PREGNY-CHAMBÉSY, MARCH 13, 1950.

The result was final, and Leopold was devastated. 2,887,754 Belgians voted 'No' in the referendum. The general strike was massive, and the protests were intense. The Socialists celebrated in the streets, while the Communists laughed, with Julien Lahaut saying, "The next step is a republic." It felt like it was over.

At the estate, young Baudouin was silent. He sat beside his father with a large book in his hand. He paused for a second and asked Leopold, "Is this it, then, Father? Are we never to come back?" To which Leopold sighed and replied, "I have no idea, son. It might be our end."

The two sat in profound silence, periodically broken by Baudouin turning over the page. It was a large book on Catholic history, which he had read twice before and nearly memorized three chapters of. It was only after about five minutes that the phone rang—it was the Prime Minister.

Leopold went into a furious tirade about "being abandoned by the government" and "being torn apart by the Communists." Baudouin witnessed it all. He grasped his book tightly and then left the room. Leopold continued to thrash Eyskens, calling him an "incompetent bureaucrat" and a "glorified calculator... that can only crank out policies." After about ten minutes of this, Eyskens was finally allowed to speak. In Brussels, the Prime Minister was accompanied by Roger Motz and P.-H. Spaak.

Eyskens was relatively brief. He argued that there was no way for the monarchy to continue in this state. He was clear and emphatic about the divisive issue of the king. "My king," said Eyskens, "there is simply no way you can continue in this role. People have died, and people will continue to die. I can't even tell you with certainty that Belgium will remain united if this continues. There must be a solution to this. Surely, you understand me?"

Eyskens was pleading for Leopold to, at the very least, consider the idea of abdicating. Baudouin was behind the large door, but he couldn't hear anything. His father uttered, "And let Baudouin be King? Are you utterly insane? He is not prepared for this! I wasn't at his age!"

Baudouin's heart sank for a moment. To be king? Now? It was unthinkable to him. He couldn't be prepared at fifty, let alone at twenty. He left to meet with his mother. Meanwhile, Leopold continued to argue with Eyskens. The king consistently argued that Baudouin was not prepared at all for this role.

It took Paul Van Zeeland, a Leopoldist and a monarchist, to intervene in the phone call and convince the king. He took the phone from Eyskens and said to Leopold, "My king, I believe we must at least talk about this face to face. Please, we need to negotiate a solution to this impasse. If we don't, Belgium will burn. I have seen it with my own eyes; the people are too polarized. This issue is too contentious. I think that if we present our views to you, face to face, you're going to understand what we are talking about. Please, just hear us out with a small delegation at your estate."

Leopold quietly listened. He sighed and acquiesced. He looked at his room and saw a pair of Baudouin's shoes right next to his. He couldn't stop thinking about the young prince. Nonetheless, it was time to prepare. A meeting was set for March 14 at 15:00. Belgium's future was at stake.

SUMMARY

• [M] This short post has the intention of reinforcing Baudouin's general hesitancy at becoming a king and slightly fleshing out Leopold's character. It's some soft buildup for the construction of a general line of behavior that Baudouin will have as a king.