page_title: Royal Question
section_title: German invasion and occupation, 1940–44
hierarchical_section_title: Royal Question / German invasion and occupation, 1940–44
caption_attribution_description: Nederlands: Belgische Propaganda Poster Van Koning Leopold III met opschrifft "28 Mei 1940, Halt, Sire Dat Vergeten Wij Nooit" naar aanleiding van de 18 daagse veldtocht.
context_page_description: The Royal Question was a major political crisis in Belgium that lasted from 1945 to 1951, coming to a head between March and August 1950. The "question" at stake surrounded whether King Leopold III could return to the country and resume his constitutional role amid allegations that his actions during World War II had been contrary to the provisions of the Belgian Constitution. It was eventually resolved by the abdication of Leopold in favour of his son Baudouin in 1951.
  The crisis emerged from the division between Leopold and his government, led by Hubert Pierlot, during the German invasion of 1940. Leopold, who was suspected of authoritarian sympathies, had taken command of the Belgian Army at the outbreak of war. Considering his constitutional position as commander-in-chief to take precedence over his civil role as head of state, he refused to leave his army and join the Belgian government in exile in France. Leopold's refusal to obey the government marked a constitutional crisis and, after having negotiated the surrender to the Germans on 28 May 1940, Leopold was widely condemned.
context_section_description: On 10 May 1940, German forces invaded neutral Belgium without a formal declaration of war. Leopold headed immediately to Fort Breendonk, the headquarters of the Belgian army near Mechelen, to take control of the army. He refused to address the Belgian parliament beforehand, as Albert I had famously done at the outbreak of World War I. The speed of the German advance, using the new Blitzkrieg approach, soon pushed the Belgian army westwards despite British and French support. On 16 May, the Belgian government left Brussels.
caption: Belgian Propaganda Poster from King Leopold III with title "28 May 1940, Halt, Sire We will never forget this" in response to the Battle Of Belgium.
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