Royal Families in WW2 - Belgium. Several European monarchs made significant contributions to the fight against the Axis powers in World War II.

Royal Families in WW2 - Belgium.

Several European monarchs made significant contributions to the fight against the Axis powers in World War II.

When Germany invaded on May 10, 1940, Belgium was also caught off guard. 

The Belgian army fought hard, but after a week or so, it was clear that courage alone was not enough, especially when their British and French allies were defeated and seemed on the verge of collapse.

In his last meeting with his government ministers, Leopold made it clear he would share the fate of the Belgian army, whatever that fate might be. 

This caused consternation among Belgian officials, since they had determined to evacuate to England and form a government in exile. 

The king said something to the effect that he would get along with new ministers, which seemed to imply he might turn collaborationist, though that is probably not what he meant.

The Belgian government fled to London and, once in the safety of the British capital, denounced Leopold and repudiated any actions he might take as king. The bad feelings that developed between the king and his exiled government only grew stronger over the years.

In the meantime, the king unconditionally surrendered to the Germans after an unequal contest that lasted 18 days. 

The British and French immediately denounced him for having capitulated “prematurely.” 

Even Prime Minister Winston Churchill decried the decision, though there was little more that the Belgian army could do, short of giving themselves over to complete annihilation.

King Leopold found himself essentially a prisoner of war under close German supervision. He was not actually incarcerated, but placed under a kind of house arrest in his Brussels palace.

While still in German custody, Leopold, a widower, further damaged his reputation with the Belgian people by marrying. His Walloon subjects were dismayed—the lady was Flemish—and in general, many Belgians thought the king selfish. 

After all, so the rationale went, thousands of Belgian men were still in POW camps, and they did not get to see their wives. 

The image of a lonely king, imprisoned and still pining for his late wife, was shattered forever.

Blackened by Allied propaganda as the man who easily surrendered and excoriated for his “selfish” marriage, the king became a controversial figure. Later in the war, he was removed from Belgium and shipped to Austria. He was liberated after Germany’s surrender.

King Leopold returned in 1950, only to be met with demonstrations and civil strife. Seeing the handwriting on the wall, he abdicated in favor of his son, Baudouin, to save the country from possible civil war. 

A victim of bad judgment and incredibly bad luck, King Leopold III was the only Allied monarch to end the war unpopular with his people.

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