tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56661147169554898832024-03-19T01:03:58.398-04:00The Cross of LaekenDedicated to the monarchs of Belgium, and other topics of historical, cultural, human, political, and religious interest.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1022125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5666114716955489883.post-88625426983851977142020-09-11T09:09:00.001-04:002020-09-11T18:04:56.296-04:00Wedding of Leopold & Lilian<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfSKtazlRjYllgwY-QGeHeQy_855-G4ZjVytIssmlQagOIIMgi1-hpM_SrQogDDyItDQ3jrUKRFJdneH2vWwxcX6CdIOrvh1v1OTOVpw6VsgqmOJvaH87PtHnHZFByBgp53mxtLxky0z0/s1600-h/Leopold+et+Lilian.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380211982992345346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfSKtazlRjYllgwY-QGeHeQy_855-G4ZjVytIssmlQagOIIMgi1-hpM_SrQogDDyItDQ3jrUKRFJdneH2vWwxcX6CdIOrvh1v1OTOVpw6VsgqmOJvaH87PtHnHZFByBgp53mxtLxky0z0/s400/Leopold+et+Lilian.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 350px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 253px;" /></a>Today marks the anniversary of the religious marriage of Leopold III, King of the Belgians and Miss Mary-Lilian Baels. Early in the morning of September 11, 1941, the couple exchanged wedding vows in the chapel of Laeken Castle. Six years after the tragic loss of his first wife, Queen Astrid, Leopold's days of solitude were finally over. The ceremony was secret, witnessed only by Cardinal van Roey, Archbishop of Malines and Primate of Belgium, Queen Mother Elisabeth, Lilian's father, Henri Baels, and one of the King's old friends, the Abbé de Schuytenaere (several were smuggled in through a hidden door). Lilian was privileged to wear Queen Elisabeth's own bridal veil. <br />
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</div><div>After the marriage, the witnesses celebrated with a quiet breakfast. The same day, Leopold and Lilian planted a weeping willow at Laeken. The tree was eventually transplanted to Argenteuil, where, tall and strong, it would continue to symbolize the permanence and endurance of a great love. Queen Elisabeth also gave the newlyweds her log cabin at Laeken. (It had originally been a Canadian gift to King Albert I). Leopold and Lilian would find refuge there throughout the dark years of the war. <br /></div><div><br /></div><div>At first, however, Lilian obviously could not spend all her time at Laeken, if the marriage was to be kept secret. In fact, a letter, dated October 6, 1941, exists from Elisabeth to Lilian, quoted by Michel Verwilghen in <i>Le mythe d'Argenteuil. </i>The Queen (oddly enough, in broken English) pleads with her son's bride to pay a visit...</div><div></div><blockquote><div>My dearest little Lilly,</div><div><br />
</div><div>I telephoned to L. he is still here...Don't leave him alone too long. I am sure you' be both start with renewed love clearer and stronger. I kiss you dear, with all my heart.</div></blockquote><div></div><div>The King's second marriage would only become public knowledge in December, 1941, following the civil wedding of Leopold and Lilian. By this time, Lilian was expecting her first child, Alexandre, and, infamously, opponents of Leopold would later claim that the whole story of the September wedding was a lie concocted by the royal family and Cardinal van Roey to cover up the bride's pregnancy. Alternately, the King was blamed for reversing the normal order, prescribed by Belgian law, of the civil and religious ceremonies. For Leopold and Lilian, however, as for countless other Belgian Catholic couples, all that really mattered was the religious wedding...<br />
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References:<br />
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Cleeremans, Jean. <i>Léopold III, sa famille, son peuple sous l'occupation.</i><br />
Désiré, Claude and Marcel Jullian. <i>Un couple dans la tempête. </i><br />
Esmeralda, Princess of Belgium. <i>Léopold III, mon père. </i><br />
Keyes, Roger. <i>Echec au Roi. Léopold III, 1940-1951.</i><br />
Verwilghen, Michel. <i>Le mythe d'Argenteuil: demeure d'un couple royal.</i></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5666114716955489883.post-12248326873368123202020-08-29T15:31:00.002-04:002020-08-29T15:31:33.460-04:00Koningin Astrid van België (1935)<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/y5oQAHLFF_U" width="480"></iframe><br /><br />
In commemoration of the 85th anniversary of the death of Queen Astrid, wife of King Leopold III, mother of King Baudouin, King Albert II, and grandmother of King Philippe, here is a short Dutch film featuring a few of the high points in her brief time as Queen consort. We see the accession of King Leopold III on February 23, 1934, the christening of Prince Albert, Queen Astrid performing charitable works as part of a Relief Committee, King Leopold and Queen Astrid at the baptism of the daughter of the Count of Paris, and a royal visit to Liege. <div><br /></div><div><a href="https://crossoflaeken.blogspot.com/2009/08/in-memoriam-astrid-queen-of-belgians.html">Here is this blog's article on the tragic death of Queen Astrid.</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5666114716955489883.post-91257337267522006992020-08-12T01:00:00.003-04:002020-08-12T01:59:44.063-04:00Another Albert and Elisabeth of Belgium<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5QpxkmsBF6POWDP5eoCBM0TLwpmFc9gETZve8GvTYW-RgpBTq9Fk-U489lsE01YumtEugFrzpGLPXL3VHepdwbElH6eRRvSnIUFWIiWXUTd2SFwOg6kmC7IuD-lDDRcIM3KG1CmHhJcw/s607/Infanta_Isabella_Clara_Eugenia%252C_Sovereign_of_the_Netherlands.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="607" data-original-width="499" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5QpxkmsBF6POWDP5eoCBM0TLwpmFc9gETZve8GvTYW-RgpBTq9Fk-U489lsE01YumtEugFrzpGLPXL3VHepdwbElH6eRRvSnIUFWIiWXUTd2SFwOg6kmC7IuD-lDDRcIM3KG1CmHhJcw/w329-h400/Infanta_Isabella_Clara_Eugenia%252C_Sovereign_of_the_Netherlands.jpg" width="329" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Infanta Isabel Clara Eugenia</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>Here are some articles on <a href="https://www.monstrousregimentofwomen.com/2015/09/isabel-clara-eugenia-regent-of.html" target="">the life of Isabel Clara Eugenia, the daughter of Philip II of Spain who became the ruler of the Spanish Netherlands.</a> With her husband, Archduke Albert of Austria, she consolidated the victory of the Counter-Reformation in the future Kingdom of Belgium. Hundreds of years later, <a href="https://www.behindthename.com/name/isabel">Isabel</a> became an inspiration to her namesake, <a href="https://crossoflaeken.blogspot.com/2009/01/talk-with-queen.html">Elisabeth of Bavaria, Queen of the Belgians, the consort of King Albert I. </a></p><p></p><p></p><blockquote><p></p><p>In March of 1588, the ministers of Henry III of France, his contemporary, announced that King Philip was "mad": "The grand chancellor assured his awed dinner guests in Paris that while Philip's councillors debated state affairs, his eldest daughter, Isabel, was signing documents and in control of government." </p><p></p><p>This "scandalous" announcement derived from reports made by Philip's ambassador in Paris, who had told the French king's mother, Catherine de' Medici, about the significance of Isabel's role in her father's government. Rumors were also spreading in Spain that, if Philip were "incapacitated," it would be Isabel who would "take control of the government" of her father's kingdom, and not her half-brother Philip III.</p><p>Her potential to function for her father as a "regent" had been noted as early as 1574, when an eight-year-old Isabel was suggested as regent of the Netherlands. She obviously would have been a figurehead then, but from an early age she had been extremely close to her father, who had played a "direct role" in raising her and her sister Catherine Michelle. </p><p>Isabel, in particular, had emulated her father, and he had allowed her "to take part in his office work." By 1586, she was able to be a significant help and adviser to her father; she "read him the letters and despatches he had to deal with, adding her suggestions on how they should be answered." He "even gave her access to the most important papers of state."<a href="https://www.monstrousregimentofwomen.com/2015/09/isabel-clara-eugenia-regent-of.html">(Read more)</a></p></blockquote><p></p><p><a href="https://jhna.org/articles/solomonic-ambitions-isabel-clara-eugenia-rubens-triumph-of-the-eucharist-tapestry-series/">Here is an article on Isabel, the Counter-Reformation, and Rubens' series of tapestries on the <i>Triumph of the Eucharist.</i></a></p><p></p><blockquote><p>The portrait, which is today known only through copies and prints, has neither accompanying drapery, nor architecture, nor even any accessory, except for the rosary that hangs from her simple rope belt, thereby emphasizing her piety and spiritual authority. Rubens enhanced this concept by lightening the area around Isabel’s head as if she were radiating a divine glow. Barbara Welzel has noted that this halolike aura conveys Isabel’s majesty and plays with her second name, Clara, which in Spanish can mean light, thus visualizing a connection between the infanta and her moniker. An engraving after the painting with an inscription by Jan Gaspar Gevartius provides deeper specificity of meaning: (fig. 13)</p><p></p><blockquote>of the imperial dynasty and daughter of Philip II, is praised as the jewel of Spain and the salvation of Belgium. She is the prudence of just war, the honor of chaste peace, and the love of religion. She was crowned with the oak wreath after capturing Breda, bringing the longed-for peace to Belgium, the peace it had sought in the rays of the shining Isabella.</blockquote><p></p><p>The text unmistakably credits the infanta for the victory at Breda by calling her the “jewel of Spain and the salvation of Belgium” and the one responsible for capturing the town. That the peace was also sought in her shining rays of light further links the victory to her spirituality and heavenly empowerment. The centrality of this sentiment surfaces in the divine eye of Providence that Rubens illustrated at the top of the portrait print, above the inscription “providentia augusta ut serves vincis” (You conquer because you serve sublime Providence). The symbol of God’s guidance and intervention, the eye presides over two supple putti who crown the infanta with “the oak wreath after capturing Breda,” a wreath, which, in Roman tradition, was awarded to those who had liberated their fellow man from a subjection imposed by the enemy. The wreath, thus, came to symbolically identify the person thus crowned as a savior. This image reinforces the notion that God watches over Isabel, and, through the spiritual authority he invested in her, helped her combat his enemies at Breda to secure the victory and bring “the longed-for peace to Belgium.” (<a href="https://jhna.org/articles/solomonic-ambitions-isabel-clara-eugenia-rubens-triumph-of-the-eucharist-tapestry-series/">Read more)</a></p></blockquote><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpwRpR6u8WJAgAGG2t2zkS92lEdset0hZipxfQfSQUw4z_yRvW_pRgC3oNWKdjj8KxsLal3jE8E-GN4n_4kcJvCNU6WCYKUKIll1bSaVHuK4MVUcJmpXHbPLFI3vNzqIF4pjDIxyVFGrs/s1745/Landvoogden_Albrecht_en_Isabella_van_Oostenrijk.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1745" data-original-width="836" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpwRpR6u8WJAgAGG2t2zkS92lEdset0hZipxfQfSQUw4z_yRvW_pRgC3oNWKdjj8KxsLal3jE8E-GN4n_4kcJvCNU6WCYKUKIll1bSaVHuK4MVUcJmpXHbPLFI3vNzqIF4pjDIxyVFGrs/s640/Landvoogden_Albrecht_en_Isabella_van_Oostenrijk.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Isabel with her husband, Albert</span></td></tr></tbody></table> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiffWF-ZfgbppiWcWe9znzCrgRFFykcqKGMVgWrak-O4hJrVFv_-K0YfPf8dMljK1hZ7DJ_QpKFiw6sk3Y-S22Vgazh2GVKxhg8ajL59zgijI3utU493A5OTf83viGLvRbKwiE5pVWNSUQ/s1390/Verlovingsfoto_-Hertog_van_Brabant.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1390" data-original-width="1012" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiffWF-ZfgbppiWcWe9znzCrgRFFykcqKGMVgWrak-O4hJrVFv_-K0YfPf8dMljK1hZ7DJ_QpKFiw6sk3Y-S22Vgazh2GVKxhg8ajL59zgijI3utU493A5OTf83viGLvRbKwiE5pVWNSUQ/s640/Verlovingsfoto_-Hertog_van_Brabant.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Engagement of the future King Albert I and Queen Elisabeth of the Belgians</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5666114716955489883.post-67999419162124834692020-08-11T01:00:00.005-04:002020-08-11T01:02:38.619-04:00Travels with a Curator: Charterhouse, Bruges<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/940hPVXpuKU" width="480"></iframe><br /><br />A presentation by Xavier F. Salomon of the Frick Collection of a beautiful painting, “The Virgin and Child with St. Barbara, St. Elizabeth, and Jan Vos,” by Jan van Eyck, commissioned by Jan Vos, the prior of the Charterhouse of Bruges. <div><br /></div><div>As others have commented, there is a theological error in the explanation of the Catholic doctrine of Purgatory provided in the video; souls in Purgatory can only be destined for Heaven, not Hell. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5666114716955489883.post-55008459276673187382020-08-10T01:00:00.002-04:002020-08-10T01:00:06.156-04:00Levina Teerlinc<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Sl9kSW0tnZ8" width="480"></iframe><br /><br />
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A presentation by Claire Ridgway on a Flemish-born artist of the Tudor court.<br /><br />
More <a href="https://artherstory.net/levina-teerlinc/">HERE.</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5666114716955489883.post-57978446041079079312020-08-09T17:43:00.001-04:002020-08-09T17:43:20.648-04:00Agnus Dei - Samuel Barber LIVE<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fRL447oDId4" width="480"></iframe><br /><br />
A haunting performance by the Vlaams Radiokoor of Belgium.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5666114716955489883.post-84441722884275795472019-12-07T00:00:00.000-05:002019-12-07T15:38:16.754-05:00The Social Reforms of Queen Astrid<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrsfujita/2946139449/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Königin Astrid von Belgien, Queen of Belgium by Miss Mertens, on Flickr"><img alt="Königin Astrid von Belgien, Queen of Belgium" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3043/2946139449_61aa6b8980.jpg" height="400" width="281" /></a></div>
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In <i><a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=ClDbWG8ZMWsC&lpg=PP3&ots=ltTi4SQ79P&dq=astrid%201905-1935&pg=PA103#v=onepage&q=social&f=false">Astrid:1905-1935</a></i>, a collection of essays edited by Christian Koninckx, Louise-Marie Libert-Vandenhove gives an interesting description of the young Queen's engagement in social causes (see especially pp. 103-115). Astrid took a special interest in the improvement of conditions for women and children. Although she was no militant suffragette, she contributed to the movement for greater freedom and independence for women in her own discreet, delicate and non-confrontational way. She was a reformer, not a revolutionary.</div>
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Libert-Vandenhove describes the difficult conditions for women, particularly those of the poorer classes, at the time Astrid arrived in Belgium. The more traditionally minded strata of society simply expected women to be content with their lot as wives and mothers, legally and politically subordinate to men, forever minors in law, ineligible to vote or run for office in national elections. The universities of Brussels, Ghent and Liège only opened their doors to women in the 1880's. At the dawn of the twentieth century, i<a href="http://www.rosadoc.be/site/rosa/english/pdf/factsheetsenglish/02.pdf">t was still quite hard for girls to pursue higher education </a>or an interesting profession outside the home. </div>
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Even at the outset of World War I, as Dr. Patrick Loodts has noted on his wonderful website, <i><a href="http://www.1914-1918.be/">Médecins de la Grande Guerre</a>,</i> nursing as a career was still in its infancy in Belgium as it was considered scandalous for women to provide physical care to men outside their families. The Catholic University of Louvain only began admitting female students in 1920, just six years before Astrid's marriage to the heir to the Belgian throne. A emerging feminist movement had been gaining strength since the return of peace, but it was still widely frowned upon.</div>
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Many children were also suffering, particularly among the financially disadvantaged. A doting mother herself, Astrid was clearly distressed by the poor living conditions and high mortality rates of many infants and children, not only in Belgium but in the Belgian Congo and the Far East. <a href="http://crossoflaeken.blogspot.com/2009/10/prince-leopold-princess-astrid-in-congo.html">In her memoirs, her friend Anna Sparre describes the heartfelt letters, discussing the topic, that the Queen sent her during her visits to Singapore in 1932 and the Congo in 1933</a>. </div>
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Although not particularly an intellectual woman, Libert-Vandenhove observes, Astrid was gifted with intelligence, realism and intuition. (Her husband's second wife, Princess Lilian, with her passionate interests in science, history, literature and philosophy, her creation of a kind of cultural <i>salon</i> at Argenteuil, was much more of a real intellectual, I always think). Above all, Astrid was blessed with a kind, gentle, sensitive disposition. These qualities, I believe, enabled her to maintain a delicate balance in promoting social change without trying to tear society apart. Aside from the fact that espousing radical feminism would have been politically disastrous for the Queen, it would simply never have occurred to her to encourage Belgian women to throw off their role as wives and mothers. She herself was first and foremost a loving wife and mother. She sought, however, to render women's lives as wives and mothers fruitful rather than oppressive. </div>
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As Libert-Vandenhove describes in detail, Astrid was always a gracious patroness of causes promoting the good of women along with the good of their children. She was particularly interested in training women formally in childrearing and healthcare, as she herself had been trained as a young princess in Sweden. These programs had the double benefit of improving children's health while offering women better career opportunities. Astrid also tried to further the education of women in other fields. With her love of fashion, for example, she supported the training of young girls as dressmakers.<a href="http://crossoflaeken.blogspot.com/2011/07/conversion-of-queen-astrid.html"> A sincerely religious lady,</a> she tended to favor Catholic charitable institutions, such as the professional school for girls run by the Sisters of St. Vincent de Paul. At the same time, she was open-minded enough to support, in addition, some more liberal organizations, such as the non-sectarian <i>Fédération des Foyers Belges. </i>She gave audiences to advocates of women's rights such as Baroness Boël, President of the National Council of Belgian Women. </div>
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Astrid's concern for the vulnerable was deep and intense. She appeared at so many events in support of so many causes that it might seem that her involvement must have been superficial, merely a matter of protocol. Such a notion would be far from the truth. In fact, the Queen's interest moved her to insist personally on in-depth investigations of matters close to her heart. In May 1935, for instance, she patronized Milk Week, an effort to encourage Belgians to drink this healthful beverage. She took the opportunity to charge Gatien du Parc, one of her courtiers, with the task of preparing a detailed report on milk regulations in foreign countries. The investigation was extremely painstaking. </div>
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Three months later, Astrid's tragic death in a car accident in Switzerland would deprive her family and nation of her maternal care. We can only guess, but can never know, how her gentle, caring but firm approach to social crises might have alleviated Belgian traumas during World War II and the Royal Question. </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5666114716955489883.post-57550727993043810892019-12-06T22:55:00.000-05:002019-12-07T15:36:22.431-05:00The Queen Who Never Was<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today is the anniversary of the civil wedding of Leopold III and Lilian Baels. The ceremony took place on December 6, 1941, less than three months after the couple's secret, religious wedding in the chapel of Laeken. Lilian was already expecting her first child, Prince Alexandre, who would be born in July, 1942. Leopold and Lilian had reversed the normal order, prescribed by the Belgian Constitution, of the civil and religious wedding ceremonies, and the King would later be severely castigated for this violation of the law. Given the bizarre, difficult circumstances, however, the irregularity was understandable. The King was a prisoner of war; the country was occupied by the Nazis, who might not even permit a royal marriage to take place. The government, whose approval was needed for a dynastic union, was in exile in London. The suffering Belgians might resent their King's idyll. By opting, initially, for a simply sacramental marriage, the couple had hoped to conceal their union until the return of peace. The bride's pregnancy, however, made it impossible. </div>
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Yet, amidst war and occupation, in the government's absence, the King did not think it appropriate to impose a new Queen and new royal heirs upon the country. As Cardinal van Roey, Archbishop of Malines, emphasized in his pastoral letter of December 6, 1941, Lilian herself had renounced the title and rank of Queen. In a similar vein, the King drew up a document, declaring his desire that none of the descendants of his second marriage should have the right to succeed to the throne. By contrast, his new bride and their children should have the right to all of his other ancestral titles; Royal Highness, Prince and Princess of Belgium, Duke and Duchess of Saxony, Prince and Princess of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. </div>
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In constitutional terms, however, Leopold and Lilian lacked the authority, on their own, to decide matters of regal status and succession. Accordingly, the King added: "As soon as my liberty as a Sovereign is restored to me, I will ask the Government of the time to realize my intentions legally." Strangely, the King's intentions would not be realized legally for fifty years. During a constitutional revision in 1991, Prime Minister Wilfried Martens would finally clarify the issue, officially stating that the offspring of Leopold and Lilian had no rights to the throne.<br />
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After the civil ceremony, the King introduced his three eldest children, Princess Josephine-Charlotte, Prince Baudouin, and Prince Albert to their new step-mother. The children adored the beautiful, clever, vivacious young woman and immediately started calling her <i>maman. </i>By all accounts, it was the beginning of nearly twenty years of a close, tender family life, happily restored after the tragedy of Queen Astrid's death. The Queen Mother, Elisabeth of Bavaria, was also very fond of Lilian.<br />
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Outside the gates of Laeken, news of the wedding provoked mixed reactions. Some Belgians reproached Leopold for considering his personal happiness at a time of national disaster, others sympathized with his situation, sending flowers and congratulations to the palace. Unfortunately, however, the marriage would prove to be an important tool in the hands of the King's political opponents, particularly after the war. Princess Lilian of Belgium was viciously vilified, by politicians and journalists bent upon toppling her husband, as the maleficent beauty behind the throne, as a veritable Whore of Babylon! </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5666114716955489883.post-12574007300733635212019-12-01T00:30:00.000-05:002019-12-07T15:48:01.941-05:00Berthe Petit<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4HoVqNgjgO8PDxhDqz_8iRb2XzBYDnsR3Bw7Gr8hBfnXz0SZLqe4lBqiFVtJc-zGjo8yF_rpRR8C9rxFILa9WiHMOTDl-_ljEDZAr7wbii5Gst6wYdklw-OhGWqPrd4lKxfECuQLgp3E/s1600-h/320_53220.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348767265978255618" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4HoVqNgjgO8PDxhDqz_8iRb2XzBYDnsR3Bw7Gr8hBfnXz0SZLqe4lBqiFVtJc-zGjo8yF_rpRR8C9rxFILa9WiHMOTDl-_ljEDZAr7wbii5Gst6wYdklw-OhGWqPrd4lKxfECuQLgp3E/s320/320_53220.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 320px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 236px;" /></a>Berthe Petit (1870-1943) was a Belgian Franciscan tertiary, mystic, stigmatist and apostle of devotion to the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary. She was born in Enghien, the daughter of pious parents. She was a delicate child, and, throughout her life, suffered many illnesses, causing her to receive the Last Rites seven times. From the age of four, she believed she experienced visions of Christ and the Blessed Mother. These recurred throughout her life, centering on her chief mission- to obtain the consecration of the world to the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary. Berthe was always respected by the ecclesiastical authorities. As far as I know, the Church has never found anything contrary to the Catholic Faith in her revelations. <br />
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Berthe was born into a family of comfortable means; her father was a prosperous attorney. Deeply devout, Berthe longed to become a Sister of Charity, but it was not to be. During her youth, her father suffered severe financial reversals and Berthe was obliged to work to help support her family. She offered her disappointment as a sacrifice for the sanctification of a priest of God's choice. This proved to be Father Louis Décorsant, a French priest who became one of her spiritual directors and close collaborators. </div>
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Berthe's life was marked by physical and spiritual suffering. At the age of 10, after her First Communion, she told her teacher, a nun: "I must suffer a great deal, I must be like Jesus." The nun asked: "who told you that?" The child replied: "the little Host which is my wonderful Jesus." In addition to painful illnesses and accidents, she experienced fears, doubts, perplexities, and diabolical persecution. At one point, during World War I, while praying, she was hurled down a stone staircase by an unseen force, yet her life, miraculously, was saved. She heard hissing in her ear: "I shall fight you to the end, obsessing minds, hardening hearts, feeding passions."</div>
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By all accounts, Berthe was a delightful character, combining spiritual fervor and common sense, humble, cheerful, thoughtful, attentive to others, loving and deeply sincere. She was a splendid cook, yet, from the age of 38, lived only on Holy Communion. At one point, when she was lodging in a convent, a nun who shared her room was instructed by her superiors to observe if Berthe took any food in secret. Despite her initial skepticism, she found, after a year's observation, that Berthe really ate nothing, only drinking, in the morning, a cup of coffee (soon rejected), and, in the afternoon, a small glass of wine.</div>
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Berthe's revelations often had a political character, dealing with the spiritual dimensions of national and international events. Msgr. Pieraerts, court chaplain during the reign of King Albert I, was one of her spiritual directors and close friends. Berthe reported that Christ requested Belgium's consecration to the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart, as a remedy for the country's political and moral ills. Shortly after World War I, according to Berthe, Our Lord made this striking statement: </div>
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Internal strife is more rampant than ever in your country. It is being fanned by the evil seeds sown by the invader; it is fed by egoism, pride and jealousy, malevolent germs which can only generate moral ruin. I continue to have pity on a country that defended its honor at the cost of the greatest sacrifices, and on a sovereign faithful to his duty. To save this nation, I have wished, and continue to wish, that it should be solemnly consecrated to the Heart of My Mother....</div>
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(<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">The Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary: Messages of Our Lord to Berthe Petit, Franciscan Tertiary, 1870-1943,</span> 2004, p. 51)</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5666114716955489883.post-34696984420855668772019-01-11T23:15:00.001-05:002019-01-11T23:15:29.441-05:00Lidwina of Schiedam<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOQ15KDpJ7oIaZEIbv8WK06lJJsTNUPv75hGB6RDLccajGWepqpKLjcxOSgqgdz7UijsHzBPNrk4Kzq-f5FR53YMZ7Lhgq8QLXw466EStuYgHH2pFL1U9thdiq_gFTI8TFKJAP4_cAotc/s1600/Lidwina_von_Schiedam_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOQ15KDpJ7oIaZEIbv8WK06lJJsTNUPv75hGB6RDLccajGWepqpKLjcxOSgqgdz7UijsHzBPNrk4Kzq-f5FR53YMZ7Lhgq8QLXw466EStuYgHH2pFL1U9thdiq_gFTI8TFKJAP4_cAotc/s640/Lidwina_von_Schiedam_2.jpg" width="414" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09233a.htm">A Dutch Catholic mystic and saint whose relics were kept in Brussels for over two hundred years. </a> One of the sisters of Princess Lilian of Belgium, Ludvine Baels, appears to have been named after her.<br />
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During the winter of the year of 1395, Lidwina went skating with her friends, one of whom caused her to fall upon some ice with such violence that she broke a rib in her right side. This was the beginning of her martyrdom. No medical skill availed to cure her. Gangrene appeared in the wound caused by the fall and spread over her entire body. For years she lay in pain which seemed to increase constantly. Some looked on her with suspicion, as being under the influence of the evil spirit. Her pastor, Andries, brought her an unconsecrated host, but the saint distinguished it at once. But God rewarded her with a wonderful gift of prayer and also with visions. Numerous miracles took place at her bed-side. The celebrated preacher and seer, Wermbold of Roskoop, visited her after previously beholding her in spirit. The pious Arnold of Schoonhoven treated her as a friend. Hendrik Mande wrote for her consolation a pious tract in Dutch. When Joannes Busch brought this to her, he asked her what she thought of Hendrik Mande's visions, and she answered that they came from God. In a vision she was shown a rose-bush with the words, "When this shall be in bloom, your suffering will be at an end." In the spring of the year 1433, she exclaimed, "I see the rose-bush in full bloom!" <a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09233a.htm">(Read more)</a></blockquote>
Below is an image of the saint protecting a church during the German bombing of Rotterdam on May 14, 1940.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5666114716955489883.post-40473224436364658792018-12-25T00:00:00.000-05:002018-12-25T01:15:20.847-05:00King Leopold Vindicated<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Py-bZ3XMHcI">A British radio interview with the younger Lord Roger Keyes in defense of King Leopold III.</a> Highly recommended. Many thanks to Daniel Wybo for bringing this to my attention.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5666114716955489883.post-8164232718555054342018-12-24T00:32:00.000-05:002018-12-24T00:32:00.852-05:00Maria de Villegas, Countess van den Steen de Jehay<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="text-align: left;">Via RTBF, Florence de Moreau de Villegas de Saint Pierre, chatelaine of </span><a href="https://crossoflaeken.blogspot.com/2009/10/louvignies.html" style="text-align: left;">Louvignies,</a><span style="text-align: left;"> gives several brief presentations on the life and work of her aunt, Maria de Villegas, Countess van den Steen de Jehay, a close friend and confidante of Queen Elisabeth of Belgium. The presentations are all in French, but can be roughly followed in other languages through the automatically translated subtitles. For anyone wondering about the origin of the family name, the De Villegas are Belgian nobility of Spanish ancestry. </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Maria was an intellectual and literary figure, and a heroine of World War I. She worked devotedly with Queen Elisabeth in nursing wounded soldiers of all nationalities, and in providing relief and comfort for Belgian civilian war victims. The programs feature her letters, diaries, glimpses of her wardrobe and a tour of Louvignies itself. One particularly touching excerpt from her writing, noted in the clip above, is as follows. After the death of King Albert I, the Countess wrote to Queen Elisabeth to express her condolences: "I weep with you, Madame, for the admirable man you weep for. I weep for your happiness. I loved you so much when you were happy. Let me love you even more when you are unhappy." </span></div>
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More on Elisabeth's war work and her friendship with the Countess can be read <a href="https://crossoflaeken.blogspot.com/2009/05/mon-devoir-mon-metier-est-daider.html">HERE</a>. Florence de Moreau's book on Maria de Villegas is available <a href="https://www.racine.be/fr/une-ch%C3%A2telaine-dans-les-tranch%C3%A9es">HERE</a>. </div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5666114716955489883.post-46395276229376367032018-12-23T03:42:00.000-05:002018-12-23T03:42:25.204-05:00The Angels of Mons<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9nQ_u1WYHGei2CzHjHCpyzwTEvFmoo7VTNcmlU5ToFBpJVUTm1mBFNbyNDP_tmTmuVhyphenhyphenDkKNuNrOSq5DLgPc5JuxhsQ2InE4iZiCvmLso3v1NZAJPnsQajrLXOMioJE_62iI9OIizkGQ/s1600/the-angels-of-mons-03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="469" data-original-width="300" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9nQ_u1WYHGei2CzHjHCpyzwTEvFmoo7VTNcmlU5ToFBpJVUTm1mBFNbyNDP_tmTmuVhyphenhyphenDkKNuNrOSq5DLgPc5JuxhsQ2InE4iZiCvmLso3v1NZAJPnsQajrLXOMioJE_62iI9OIizkGQ/s640/the-angels-of-mons-03.jpg" width="408" /></a></div>
<a href="https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/daily/military-history/world-war-i-miracle-the-angels-of-mons/">A World War I miracle? From <i>Warfare History Network</i></a>:<br />
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In the night of the 26th, the third day of the retreat west through Belgium, weary British soldiers saw tall, unearthly figures materialize in the gloom above the German lines. They were winged like angels, and as they hovered in the gathering darkness, the Germans inexplicably halted and the British slipped away to safety. During the retreat, some soldiers swore that they had seen the face of the patron saint of England. A wounded Lancashire Fusilier asked a nurse for a picture or medal of Saint George because, he said, he had seen the saint leading the British troops at Vitry-le-Francois. A wounded gunner confirmed his story. He described the saint the same way the fusilier had—a tall, yellow-haired man on a white horse, wearing golden armor and wielding a sword. Other soldiers agreed that he looked just like his image on the gold sovereigns of the day.</blockquote>
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A story appeared in the North American Review in August 1915 about a soldier who had memorized the motto inscribed on the plates in a London restaurant. Adsit Anglis Sanctus Georgius it read, “May St. George be a present help to England.” Later, in Belgium, the soldier prayed for the saint’s help against the waves of German attackers and was rewarded by a host of shining bowmen, who charged the Germans with shouts of “Harrow! Harrow! Monseigneur St. George, Knight of Heaven, Sweet Saint, succor us!” The arrows of the phantom archers cut down the enemy en masse, and the German General Staff, finding the bodies of hundreds of their men lying on the battlefield with no discernible wounds, came to the conclusion that the British had used poisonous gas. <a href="https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/daily/military-history/world-war-i-miracle-the-angels-of-mons/">(Read full article)</a></blockquote>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5666114716955489883.post-84050583977733554112018-12-23T00:00:00.001-05:002018-12-23T02:27:31.303-05:00Umberto and Maria José<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjymcUC5xAwOI-SvyXNFPR2P1AvEXMXlini7tiFf-sqOc9ZtqvU6SOeMLcjOEX9JegFM8nFtxtaQc8FyWfwz8H9KbUVOU1I7HPWrwGiPGeJRbnwA4WlIbVM_pgj_R_Sm0E9mqZrpLsSHS4/s1600/1zoalqg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjymcUC5xAwOI-SvyXNFPR2P1AvEXMXlini7tiFf-sqOc9ZtqvU6SOeMLcjOEX9JegFM8nFtxtaQc8FyWfwz8H9KbUVOU1I7HPWrwGiPGeJRbnwA4WlIbVM_pgj_R_Sm0E9mqZrpLsSHS4/s400/1zoalqg.jpg" width="260" /></a></div>
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In response to questions, I wanted to share some thoughts on the troubled marriage of King Umberto II of Italy and Queen Maria José, daughter of King Albert I and Queen Elisabeth of Belgium. For a more in-depth account, I can recommend <a href="http://www.cartantica.it/pages/collaborazioniUmberto.asp">this article</a> by Cristina Siccardi, as well as the biographies of Umberto and Maria José by Luciano Regolo.</div>
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As a young bride, Maria José suffered from many<a href="http://crossoflaeken.blogspot.com/2011/09/marie-jose-and-mussolini-lovers.html"> nasty rumors.</a> Evil tongues mocked her thick, curly hair by calling her <i>la Négresse blonde,</i> whispered that her children were not Umberto's, or suggested that they had been conceived artificially, since the princess had been unable to become pregnant for four years... The rumors were unsubstantiated, although Maria José loved to form friendships with artists and intellectuals and her bold, unconventional ways, like those of her Wittelsbach mother, probably fostered gossip. It is also probably true that Maria José and her husband were basically incompatible. The marriage had been arranged by the Belgian and Italian royal families to strengthen the friendship between their countries dating from the First World War. The Treaty of Versailles also left very few Catholic reigning houses to provide suitors for Maria José. From childhood, she was raised by her mother to see Umberto as the perfect Prince Charming, arousing expectations of a great love which were later sadly disappointed. </div>
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Umberto and Maria José had admiration, respect and affection for one another, but Umberto seems to have had trouble relating to his wife in a romantic way. My impression is that he loved her, but was not in love with her. Umberto was concerned and solicitous for his wife, but tended to be reserved and distant towards her. After the fall of the Italian monarchy and the exile of the Savoys, Maria José found Portugal, the royal family's refuge, too depressing. She also had difficulty relating to her husband on a daily basis. While Maria José was much more open, Umberto tended to hide his feelings of deep sorrow and humiliation, to withdraw into silence. His wife came to believe that he needed space to deal with his inner turmoil. Accordingly, she moved to Switzerland, where she felt more cheerful. Health reasons also contributed to her decision. The royal couple, however, always maintained cordial relations, and continued to visit one another. Umberto, who shared Maria José's cultural interests, assisted his wife with her prestigious historical research on the House of Savoy, and wrote her beautiful letters. Every month, he sent her a bouquet of red roses with an affectionate note. When Umberto was dying of cancer, his wife was at his side and they spent many tender hours together, holding hands.</div>
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There have been many allegations that Umberto was unfaithful, and even bisexual, but some skepticism may be in order, as many of these claims seem to have been fomented by the fascists, who saw the handsome, popular young prince as a potential threat to Mussolini. It is also known that Umberto was deeply religious and Maria José praised him in the highest terms, after his death, as a man of great moral rectitude and personal virtue who never lost his dignity or rigor, even amidst the most atrocious sufferings. In the end, I feel that the King and Queen had a good marriage.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5666114716955489883.post-36352909065880447102018-12-23T00:00:00.000-05:002018-12-23T02:22:08.046-05:00Works of Mercy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://www.archive.org/stream/albertbravekingo00lucauoft#page/n7/mode/2up">Here is a description of Queen Elisabeth's charitable works during World War I:</a><br />
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It is difficult for anyone who had even the slightest experience of the field hospitals in the early days of the War to think or write calmly of the scenes they witnessed. Yet the Queen, who was not of robust physique and has that sympathetic temperament which makes it difficult to witness suffering, shrank from nothing. There was hardly a field hospital in the whole of Belgium that she did not visit at some time or other during the War.</blockquote>
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She not only visited them, but took part in the actual nursing, often assisting in the dressings and in the work of the wards. Her Majesty did a great deal of her nursing under Doctor Depage, who had helped her in her training. Her previous experience, when assisting her father, Duke Charles Theodor, stood her in good stead. From her girlhood she had been used to sick beds and the consolation of suffering, so now she passed through ward after ward, bringing cheer and comfort in her train.</blockquote>
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As the field hospitals travelled from place to place where they were most needed, the Queen did her utmost, and inspired others to do their utmost, too, to find suitable buildings in which they could carry on their magnificent work. She was intensely anxious that there should be full equipment for both the wounded and the staff. Often bedding was impossible to procure in sufficient quantity, and the wounded slept on straw. Her Majesty organized house-to-house collections for bedding, and, when the hospital was at Furnes, she gave twenty beds with spring mattresses for the use of the most serious cases.</blockquote>
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Once when it had proved exceptionally difficult to get supplies, the Queen, attended by only one lady-in-waiting, went from house to house to see what could be obtained. The inhabitants of the place were for the most part more than willing to give, but the exigencies of war had left them with little. Few recognized the slender, gentle-voiced lady, who pleaded for the wounded soldiers, as their Queen. One good woman, who had given all but the bed on which she herself slept, was so overcome when she learned of her visitor's identity, that she hurried after her up the street, dragging her one mattress behind her as a final offering !</blockquote>
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The Queen visited the hospital at Furnes twice regularly every week, and her visits were made without ceremony of any kind. She was never accompanied by more than one lady and, as a rule, by a Belgian medical officer. Her interest in the patients was felt and appreciated by everyone in the hospital.</blockquote>
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Her thorough knowledge of surgery and medicine made her able to understand and appreciate the methods of nursing, and she never failed to pay due tribute to the staff for their efforts and for the extraordinary ingenuity with which they carried out serious operations with wholly inadequate materials.</blockquote>
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In one hospital in four days there were admitted nearly four hundred patients, many of them with wounds necessitating grave operations, yet all the surgeons had to work with were two scalpels, a finger saw, and a few forceps !</blockquote>
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From bed to bed the Queen would pass, a slight figure always plainly clad, usually in black, with a word for each of the men who had suffered in her country's cause. To each she spoke — to Belgians, French, and Germans (for there were usually a few Germans brought in with the rest), as Her Majesty made no distinction. They were suffering ; they had made the supreme sacrifice for what each believed to be the right, and in that place of pain at least there was no room for bitterness.</blockquote>
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In the early days of the War, the Queen expressed a hope that Belgian women who could write both English and German would force themselves to forget their wrongs, and, for the sake of humanity, attend hospitals to write letters for prisoners other than Belgians. She realized how the anxiety of many a soldier's home would be alleviated if news, however slight, reached their homes. In the Queen's mind, as in the minds of her noble fellow- workers in the cause of the Red Cross, a wounded man had no nationality ; he suffered, and that was enough to evoke all that was humanly possible to ease his pain, both mental and physical.</blockquote>
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Sometimes the King accompanied the Queen on her visits of mercy — always in his soldier's uniform without decorations of any kind. Together they would go round the hospitals, not so much as a King and Queen visiting their subjects, but as a kindly, simple man and woman, eager to do what they could for their fellow-creatures. Her Majesty was deeply interested in the visits which Madame Curie, the world-famed scientist, paid to the hospital at Furnes, where she stayed to work for a week, bringing her X-ray equipment for the use of the hospital. To aid Madame Curie in her much-valued labours on behalf of the wounded, there was fitted up for her a radiographic department with the aid of thick curtains and much brown paper. Here this remarkable woman worked with untiring zeal, taking radiographs of innumerable cases. Her daughter was assiduous in helping to develop the plates, and thus enabled Madame Curie to achieve work of the utmost value.</blockquote>
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At a later stage in the War, the Queen took a deep interest in the marvels of plastic surgery, which enabled so many poor fellows to take up their work in the world after leaving the hospital. At one hospital some very severe facial cases were being treated, and the head surgeon, anxious to spare the Queen some terrible sights, begged her not to visit that particular ward. Her Majesty was not, however, to be deterred by the awful disfigurements. "They suffered for their country," she remarked, "and the Queen of that country should be the last to shrink from them." She spoke to each man in turn, pressing his hand in kindly sympathy before she turned away.</blockquote>
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Passing month by month from hospital to hospital. Her Majesty constantly encountered those pitiful screams of homeless refugees who, with houses shelled and villages laid waste, straggled to the frontier. They would be met carrying their few poor possessions on their backs, or pushing wearily their hand-carts before them. Little children, hardly old enough to realize the horror which had befallen them, might be seen pushing perambulators filled to overflowing with what could be gathered up of the few remaining household possessions. Old men staggering under sack-loads of clothing and bedding and women burdened with the strangest assortment of miscellaneous goods, were fleeing from misery into darkness. The Queen saw them all, and with tears in her eyes would stop to speak to them as they passed. They could not tell her where they were going, for to half of them their destination was unknown. They only knew that their homes had been destroyed by the enemy and that now they must seek an unknown country and an unknown future.</blockquote>
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These processions distressed the Queen even more than the scenes at the hospital, for there at least all that was possible was being done. For these poor refugees there was nothing Her Majesty could do except to give a child a caress or slip some silver coins into a woman's hand. Her Majesty sought no recognition and, in her war work, was content to be taken for an ordinary member of the Red Cross. But to the refugees she would sometimes reveal her identity if she thought that by so doing she could give some slight comfort or even shadow of encouragement to the poor creatures."I will think of you, I will pray for you daily," she would tell them, as they trudged on their desolate road. </blockquote>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5666114716955489883.post-73427688773578568032018-12-22T18:45:00.000-05:002018-12-23T02:35:26.023-05:00When the Invader Came<a href="http://tablet.archive.netcopy.co.uk/article/25th-may-1940/5/brussels-when-the-invader-came">A war correspondent's report on the courage and steadfastness of the Belgian people during the second German assault on their country in a generation.</a> Although the King and his government were soon to suffer a fatal rift, it is undoubtedly true that all parties showed bravery in the common struggle against the invader.<br />
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We should like to describe the most reckless and the most abject of the exploits of the parachutists, but we doubt whether the censor will allow it. The brave King Leopold III had joined his Army on the morning of the Friday. Nazi espionage, it seems, had discovered the position from which he was to direct operations. </blockquote>
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It was a fort on the outskirts of Liege. A long succession of parachutists descended from the clouds and attempted to seize the Sovereign. The bravery of the Belgian soldiers made their efforts vain, but the fort in question was attacked unceasingly until finally, after the King had gone to another part of the front line, it was captured. The attitude of the young King, together with the legendary heroism of the Belgian soldiers and the calm energy of the Government, maintained the morale of the population. The wireless had at first announced that the King would speak to his people, but his message was in fact published in the newspapers, for the King was unwilling to lose a single minute that he could devote to his duties as Commander-in-Chief of his armies. This little story, quickly spread among the people, made a great impression. The calm dignity of the session of the two Chambers happily supported the example given by the King. And the Ministers were not less deserving of admiration. The dramatic interview between M. Spaak and the German Ambassador will long be remembered. The "moi d'abord" with which M. Spaak compelled his visitor to listen to a reply anticipating the humiliating proposals which he brought, was more spectacular in its proud defiance, but it was not finer than the courage of M. Pierlot. I met the Prime Minister on the morning of Saturday, the 11th, as he was walking quite alone, his despatch case in his hand, on his way on foot from his modest home to the Government buildings in the Rue de la Loi. Was this to show to all that Belgium had nothing to fear from a Fifth Column ? And his speeches, in which each evening he brought consolation to his countrymen, were courageous, resolute but never unwarrantably optimistic. </blockquote>
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And the people themselves, so good, so honest, so loyal, so valiant and so undeservedly embroiled in a fearful slaughter. To them all honour is due. Never was such a rude awakening suffered with such serenity. Nothing but the necessities of the Army was allowed to interfere in any degree with the normal tempo of life. Men continued quietly in their occupations. The flower-sellers, the newspaper sellers in Brussels never left their pitches during air-raid alarms. The newspapers carried their long lists of small advertisements, a thousand petty transactions which proceeded as if nothing had happened. The shops where food was sold, wonderfully stocked, were undisturbed by pillagers or by hoarders. Slowly, almost cheerfully, people set to work to make their arrangements for a black-out, and to protect their windows from the flying fragments of bombs. No panic, no despair. But an anger which will never more forgive this second attack on an innocent country. These Belgians do not harbour any illusions. They know that they must pass through the ordeal of a second occupation by the enemy. But they are none the less convinced of the final victory of the Allies and of a glorious future for their country. </blockquote>
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A conviction so firm, so religious, inspires them in the face of danger and of death ; the beautiful serenity of soul which Faith gives to the Believer. That, and that alone, explains the appearance of Brussels. When I left there at the week-end following the invasion, the streets were filled again with strollers, the cafes and the restaurants, at the hours within which they were allowed to supply food, were full. And but a little way away, at the gates of the city, holiday-makers stared at the military transports, sunning themselves and taking the air just as if the German aeroplanes had not taken the air at dawn on May 10th. <a href="http://tablet.archive.netcopy.co.uk/article/25th-may-1940/5/brussels-when-the-invader-came">(Read entire article)</a></blockquote>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5666114716955489883.post-48309508004342985312018-12-22T00:00:00.000-05:002019-01-11T23:26:49.332-05:00Outrageous Fortune<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Here is a review from the <i><a href="http://archive.catholicherald.co.uk/article/26th-october-1984/6/rehabilitating-leopold">Catholic Herald</a> </i>of the first of the series of books by the younger Roger Keyes defending the memory of King Leopold III. Although I have had an interest in Belgian history and an admiration for King Albert I since childhood, I had the usual negative opinion of his son as a weak ruler of doubtful loyalties until reading <i>Outrageous Fortune: The Tragedy of Leopold III of the Belgians </i>(1984) a few years ago. The elder Roger Keyes, a British admiral and former liaison officer in Belgium, was one of the most notable public figures to defend Leopold from the accusations of treason brought against him by French Premier Paul Reynaud and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Following the Belgian capitulation to the invading Germans on May 28, 1940, King Leopold was accused of surrendering to the Nazis prematurely, of failing to give the Allies due warning of his imminent capitulation, and of thereby causing the Allied disaster necessitating the evacuation from Dunkirk. Keyes, who had remained with the King throughout the bitter Belgian campaign, was in a position to know the truth of Leopold's surrender, and strove to disprove the allegations of treachery. Out of filial piety and apparently sincere sympathy and admiration for a much-maligned monarch, Keyes' son and namesake continued the battle to rehabilitate Leopold after his father's death. In <i>Outrageous Fortune</i>, he contends that the King, far from betraying his allies, was cruelly betrayed <i>by</i> his allies and even by his own ministers. Some find his account to be too hagiographic, but I have seen a great deal of evidence from many sources, much of which I have shared on this blog, confirming his basic portrayal of Leopold as a decent, honorable man whose name was unfairly dragged through the mud.<br />
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Roger Keyes has set about putting the record straight. He is highly qualified to do so. His father was a very distinguished British naval officer who, during the 1914-18 war, led the operation that blocked the main German submarine base on the Belgian coast at Zeebrugge. During the second world war, he contributed not a little to bringing down Neville Chamberlain's government and acted as Churchill's personal representative with King Leopold before becoming the founder of the Commandos.</blockquote>
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The author therefore had at his disposal his father's memories of the events concerned and a mass of hitherto unpublished material. Not content with this, he has clearly undertaken a major and very painstaking job of research into anything that might touch either on Leopold's personality or the details of Belgian politics — many of them sordid, which affected his position. </blockquote>
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Let it be said straightaway that Roger Keyes neither is, nor pretends to be, unbiased. In so far as he is concerned, Leopold was a strong, wise and good man who became the victim of a host of malevolent dwarfs, first among them Paul Reynaud, the French Prime Minister who ushered France into abject defect in 1940.</blockquote>
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This takes nothing away from the merits of the present volume, since a thorough vindication of Leopold's part in the Franco-British response to Hitler's intentions in the West was long overdue. And it lends interest in advance to the second volume of this biography, yet to be published, which will deal with the further troubles of the king as a prisoner of the Germans, his second marriage and the events that led to his abdication in 1951, when his wisdom and handling of events appeared much more questionable.</blockquote>
I also found the second volume, <i>Échec au Roi: Léopold III 1940-1951</i> (1986) [King in Check: Leopold III 1940-1951] to be very helpful, especially in elaborating upon the role of the extreme, internationalist left in orchestrating the general strike to force Leopold's abdication and generally doing everything possible to destroy the Belgian monarchy. In this book, Keyes is more critical of the King, questioning the wisdom of his second marriage, his insistence on solemn reparation from his ministers, and his failure to insist on returning to Belgium immediately after his liberation from Nazi captivity in Austria in 1945. All in all, Keyes creates the impression of a high-minded monarch who nevertheless committed a series of fatal political errors, by being either too forceful or too gentle. This may be a valid portrayal, although I found it foolish to suggest that Leopold would have been politically better advised to keep Lilian Baels as his mistress. It is often said that the Belgians would have been more indulgent towards an affair, rather than a second marriage, since the idea of anyone replacing their idolized Queen Astrid seemed unthinkable. I *highly* doubt, however, that Leopold's enemies would have missed the golden opportunity to castigate him for indulging in a love affair while his people were suffering, especially in view of the fact that the accusations of treason had already been accompanied by accusations of sexual depravity. In fact, as Keyes himself discusses elsewhere in the book, one of the most infamous of the many attacks on Princess Lilian was the claim that she was pregnant before the altar. (In fact, the religious marriage of Leopold and Lilian took place ten months before the birth of their first child.)<br />
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Keyes hoped but never managed to write a third volume detailing Leopold's life after his abdication, a time of comparative joy and serenity, rich in scientific and humanitarian accomplishments. For those interested in this period, I can recommend Jean Cleeremans' <i>Léopold III, homme libre: chronique des années 1951-1983</i> (2001).Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5666114716955489883.post-71881119728665321742018-12-21T21:15:00.000-05:002018-12-23T02:44:10.024-05:00Princess Lilian's Christmas Gifts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Despite her reputation as a stubborn, selfish and difficult woman, the Princesse de Réthy was known in her intimate circle as a generous benefactress and a gracious hostess. Every year, during the Christmas festivities, she lavished delicate attentions on her entourage, with her characteristic refinement, elegance and perfectionism. In <i>Le mythe d'Argenteuil, </i>Michel Verwilghen, himself a frequent guest at the royal estate in its heyday, shares a few charming details of these busy winter days. By the end of November, Lilian's household was astir with preparations for the Christmas celebrations. Aided by her secretary and her faithful housekeeper, Madame Jeannine, the princess prepared over a hundred presents, all substantial and personalized, for her close associates. Anxious to please everyone individually, she even initiated, at times, discreet, indirect inquiries into their desires. </div>
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On December 25 came the ritual of the gift-giving itself; in the tradition of the Belgian royal family, Lilian personally distributed the presents, accompanied with kind words, to her intimates. For her most elite guests, distinguished soldiers and statesmen, she reserved some special treasures: the pocket watches, commemorating the Battle of the Yser (1914-1918), which her late father-in-law, the beloved Albert I, had ordered at the Maison Doucet in Paris. The cases bore the monograms of the <i>Roi Chevalier </i>and his consort, A and E, interlaced and surmounted with a crown, in gilded metal. The metal came from the fragments of exploded shells from the trenches of the Yser. Among the favored few who received one of these tragic but glorious mementos was Charles de Gaulle.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5666114716955489883.post-15888229353920223682018-12-20T02:30:00.000-05:002018-12-23T03:08:30.969-05:00Un couple dans la tempête<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>Un couple dans la tempête: le destin malheureux de Léopold III de Belgique et de la princesse Lilian</i> (2004) is a sympathetic, popular account of the romance and marriage of Leopold III and his second wife, Lilian Baels, centering on the upheavals that severely tested their love. The book frequently quotes Lilian's reminiscences, drawn from a series of conversations between French journalists Marcel Jullian and Claude Désiré and the elderly, widowed princess. Begun by Marcel Jullian, a great friend of Leopold and Lilian, who sadly passed away during the writing process, the account was completed by his younger colleague, Claude Désiré. Beautiful photographs of King Leopold, Queen Astrid, the royal children, and Princess Lilian are included, as well as facsimiles of interesting documents and affectionate family letters. Désiré also offers a touching tribute to the deceased Jullian, detailing his harrowing escape from execution by the Nazis while fighting in the French Resistance.</div>
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Contrary to many common perceptions, Lilian emerges as <a href="http://crossoflaeken.blogspot.com/2011/01/princess-lilian-loved-and-loving.html">the gracious, intelligent woman so many of her intimates knew. </a> She comes across as sensitive and kind-hearted, most poignantly of all in her horrified recollections of visiting the Nazi concentration camp at Dachau after its liberation by the Allies, in the company of American General Alexander Patch. <a href="http://crossoflaeken.blogspot.com/2012/06/myths.html">At the same time, we see the frankly voiced opinions and acerbic observations that often made her enemies</a>, in her scorn for her husband's political opponents. Her comments about Winston Churchill are particularly pointed. She even suggests that he wanted to take over the Belgian Congo and thought that getting rid of Leopold was a necessary first step. We are also given a glimpse of Lilian's sadness at quarrels within the royal family in later years. Hurt by some of her children's actions, she would resignedly remark: <i>"C'est une autre génération, c'est autre chose."</i> ("It's a different generation, it's a different thing.")</div>
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<i>Un couple dans la tempête</i> is always entertaining, and often quite moving. Nonetheless, it suffers from some of the limitations of popularized accounts of royalty, being a bit too romanticized and sensationalized. The portrayal of the royal couple sometimes seems too idealized, although it is probably a good antidote to the grotesque abuse that husband and wife have often suffered and the authors do admit that Leopold and Lilian both made their share of mistakes. Michel Verwilghen, author of <i>Le mythe d'Argenteuil </i>(2006), found some factual errors in the book, particularly in the description of the history of the country house that became the home of King Leopold and his second family after 1960. The reader will definitely find a more accurate and much more detailed description of their life at Argenteuil in the pages of Verwilghen's erudite tome, combined with a similarly sympathetic but better nuanced portrayal of their characters.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5666114716955489883.post-41465372673303108982018-12-20T01:00:00.000-05:002018-12-23T02:57:10.103-05:00The Faith of Leopold III<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizm9Fb-JSX3VezXpm7DAI36sDusO4Q1jJlWf75tx8779FYsCOwGCPUw27y9lJ13tgtuGAoB2HenhXnvj5wMp4sovmf-nWILwQAdmvgWLO84edxAhefpj7M5fYwc-PxXO-vo3YDtmSFmPs/s1600-h/leo3belgium1901-17.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329208136351279826" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizm9Fb-JSX3VezXpm7DAI36sDusO4Q1jJlWf75tx8779FYsCOwGCPUw27y9lJ13tgtuGAoB2HenhXnvj5wMp4sovmf-nWILwQAdmvgWLO84edxAhefpj7M5fYwc-PxXO-vo3YDtmSFmPs/s400/leo3belgium1901-17.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 269px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 174px;" /></a><br />
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There is a strange idea in circulation that Leopold III was not particularly religious. In fact, the Belgian kings, in general, are sometimes portrayed as lacking in spiritual fervor until the accession of Leopold's son, Baudouin. I was shocked to read, in one account of Baudouin's life, that Albert I and Leopold III were "lukewarm" Catholics, in contrast to Baudouin, whose deep faith was presented as a departure from family tradition. Other authors have tried to explain the so-called "estrangement," beginning around 1960, between Leopold and Baudouin, in terms of a conflict between the supposedly secularist outlook of Leopold and Lilian and the piety of Baudouin and his wife, Fabiola (married in 1960).</div>
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The cooling of relations between Leopold and Baudouin, following the departure of Leopold and his second family from Laeken in 1960, and their move to the country estate of Argenteuil, was, in fact, largely due to reasons of state. Leopold's presence undoubtedly aided and reassured his son, during the early years of his reign. Once, however, Baudouin achieved sufficient maturity, political necessity, to some extent, obliged father and son to keep a mutual distance. Close relations provoked charges that Leopold had not truly abdicated but was continuing to rule through his son. As Michel Verwilghen describes in <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=eTDry2w6EXAC&pg=PP1&dq=le+mythe+d%27argenteuil&as_brr=3">Le mythe d'Argenteuil, demeure d'un couple royal</a></span> (2006), a number of King Baudouin's close advisers were determined to distance the young monarch from his father and step-mother. It is also true that misunderstandings and personal conflicts within the royal family fed the process. It is, however, false that Leopold and Lilian, during the honeymoon of Baudouin and Fabiola, spitefully stole all the furniture from Laeken and installed it at Argenteuil. This calumny, based upon distortion and exaggeration of the facts, and often repeated in efforts to explain the estrangement between the two royal houses, is refuted in great detail in Verwilghen's book.</div>
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Regarding the religious question, it is true that Lilian did not favor the charismatic movement, with which Baudouin and Fabiola eventually became involved. Apparently, it is also true that Leopold was opposed to Cardinal Suenens, who gained considerable spiritual influence over Baudouin. Yet, the idea that Leopold was a "lukewarm" Catholic is false. Leopold's father, Albert, was also far from "lukewarm"; he was, in fact, <a href="http://crossoflaeken.blogspot.com/2009/01/piety-of-albert-i.html">deeply pious</a>. Albert took pains to inculcate his own religious devotion, and critical conscience, in his children. "As you nourish your bodies," he told them, "so you ought to nourish your souls" (quoted in <span style="font-style: italic;">La Regina Incompresa, tutto il racconto della vita di Maria José di Savoia, </span>2002, by Luciano Regolo, p. 22). Leopold appears to have inherited a good measure of Albert's faith.</div>
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From his youth, Leopold displayed a touching religious sense. At age 12, shortly after the outbreak of World War I, Leopold (who had been sent to safety in England) <a href="http://crossoflaeken.blogspot.com/2009/04/touching-letter.html">wrote to his father</a>, King Albert, under German siege in Antwerp: "Every day I pray the good God to help us and enable us to return to you very soon."(quoted in <span style="font-style: italic;">Léopold III, </span>2001, by Vincent Dujardin, Mark van den Wijngaert, et al. p. 22) As a young man, according to a close companion, it was Leopold's "Christian charity" that inspired his concern for the poor (see <span style="font-style: italic;">Léopold III, sa famille, son peuple sous l'occupation, </span>1987, by Jean Cleeremans, p. 13). Leopold's faith was also demonstrated, under tragic circumstances, at the death of his wife, Astrid. Leopold's secretary, Robert Capelle, relates in his memoirs that, after the car accident in Switzerland,<a href="http://crossoflaeken.blogspot.com/2009/02/leopold-astrid.html"> the King, tearful and sobbing, confided to him:</a> "Why did the good God take her away from me? We were so happy...she is still so, but me...how I need her to protect me!"<br />
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In <span style="font-style: italic;">The prisoner at Laeken: King Leopold, legend and fact </span>(1941), written to defend the King from charges of treason during World War II, Emile Cammaerts noted that he was probably playing into the hands of the Leopold's enemies, by emphasizing the role of religion in his life, as expressions of piety could easily be interpreted as signs of weakness or hypocrisy. Yet, Cammaerts asserted, Leopold (and his father, Albert) could only be understood in terms of faith put into practice. In support of his claim, he quoted several passages from Leopold's speeches to the Belgian clergy. In 1936, Leopold declared:</div>
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The love of one's neighbors, the sense of duty, truth, and justice, if applied to daily life, would spare mankind countless sufferings, troubles, and anxieties... The solution to the problems which oppress the world can only be found in the practice of Charity between individuals and between nations.</blockquote>
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Similarly, in his <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://crossoflaeken.blogspot.com/2009/02/political-testament-of-leopold-iii.html">Political Testament</a>,</span> in 1944, the King would assert that "Christian charity and human dignity" required the institution of extensive social reforms in Belgium. Cammaerts also recalls a conversation with the King during the 1930's, when Leopold deplored the political divisions and abuses in Belgium, exclaiming: "And to think, that we call ourselves Christians!"</div>
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In his public speeches and orders of the day, Leopold repeatedly invoked divine aid. He concluded his abdication speech in 1951 with the words: "God protect Belgium and the Congo!" Given the other indications of the sincerity of his faith, such invocations were surely not mere formalities, but, rather, heartfelt prayers.</div>
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Another biographer, when mentioning the King's interests, after his abdication, in nature, travel and exploration, asserts: "Deeply religious... he found, in nature, the presence of the Creator God." (<span style="font-style: italic;">Léopold III,</span> 2001, p. 338) This biography is not completely sympathetic to Leopold, portraying him as upright, but stubborn and authoritarian; it also treats his political enemies quite gently. Therefore, I do not think there can be any question here of "hagiography" of the King.</div>
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In 1983, Kagabo Pilipili, an African student, and his wife were received by Leopold at Argenteuil (see <span style="font-style: italic;">Léopold III, homme libre, </span>2001, by Jean Cleeremans, pp. 57-58). During the audience, Pilipili's wife mentioned her son's heart problems, and Leopold immediately promised the aid of Lilian's cardiological foundation in obtaining treatment for the child. As Leopold's own son, Alexandre, had suffered from heart problems, he was especially sympathetic to the family's plight. When Pilipili and his wife thanked the King for his assistance, he replied, in a tone of deep emotion: "I will do what I can. But God will do the rest for you." Leopold's guests were touched and consoled by his belief in Providence.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5666114716955489883.post-41929916471330903572018-11-30T13:56:00.000-05:002018-12-23T03:18:06.757-05:00Anna Maria de Visscher, mother of Princess Lilian<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIu5906arbPhSsoVhnNf5aY5dDaw6dTd2ey2Z4fmhJhD3so5EwZ1HIpxgKQhdvzNkgFTqkLzoXGqwauZNDOHHmV35lUAT7BphBEpqrsZGsKS_VNvIYjGCgI94hDvGs9iW9-B_Dr82N8q0/s1600/AnneMariedeVisscher.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIu5906arbPhSsoVhnNf5aY5dDaw6dTd2ey2Z4fmhJhD3so5EwZ1HIpxgKQhdvzNkgFTqkLzoXGqwauZNDOHHmV35lUAT7BphBEpqrsZGsKS_VNvIYjGCgI94hDvGs9iW9-B_Dr82N8q0/s320/AnneMariedeVisscher.jpg" /></a></div>
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I think she has a lovely face. Anna Maria de Visscher was the scion of respectable bourgeoisie, the daughter of a mayor and the granddaughter of a minister. Her ancestors included illustrious figures, such as the Comte Félix de Muelenaere, a member of the National Congress that founded the Kingdom of Belgium, and three times Foreign Minister between 1831 and 1841. In 1905, Anna Maria married Henri Baels, a rising young Ostende shipowner, lawyer and politician, to whom she bore eight children, six daughters and two sons. </div>
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During the Nazi invasion of Belgium, while her husband, the Governor of West Flanders, circulated constantly to alleviate the plight of his province, Madame Baels worked for the Red Cross. The young Lilian assisted her mother in her task, transporting wounded French and Belgian soldiers by car to the St. John Hospital in Bruges, simultaneously flooded by refugees. She also helped to evacuate the elderly from the hospice of Alost, which was within the combat zone, exposed to enemy fire. </div>
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As the military situation headed towards disaster, however, Madame Baels decided to leave for France to bring two of her daughters, then ailing, to safety. Lilian drove the family car. At a restaurant in Bernay, near Lisieux, the news of the Belgian capitulation reached the four women. At Paul Reynaud's infamous broadcast, branding the Belgian king a traitor and felon, French and Belgian officers began vilifying Léopold III, tearing apart his photograph on the front cover of a magazine. Horrified, Lilian indignantly rebuked the officers. One spitefully retaliated by seizing the Baels' car key and throwing it into a ditch. After obtaining a replacement, the ladies proceeded to the south of France, renting a villa in Anglet, near Biarritz. </div>
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Madame Baels would have many sorrows in the years to come. <a href="http://crossoflaeken.blogspot.com/2010/04/europes-most-slandered-princess.html">Her husband and her son were unfairly accused of cowardice and treason, while her daughter Lilian was battered by gossip and slander.</a> According to Lilian's account, as recorded in <i>Un couple dans la tempête</i> (2004)<i>,</i> the news of her<a href="http://crossoflaeken.blogspot.com/2009/09/wedding-of-leopold-lilian.html"> secret marriage with King Léopold</a> upset and worried her mother, who foresaw that it would provoke a political storm. "My little one, you don't know what's in store for you. It will be appalling, they will all attack you, you will have a terribly hard life," she is quoted as saying (pp. 36-37). Anna Maria Baels, née de Visscher, died of heart failure in 1950, while the question of the King's return from exile was still being decided. On the grounds that her arrival, at such an emotional moment, might sway the people in Léopold's favor, Lilian was prevented from returning to Belgium to bid farewell to her dying mother. </div>
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References:</div>
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Cleeremans, Jean. <i>Léopold III, sa famille, son peuple sous l'occupation</i>. 1987. </div>
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Jullian, Marcel and Claude Désiré. <i>Un couple dans la tempête.</i> 2004. </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5666114716955489883.post-43913671585511363592018-11-29T14:50:00.000-05:002018-12-23T03:23:30.086-05:00The Life of Anna SparreIn 1985, Anna Sparre, a Swedish noblewoman, published her memoirs of her friendship with Queen Astrid of the Belgians, a Swedish princess. <a href="http://crossoflaeken.blogspot.com/search?q=anna+sparre" target="_blank">Her book has been reviewed and discussed on this blog in the past.</a> Under Anna's pen, Astrid's personality comes to life; tender, sensitive and loving, although not without her strict side, a loyal and devoted wife, mother and Queen. <br />
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Anna Eva Elisabeth Sparre, née Adelswärd, was born in Stockholm on February 2, 1906. She was the daughter of Baron Theodor Adelswärd, an industrialist and politician, and his wife, historical novelist Louise Douglas. During her youth, Anna divided her time between Stockholm and her family's country estate of Adelsnäs. Meanwhile, her father served as a member of the Swedish parliament and government.<br />
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In 1927, a year after Astrid's marriage to Prince Leopold of Belgium, Anna married the handsome, charming Count Clas Sparre, an engineer and aviator, and the scion of an aristocratic family dating from the Middle Ages. Clas' father was the Swedish painter Louis Sparre. His mother was Eva Mannerheim, a sister of the famous <a href="http://www.mannerheim.fi/" target="_blank">Marshal of Finland</a>. Clas and Anna had a daughter, Christina, who became a playmate of Princess Josephine-Charlotte, the eldest child of Leopold and Astrid. Sadly, Anna's marriage ended in divorce.<br />
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During World War II, Sweden managed to remain neutral, but was dangerously isolated, trapped between Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia. In response, the Swedish army was kept in constant readiness and a regime of rationing imposed on the population. Anna contributed to the patriotic effort by joining the women's auxiliary forces and becoming a chief of propaganda. After the war, she remarried, moving to Denmark with her new husband, a Danish dentist. Unfortunately, her second marriage also failed.<br />
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A bold, free spirit, Anna forged a new, independent life, transforming her manor into a golfing resort. In her later years, partly disabled by an accident, the Countess took up writing in earnest, publishing a long series of novels. She drew inspiration from the lives of Nordic queens and noblewomen of the past, struggling with tragedy but triumphing over misfortune. Throughout her life, Anna remained close to Astrid's son, King Baudouin of the Belgians. Only five months after his death, Anna passed away on December 21, 1993.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5666114716955489883.post-57495244400520400302014-12-25T20:38:00.000-05:002014-12-28T20:39:05.410-05:00Merry Christmas!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJOlQWdf-otjQClDXeBI4wYLyl-P-dVrWSbhJPvhEmrmbGT-3P_FekV4TF_Uyi28yn36KTPNWOwA8RSYF9dtGX7_Pe9xLM35IHfbLIEPOHjRLfnNkHQS9wpF-uZ_YIXf_heJUTnO8m8g/s1600/Jan+Brueghel+the+Elder+and+Frans+Francken+the+Younger+(flowers)%2B-%2BVirgin%2Band%2BChild%2Bwith%2BInfant%2BSt%2BJohn%2Bin%2Ba%2BGarland%2Bof%2BFlowers.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJOlQWdf-otjQClDXeBI4wYLyl-P-dVrWSbhJPvhEmrmbGT-3P_FekV4TF_Uyi28yn36KTPNWOwA8RSYF9dtGX7_Pe9xLM35IHfbLIEPOHjRLfnNkHQS9wpF-uZ_YIXf_heJUTnO8m8g/s1600/Jan+Brueghel+the+Elder+and+Frans+Francken+the+Younger+(flowers)%2B-%2BVirgin%2Band%2BChild%2Bwith%2BInfant%2BSt%2BJohn%2Bin%2Ba%2BGarland%2Bof%2BFlowers.png" height="640" width="485" /></a></div>
Blessings to all those who have visited this blog in 2014. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5666114716955489883.post-48540580423995888232014-12-05T20:17:00.001-05:002014-12-05T20:17:12.925-05:00The Passing of Queen Fabiola<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I am saddened to hear of the loss of Queen Fabiola of Belgium, who passed away today. May she rest in peace, with her late husband, King Baudouin. This month is the anniversary of their marriage.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5666114716955489883.post-3197552184936679222014-10-12T16:32:00.001-04:002014-10-12T16:37:15.854-04:00The Belfry of Bruges<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ADifferent_views_of_the_Belfry_2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="By Ugliku (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons"><img alt="Different views of the Belfry 2" height="300" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/Different_views_of_the_Belfry_2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here are two poems by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow on the beautiful city and belfry of Bruges, <i><a href="http://www.hwlongfellow.org/poems_poem.php?pid=101">Carillon</a></i> and <i><a href="http://www.hwlongfellow.org/poems_poem.php?pid=81">The Belfry of Bruges.</a> </i><br />
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<a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ABelfort_(8172406558).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="By Steve Collis from Melbourne, Australia (Belfort Uploaded by russavia) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons"><img alt="Belfort (8172406558)" height="400" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fd/Belfort_%288172406558%29.jpg/256px-Belfort_%288172406558%29.jpg" width="295" /></a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0