposed (42% favourable votes in Wallonia) and Christian Democrats and Flemings who were more in favour of the King (70% favourable votes in Flanders). ==General strike of 1950== [[File:Flag of Wallonia.svg|right|thumb|75px|right|On 31 July 1950, after the fusillade of [[Grâce-Berleur]], [[Liège (city)|Liège]] and other municipalities of [[Wallonia]] replaced the Belgian flag with the Walloon flag]] {{Main|Royal Question}} On his return to Belgium in 1950, Leopold was met with one of the most violent [[General strike against Leopold III of Belgium|general strikes]] in the [[history of Belgium]]. Three protesters were killed when the [[gendarmerie]] opened automatic fire upon the protesters. The country stood on the brink of civil war, and [[Flag of Belgium|Belgian banners]] were replaced by [[Flag of Wallonia|Walloon flags]] in [[Liège (city)|Liège]] and other municipalities of [[Wallonia]].<ref>Philippe Destatte, ''L'Identité wallonne'', Institut Destrée, Charleroi, 1997, p.235 ISBN 2-87035-000-7</ref> To avoid tearing the country apart, and to preserve the monarchy, Leopold decided on 1 August 1950 to withdraw in favour of his 20-year-old son [[Baudouin of Belgium|Baudouin]]. His abdication took effect on 16 July 1951, though in reality the government had already forced the issue on 1 August 1950. In this ''postponed abdication''<ref>Jules Gérard-Libois, José Gotovitch, ''Leopold III, De l'an 40 à l'effacement'', Pol-His, Bruxelles, 1991, pp. 304-306. ISBN 2-87311-005-8</ref> the king was, in effect, forced by the government of [[Jean Duvieusart]] to offer to abdicate in favour of his son.<ref>Els Witte, Jan Craeybeckx, Alain Meynen, ''Political History of Belgium: From 1830 Onwards'', spoke about a ''forced abdication'', Academic and Scentific Publishers, Brussels, 2009, p. 244. ISBN 978-90-5487-517-8.</ref> ==Post abdication life== Leopold and his wife continued to advise King Baudouin until the latter's marriage in 1960. Some Belgian historians, such as Vincent Delcorps, speak of there having been a "[[dyarchy]]" during this period.<ref>''La Couronne et la rose, Baudouin et le monde socialiste 1950-1974'', Le Cri, Brussels, 2010 ISBN 978-2-87106-537-1</ref> In retirement, he followed his passion as an amateur social [[anthropologist]] and [[entomologist]] and travelled the world. He went, for instance, to [[Senegal]] and strongly criticized the French decolonization process, and he explored the Orinoco and the Amazon with [[Heinrich Harrer]].<ref>[http://www.play4me.com.au/product/beyond_seven_years_in_tibet_2211122_550559.html Beyond seven years in Tibet]</ref> Leopold died in 1983 at [[Woluwe-Saint-Lambert]] (''Sint-Lambrechts-Woluwe''). He is interred next to Queen Astrid (and also later his second wife, The Princess de Réthy was interred with them) in the royal vault at the [[Church of Our Lady of Laeken]]. ==Titles and styles== * ''His Royal Highness'' Prince Leopold of Belgium (1901–1909) * ''His Royal Highness'' The Duke of Brabant (1909–1934) * ''His Majesty'' The King of the Belgians (1934–1951) * ''His Majesty'' King Leopold III (after abdication in 1951–death) ==Ancestry== {{Ahnentafel top|width=100%}} {{Ahnentafel-compact5 | style = font-size: 90%; line-height: 110%; | border = 1 | boxstyle = padding-top: 0; padding-bottom: 0; | boxstyle_1 = background-color: #fcc; | boxstyle_2 = background-color: #fb9; | boxstyle_3 = background-color: #ffc; | boxstyle_4 = background-color: #bfc; | boxstyle_5 = background-color: #9fe; | 1 = 1. '''Leopold III of Belgium''' | 2 = 2. [[Albert I of Belgium]] | 3 = 3. [[Elisabeth of Bavaria (1876–1965)|Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria]] | 4 = 4. [[Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders]] | 5 = 5. [[Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen]] | 6 = 6. [[Duke Karl-Theodor in Bavaria]] | 7 = 7. [[Infanta Maria Josepha of Portugal]] | 8 = 8. [[Leopold I of Belgium]] | 9 = 9. [[Louise d'Orléans (1812–1850)|Princess Louise-Marie of Orléans]] | 10 = 10. [[Charles Anthony, Prince of Hohenzollern]] | 11 = 11. [[Princess Josephine of Baden]] | 12 = 12. [[Duke Maximilian Joseph in Bavaria]] | 13 = 13. [[Princess Ludovika of Bavaria]] | 14 = 14. [[Miguel of Portugal]] | 15 = 15. [[Adelaide of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg|Princess Adelaide of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg]] | 16 = 16. [[Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld]] | 17 = 17. [[Countess Augusta Reuss of Ebersdorf]] | 18 = 18. [[Louis-Philippe I, King of the French]] | 19 = 19. [[Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily|Princess Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily]] | 20 = 20. [[Charles, Prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen]] | 21 = 21. [[Marie Antoinette Murat]] | 22 = 22. [[Karl, Grand Duke of Baden]] | 23 = 23. [[Stéphanie de Beauharnais]] | 24 = 24. [[Duke Pius August in Bavaria]] | 25 = 25. [[Princess Amélie Louise of Arenberg]] | 26 = 26. [[Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria]] | 27 = 27. [[Caroline of Baden|Princess Caroline of Baden]] | 28 = 28. [[John VI of Portugal]] | 29 = 29. [[Charlotte of Spain|Infanta Carlota Joaquina of Spain]] | 30 = 30. [[Constantine, Hereditary Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg]] | 31 = 31. [[Princess Agnes of Hohenlohe-Langenburg]] }}</center> {{Ahnentafel bottom}} ==See also== * [[Crown Council of Belgium]] * [[Kings of Belgium family tree]] * [[Royal Trust (Belgium)|Royal Trust]] ==References== * [[Jean Stengers]], ''Léopold III et le gouvernement: les deux politiques belges de 1940''. Duculot, 1980 * [http://www.ethesis.net/stripverhalen/stripverhalen_deel_3.htm War Controversy (in Dutch)] * [http://home.scarlet.be/be074683/princesse_lilian.htm Princess Lilian, his second wife (in French)] ==Notes== {{Reflist|2}} ==External links== {{commons|Leopold III of Belgium}} * [http://www.monarchie.be/history/leopold-iii Official biography from the Belgian Royal Family website] {{s-start}} {{S-hou|[[House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]]|3 November|1901|25 September|1983|[[House of Wettin]]}} {{S-reg}} {{S-bef|before=[[Albert I of Belgium|Albert I]]}} {{S-ttl|title=[[List of Belgian monarchs|King of the Belgians]]|years=1934–1951}} {{S-aft|after=[[Baudouin of Belgium|Baudouin]]}} {{S-break}} {{S-roy|be}} {{S-break}} {{S-vac|last=[[Prince Leopold, Duke of Brabant|Leopold]]}} {{S-ttl|title=[[Duke of Brabant]]|years=1909–1934}} {{S-aft|rows=1|after=[[Baudouin of Belgium|Baudouin]]}} {{S-end}} {{Belgian princes}} {{Princes of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha}} {{Belgian monarchs}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2011}} {{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. --> | NAME = Leopold 03 Of Belgium | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | SHORT DESCRIPTION = monarch | DATE OF BIRTH = 3 November 1901 | PLACE OF BIRTH = [[Brussels]], Belgium | DATE OF DEATH = 25 September 1983 | PLACE OF DEATH = [[Woluwe-Saint-Lambert]], Belgium }} {{DEFAULTSORT:Leopold 03 Of Belgium}} [[Category:1901 births]] [[Category:1983 deaths]] [[Category:People from Brussels]] [[Category:Belgian monarchs]] [[Category:Roman Catholic monarchs]] [[Category:Princes of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]] [[Category:Monarchs who abdicated]] [[Category:House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Belgium)]] [[Category:Dukes of Brabant]] [[Category:Belgian royal princes]] [[Category:Belgian military personnel of World War I]] [[Category:Belgian people of World War II]] [[Category:World War II political leaders]] [[Category:Allied occupation of Europe]] [[Category:Belgian entomologists]] [[Category:Burials at the Church of Our Lady of Laeken]] <!-- Orders and honours : Belgium --> [[Category:Grand Cordons of the Order of Leopold (Belgium)]] [[Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of the African Star]] [[Category:Grand Crosses of the Royal Order of the Lion]] [[Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of the Crown (Belgium)]] [[Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of Leopold II]] <!-- Orders and honours --> [[Category:Knights of the Order of the Most Holy Annunciation]] [[Category:Recipients of the Royal Victorian Chain]] [[Category:Knights of the Golden Fleece]] [[Category:Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order]] [[Category:Knights of Malta|Leopold III of Belgium]] [[Category:Bailiffs Grand Cross of the Order of St John]] [[Category:Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Poland)]] [[Category:Extra Knights Companion of the Garter]] [[Category:Knights Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of St. Olav]] [[Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of Christ (Portugal)|3]] [[Category:People educated at Eton College]]'