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Prince Charles of Belgium

 
Prince Charles of Belgium

 
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Prince Charles of Belgium
 
 
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Prince Charles, Count of Flanders, Prince of Belgium (10 October 1903 – 1 June 1983) was the second son of Albert I, King of the Belgians
Albert I of Belgium

Albert I was the third King of the Belgians from 1909 until 1934....
 and Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria
Elisabeth of Bavaria (1876-1965)

Elisabeth in Bavaria , was the queen consort of Albert I of Belgium and was the mother of Leopold III of Belgium....
. Born in Brussels
Brussels

Brussels , officially the Brussels Capital-Region, is the de facto capital city of the European Union and the largest urban area in Belgium....
, he reigned in lieu of his older brother Leopold III
Leopold III of Belgium

Leopold III reigned as King of the Belgians from 1934 until 1951, when he abdicated in favour of the Heir Apparent, his son Baudouin I of Belgium....
 from 1944 until 1950 as Prince Regent
Prince Regent

A prince regent is a prince who rules a monarchy as Regent instead of a Monarch, e.g., due to the Sovereign's incapacity or absence .While the term itself can have the generic meaning and refer to any prince who fills the role of regent, historically it has mainly been used to describe a small number of individual Princes who were Regents....
 until Leopold could return to the throne. Shortly after however, Leopold abdicated
Abdication

Abdication is the act of renouncing and resigning from a formal office, especially from the supreme office of state. In Roman law the term was also applied to the disowning of a family member, as the disinheriting of a son....
 in favour of his Heir Apparent
Heir apparent

An heir apparent is an heir who cannot be displaced from inheriting; the term is used in contrast to heir presumptive, the term for a conditional heir who is currently in line to inherit but could be displaced at any time in the future....
, his son Baudouin I.

ce Charles was appointed Regent
Regent

A regent, from the Latin regens "reigning", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present or debilitated....
 when the German
Nazi Germany

Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are the colloquial English names for Germany under the regime of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party , which established a Totalitarianism dictatorship that existed from 1933 to 1945....
 occupation ended in 1944.






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Quotations


C'est moi qui ai sauvé le brol.

Translation: It was I who saved the lumber., On having saved the monarchy as regent in the 6 years following the second world war, without receiving much gratitude from his brother the king or any of the other royals.





Encyclopedia


Prince Charles, Count of Flanders, Prince of Belgium (10 October 1903 – 1 June 1983) was the second son of Albert I, King of the Belgians
Albert I of Belgium

Albert I was the third King of the Belgians from 1909 until 1934....
 and Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria
Elisabeth of Bavaria (1876-1965)

Elisabeth in Bavaria , was the queen consort of Albert I of Belgium and was the mother of Leopold III of Belgium....
. Born in Brussels
Brussels

Brussels , officially the Brussels Capital-Region, is the de facto capital city of the European Union and the largest urban area in Belgium....
, he reigned in lieu of his older brother Leopold III
Leopold III of Belgium

Leopold III reigned as King of the Belgians from 1934 until 1951, when he abdicated in favour of the Heir Apparent, his son Baudouin I of Belgium....
 from 1944 until 1950 as Prince Regent
Prince Regent

A prince regent is a prince who rules a monarchy as Regent instead of a Monarch, e.g., due to the Sovereign's incapacity or absence .While the term itself can have the generic meaning and refer to any prince who fills the role of regent, historically it has mainly been used to describe a small number of individual Princes who were Regents....
 until Leopold could return to the throne. Shortly after however, Leopold abdicated
Abdication

Abdication is the act of renouncing and resigning from a formal office, especially from the supreme office of state. In Roman law the term was also applied to the disowning of a family member, as the disinheriting of a son....
 in favour of his Heir Apparent
Heir apparent

An heir apparent is an heir who cannot be displaced from inheriting; the term is used in contrast to heir presumptive, the term for a conditional heir who is currently in line to inherit but could be displaced at any time in the future....
, his son Baudouin I.

Regency

Prince Charles was appointed Regent
Regent

A regent, from the Latin regens "reigning", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present or debilitated....
 when the German
Nazi Germany

Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are the colloquial English names for Germany under the regime of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party , which established a Totalitarianism dictatorship that existed from 1933 to 1945....
 occupation ended in 1944. The role of his brother Leopold III during World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
 as well as his marriage to Mary Lilian Baels was questioned and he became too controversial to remain on the throne.

Charles's regency was dominated by the events resulting from the German occupation and the controversy around Léopold III. This period had an important impact on events in later decades. During his regency important economic and political decisions were taken.

Belgium managed to jump start its national economy with the aid of American assistance provided under the Marshall plan
Marshall Plan

The Marshall Plan was the primary plan of the United States for rebuilding and creating a stronger foundation for the countries of Western Europe, and repelling communism after World War II....
. The building sector was stimulated by government grants to repair war damaged buildings and to build social housing. The financial sector was sanitized through the "Operation Gutt
Camille Gutt

Camille Gutt , born Camille Guttenstein, was a Belgium Jewish economist, politician, and industrialist. He served as the first Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund from 6 May, 1946 to 5 May, 1951....
" whereby illegally gained profits during the war were targeted. A social welfare system was introduced and a system of governing labour relations was set up.

Also, women obtained the right to vote
Women's suffrage

The term women's suffrage refers to the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending suffrage ? the right to vote ? to women. The movement's modern origins lie in France in the 18th century....
 in parliamentary elections in 1948.

Furthermore, during his regency Benelux
Benelux

The Benelux is an union in Western Europe that comprises three neighboring countries, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg , which lie in the north western European region between France and Germany....
 was formed, Belgium became a member of the UN and the NATO
NATO

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization , also called the Atlantic Alliance, is a military alliance established by the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty on 4 April 1949....
 treaty was signed.

    


In 1950, his regency ended when Leopold III could return to the throne by plebiscite. Prince Charles retired from public life, taking up residence in Ostend
Ostend

||-||-||}Ostend  is a Belgium city and Municipalities in Belgium located in the Flemish Region Provinces of Belgium of West Flanders....
, and becoming involved in artistic pursuits. Having taken up painting, he signed his works: "Karel van Vlaanderen" (Charles of Flanders
Flanders

Flanders is a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France, and the Netherlands. Over the course of history, the geographical territory that was called "Flanders" has varied....
).

He was the 377th Grand Cross
Grand Cross

The phrase Grand Cross is used to denote the highest grade in many orders of knighthood. Sometimes the knights of the highest grade are called "knights grand cross" or "dames grand cross"; in other cases the actual insignia itself is called "the grand cross." The highest grade of some civil or non-religious orders are sometimes referred to...
 of the Order of the Tower and Sword
Order of the Tower and Sword

The Military Order of the Tower and of the Sword, of Valour, Loyalty and Merit is a Portugal order of knighthood and the pinnacle of the Honorific orders of Portugal, and it was created by King Afonso V of Portugal in 1459....
.

He died on 1 June, 1983 in Ostend
Ostend

||-||-||}Ostend  is a Belgium city and Municipalities in Belgium located in the Flemish Region Provinces of Belgium of West Flanders....
, predeceasing his elder brother by just a few months.

Alleged marriage

It is believed that Prince Charles, Count of Flanders married in a religious ceremony in Paris
Paris

Paris is the Capital of France and the country's largest city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the ?le-de-France Regions of France ....
 on 14 September 1977 Louise Marie Jacqueline Peyrebrune, formerly Mrs. Georges Schaack (La Réole
La Réole

La R?ole is a Communes of France in the Gironde Departments of France in Aquitaine in southwestern France....
, 16 February 1921 -), a marriage which has always been mentioned in every new edition of the Almanach de Gotha
Almanach de Gotha

The Almanach de Gotha was a respected directory of Europe's highest nobility and Royal family. First published by Justus Perthes in 1763 at the duke court of Frederick III, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, it was regarded as an authority in the classification of monarchies, ducal houses, families of former ruler...
. However L' Allemagne Dynastique on Volume VII, page 385, doubts this assertment, affirming instead that not only did a civil marriage not occur but also neither a religious one (which could not take place before a civil marriage according to the French Law) nor is such a religious marriage registered in the Parish
Parish

A parish is a local church; it is an administrative unit typically found in Roman Catholic, Anglican, United Methodist, and Presbyterianism churches....
 registers of Saint Pierre de Mountrouge, only a mere private blessing eight months after the death of her husband given by Father Marcelino Carrera was registered: "The private blessing uniting before God Charles Theodore Count of Flanders and Louise Marie Jacqueline Peyrebrune was given at Saint Peter's at the altar of the Sacred Heart on 14 September 1977. The mutual consent was received by your humble brother in Christ (Fr. Carrera) in the presence of Father Keller and witnesses (Comtesse Annie de Bergeret and Mme. Marie Jeannette Aurelie Menahes). The statement is also signed by the participants and witnesses."

This was confirmed by private correspondance of Jacqueline Peyrebrune. She published her memoirs in two books: "Love in Shadow - The Secret Garden of Prince Charles of Belgium" (Editions Tarmeye, 1991) and "Carnets Intimes" (Editions Tarmeye, 1993).

Ancestry



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