Word: leopold
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...days it had been raining in Switzerland. Leopold of Belgium and Queen Astrid, vacationing in the Villa Haslihorn near Lucerne, sent their three small children back to Brussels. But next morning the sun came out hot and strong, with the promise of a fine day for a mountain climb, a sport of which Leopold was just as fond as his father. Hobnail boots, ropes and alpenstocks were piled into the back of the royal Packard touring car beside the chauffeur. In front Leopold took the wheel while Astrid sat beside him, holding a road map. They started down the lakeside...
With his hands sprained, his lower lip slashed and a rib fractured, King Leopold crawled from the car and over to the body of his wife. He could see that she was already dead, her skull fractured, her chest gashed with broken glass. Aides following in a second car rushed hastily back for an ambulance while King Leopold, dazed and bloody, stood looking down at his dead Queen...
Only 18 months after the death of her husband, King Albert, Dowager Queen Elizabeth heard the news in Naples where she was visiting her daughter, Crown Princess Marie Jose of Italy. Her first move was to accept heartbroken King Leopold's request that she take care of his three motherless children: Crown Prince Baudoin, 5, Princess Josephine, 7, Prince Albert, 14 months...
...freight yards at Lucerne two special cars were hastily prepared, one for the body of Astrid, the other for Leopold alone. Dressed in a plain black suit, his jaw taped, his arm in a white sling, the King entered the car early in the evening, waited in the yards until the St. Gothard Express chuffed in from Milan. All through the night, as the train streaked across Europe, the King sat in his car with only his Premier and his secretary for company. Early next morning a squadron of cavalry led the body of Queen Astrid back through the streets...
...sister to Christian of Denmark and Haakon of Norway. One great aunt was Alexandra of Britain, another Dagmar, Tsarina of Russia. But no Queen ever lived more simply. All Brussels had seen Astrid time & time again wheeling her own baby carriage along the boulevards on a Sunday morning. Young Leopold as Crown Prince had gone several times to Stockholm to propose to her, traveling in a third-class coach to keep his incognito. There, after their engagement was announced, they used to sit in the public park holding hands...