Evening star., 1949-11-06
Leopold May Reign
Only Two Years if
Recalled 10 Belgium
BY Lionel Shopiro
North American Newspaper AlIioncs

NORM Ameheon newspaper Aiiionce
BRUSSELS, Nov. 5.-Love of two
persons-his wife and his eldest
son-is the motivating factor be-
hind the struggle of exiled King
Leopold to return to his Belgian
throne.
Sources close to the royal house
hold at Pregny, near Geneva. have
disclosed that a moving family
drama weighs more heavily on the
dour. stubborn mind of Leopold
than considerations of power and
politics.
If Leopold should regain his
throne as a result of a favorable
plebiscite, in all likelihood he
would resolve his own and his
country's problems by reigning for
two years, until Crown Prince
Baudouin has reached his 21st
birthday, and then abdicate in
favor of his son. There is reason
to believe that such plan was
discussed by Leopold and the Bel
gian Prime Minister at their
recent meeting and would be
announced after a favorable pleb-
iscite as a means of calming oppo-
sition manifestations when the
King returns to Brussels.
Two Factors Cited.
The drama within Leopold's i'm
mediate family is based on two
Well-known factors. The first is
that 19-year-old Prince Baudouin,
who has never left his fathers
side, is unhappy at the prospect
of being used as an instrument to
deprive his father of political vim
dication.
The young Prince is said to feel
that his immediate accession to
the throne would deny him for
the rest of his life the guidance
and comradeship of his father: on
the other hand. if Leopold is per-
mitted to return to the throne,
even for a short time, there would
be no political curtain separating
the two in future years.
The second factor Is that Leo
pold's wife. Princess de Rethy,
knows that her 1941 marriage to
the captive KING is a principal
cause for the opposition to his
return. There is hardly a doubt.
even in the minds of Leopold's
bitterest enemies. who are mostly
Walloons. that he would have
been permitted to return promptly
had he not flouted traditional
neutrality by marrying a Flemish
commoner. Leopold feels his
wife's position keenly and is anx-
ious to return If only to relieve
this situation.
Can Win Easily.
Those close to Leopold say that
II it were not for these two per-
sonal factors he would not have
put up SO stubborn a struggle to
regain his throne. He has lost
much Of his vigor and would be
content to remain without respon-
sibilities Of state. but he has
thought it out carefully and feels
that a brief reign would resolve
difficulties which would otherwise
cloud his life and those of his
wife and son.
Latest estimates by Leopold's
supporters hold that he will easily
win more than SIS per cent of the
total vote. but will fall short Of
the two thirds which the So
cialists claim is necessary for a
constitutional monarchy. A fig
ure between 60 and SO per cent is
most frequently put forward by
foreign observers on the spot.
Few believe that the Socialists will
call a general strike.
The economic situation here
has reached q crisis point and
feeling among the workers is
hardly strong enough to call them
on precarious jobs. An announce
ment that Leopold intends to alb
dicate when Baudouin has reached
his majority would. it is believed,
sttf1e any opposition which may