Prince Charles, Count of Flanders Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Prince Charles

Count of Flanders

The Count of Flanders c. 1944

Regent of Belgium

Regency

20 September 1944 – 20 July 1950

Monarch

Leopold III

Born

10 October 1903
Brussels, Belgium

Died

1 June 1983 (aged 79)
Raversijde, Belgium

Burial

Church of Our Lady of Laeken

Spouse

Jacqueline Peyrebrune

Issue

Isabelle

Full name
French: Charles Théodore Henri Antoine Meinrad Dutch: Karel Theodoor Hendrik Anton Meinrad

House

Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (until 1920)
House of Belgium (1920 onwards)

Father

Albert I of Belgium

Mother

Elisabeth of Bavaria

Prince Charles, Count of Flanders (born October 10, 1903 – died June 1, 1983) was a member of the Belgian royal family. He served as the regent of Belgium from 1944 to 1950. A regent is someone who rules a country when the king or queen cannot.

Charles became regent because his older brother, King Leopold III of Belgium, faced questions about his actions during World War II. A special group looked into whether King Leopold III had surrendered too early in 1940. They also checked if he had worked with the Nazis during the war.

During the war, Prince Charles used the name General du Boc. This helped keep his identity a secret for safety reasons. He was connected to RAF Hullavington, an air force base. Many important Allied officers used this base for travel. Charles's time as regent ended when King Leopold III was able to return to Belgium. Soon after, King Leopold III gave up his throne to his son, Baudouin.

Early Life
- Childhood and Education
Becoming Regent
- Leading Belgium After the War
- International Relations
Later Life
Honours
Images for kids
See also

Early Life

Prince Charles was born in Brussels, Belgium. He was the second son of King Albert I of Belgium and Queen Elisabeth of Bavaria.

Childhood and Education

During World War I, Charles and his siblings were sent to the United Kingdom. This was for their safety, while their father, King Albert I, stayed in Belgium. In 1915, Charles started school at Wixenford School. Later, he attended naval colleges. These included the Royal Naval College, Osborne, and then Dartmouth.

In 1926, he became a sub-lieutenant in the British Royal Navy. After that, he returned to Belgium. He then studied at the Royal Military School of Brussels.

Becoming Regent

Prince Charles was made Regent of Belgium in 1944. This happened after the German occupation of Belgium ended. His brother, King Leopold III, had become a controversial monarch. People questioned his actions during Second World War and his marriage.

Leading Belgium After the War

Charles's time as regent was very important for Belgium. He helped the country recover from the German occupation. Many key decisions were made during this period. These decisions had a big impact on Belgium's future.

Economic Recovery: Belgium's economy started to grow again. This was helped by money from the American Marshall Plan. The government also gave money to fix buildings damaged by the war. They also built new homes for people.
Financial Cleanup: A plan called "Operation Gutt" helped clean up the financial system. This plan targeted money that people had made illegally during the war.
Social Welfare: A new system was created to help people. This included social welfare programs. Rules were also set up for how workers and employers should get along.
Women's Right to Vote: In 1948, women in Belgium gained the right to vote. This was a very important step for equality.

International Relations

During Charles's regency, Belgium also became more involved globally.

The Benelux customs union was formed. This group helped trade between Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.
Belgium became a member state of the United Nations.
The North Atlantic Treaty was signed. This created NATO, a military alliance.

Later Life

In 1950, Charles's time as regent ended. King Leopold III returned to Belgium and took back his royal duties. This happened after a public vote.

After his regency, Charles left public life. He moved to Ostend, a city by the sea. There, he focused on his love for art. He started painting and signed his artworks "Karel van Vlaanderen." This means Charles of Flanders in Dutch.

He was also honored with many awards. One important award was the 377th knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Tower and Sword. Prince Charles passed away on June 1, 1983, in Ostend. He was buried at the Church of Our Lady of Laeken in Brussels.

Honours

Prince Charles received many honors from different countries:

Belgium:
- Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold.
- Knight Grand Cross in the Order of the African Star.
Republic of China: Knight Grand Cross in the Order of the Cloud and Banner.
France: Knight Grand Cross in the Legion of Honour.
Greece: Knight Grand Cross in the Order of the Redeemer.
United Kingdom: Knight Grand Cross with Chain in the Royal Victorian Order.
Kingdom of Italy: Knight Grand Cross in the Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation.
Luxembourg: Knight Grand Cross in the Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau.
Sovereign Military Order of Malta: Knight Grand Cross in the Order of Malta.
Netherlands: Knight Grand Cross in the Order of the Netherlands Lion.
Norway: Knight Grand Cross in the Order of Saint Olav.
Kingdom of Romania: Knight Grand Cross in the Order of Carol I.
Spain: Grand Cross with Collar in the Order of Charles III.
Holy See: Knight Grand Cross in the Order of the Holy Sepulchre.
United States of America: Chief Commander of the Legion of Merit.
Sweden: Knight in the Order of the Seraphim.
Portugal:
- Knight Grand Cross of the Military Order of Christ.
- Knight Grand Cross of the Military Order of the Tower and of the Sword.