Prince Charles, Count of Flanders
| Prince Charles | |||||
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| Count of Flanders | |||||
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| Prince Regent of Belgium | |||||
| Tenure | 20 September 1944 – 20 July 1950 | ||||
| Monarch | Leopold III | ||||
| Born |
10 October 1903 Brussels, Belgium |
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| Died | 1 June 1983 (aged 79) Raversijde, Belgium |
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| Spouse | Jacqueline Peyrebrune | ||||
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| House | Saxe-Coburg and Gotha | ||||
| Father | Albert I of Belgium | ||||
| Mother | Elisabeth of Bavaria | ||||
| Full name | |
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French: Charles Théodore Henri Antoine Meinrad Dutch: Karel Theodoor Hendrik Anton Meinrad |
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Royal styles of Charles of Belgium, Count of Flanders |
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.svg) |
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| Reference style | His Royal Highness |
| Spoken style | Your Royal Highness |
| Alternative style | Sir |
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 and Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria. Born in Brussels, he served in lieu of his older brother King Leopold III from 1944 until 1950 as prince regent until Leopold was allowed to return to Belgium. However, shortly after returning and resuming his monarchical duties, Leopold abdicated in favour of his heir apparent, his elder son Baudouin.
During the Second World War Charles was known as General du Boc, in order to hide his identity for security reasons. He had an association with RAF Hullavington where many top officers from Allied nations were based or transported to and from.
During World War I, the children of the Belgian royal family were sent to United Kingdom while King Albert I remained in Belgium behind the Yser Front. In 1915 Prince Charles began attending the prep school of Wixenford in Wokingham, Berkshire, and in 1917 proceeded to the Royal Naval College in Osborne, and later to Dartmouth. In 1926 he received the rank of sub-lieutenant in the British Royal Navy. Later that year he returned to Belgium and began attending the Royal Military School of Brussels.
Prince Charles was appointed Regent of Belgium when the German occupation of his country ended in 1944. The role of his elder brother King Leopold III during the Second World War, as well as Leopold's marriage to Mary Lilian Baels, was questioned and he became a controversial monarch.
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