July
22, 1950
Leopold
III returns to Belgium
King Leopold III of Belgium returned home for the
first time since surrendering the nation to Nazi German invaders ten years
earlier. Arriving with Prime Minister Jean
Duvieusart at the Haren military airport, Leopold addressed the nation
by radio later in the day.
On his return to Belgium, Leopold was met with one of the
most violent 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 Belgian banners were replaced by Walloon
flags in Liège and other municipalities of Wallonia.[23]
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 Crown Prince Baudouin His abdication took
effect on 16 July 1951, though in reality the government had already forced the
issue on 1 August 1950.
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, 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.
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