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THE PATH TO PEACE AWARD RECIPIENTS

1994 - His Majesty Baudouin I, King of the Belgians
(1934-1993)

Baudouin, Leopold, Albert, Charles, Axel, Marie, Gustave, Count of Hainault, was born at Stuyvenberg Mansion, near Brussels, on 7 September 1930, the second child of Prince Leopold and Princess Astrid.

Two deaths which occurred when he was still a boy cast a shadow over his early years. The first, in 1934, was that of King Albert I, who had been devoted to his grandson.

A year after his father came to the throne as Leopold III, on 29 August 1935, the young Prince lost his mother, Queen Astrid, who was killed in a car accident in Switzerland.

During the occupation of Belgium in World War II, King Leopold and his children, Prince Baudouin, his elder sister Princess Josephine-Charlotte and his brother Prince Albert, remained in the country at the Royal Castle in Laeken.

At the time of the Allied landings in June 1944, Leopold III, Princess Lilian --whom he had married in 1941-- and the royal children were deported to Hirschstein, Germany, and later to Strobl in Austria, where they were liberated on 7 May 1945 by the 7th U.S. Army.

Owing to the political situation they were unable to return to Belgium, so King Leopold and his family moved to Switzerland where the Prince continued his studies at the College of Geneva; in 1948 he traveled to the United States, visiting New York, Pittsburgh and Princeton.

In 1950, following a referendum, the two Houses of Parliament ruled that King Leopold's "inability to reign" had come to an end, and the King and his family returned to Brussels. When violent disorder broke out the same year, King Leopold asked the Government and Parliament to pass a law delegating his powers to Prince Baudouin.

On 17 July 1951 the "Prince Royal" took the Constitutional oath as King Baudouin I, at a time when both country and monarchy had just come through the most profound political crisis of their existence. Nevertheless, rapid economic revival enabled Belgium quickly to forget the dark years of the war and its aftermath. The 1953 World's Fair provided the nation with a unique opportunity to return to the international stage, and gave many young people of the post-war generation a fascinating window on the world.

In his opening address at "Expo 53" King Baudouin spoke of the two paths open to mankind: "one leads to a perilous arms race --the hideous threat that the latest discoveries might be unleashed against humanity itself. The other is the path of cooperation and understanding that leads to true peace for mankind, free of social, political or religious discrimination."

No sooner had the gates of the World's Fair been closed, however, than Belgium was plunged into another political and social crisis. The Congo won its independence in 1960, following bloody riots the year before. Decolonization gave rise to many dramatic moments of tension between Congo (Zaire) and its former colonial master. At the same time, political strikes in the winter of 1960-1961 heralded in a period of social, economic and communal unrest at home.

King Baudouin married Dona Fabiola de Mora y Aragon in Brussels on 15 December 1960. The new Queen received a warm welcome, which she has repaid by sharing wholeheartedly in the triumphs and the trials of her husband and people of Belgium. In all their activities, the King and Queen have always shown a particular interest in members of the most vulnerable groups in society: the young, the disabled, the immigrants, the poor, the elderly.

King Baudouin had built up a great deal of political experience over the years. A politician once called him "the most seasoned 'routinier' in Belgium policy." This experience, combined with a thorough knowledge of the nation's affairs, greatly assisted the King in his role as the head of a state facing many problems, and with difficult and often complex political structures.

King Baudouin passed away on 31 July 1993 at his holiday residence in Motril, Spain. The King's sudden and unexpected death generated a wave of sympathy both inside Belgium and beyond for Queen Fabiola and the whole Belgian Royal Family. Tens of thousands of people from all sections of the population queued for hours to pay their last respects to their deceased monarch. Even more signed the books of mourning that were opened in cities and villages throughout the country.

The funeral ceremony in St. Michael's Cathedral in Brussels was attended by heads of state and government from all over the world. The texts and symbols, music and testimonies transformed the service into an inspiring message of life and hope.

King Baudouin was a kind-hearted, noble and deeply religious man. He was an intelligent and attentive observer, who was not afraid to encourage or admonish when his position as constitutional monarch so required.

One of the most noteworthy political features of King Baudouin's reign was undoubtedly the peaceful manner in which Belgium evolved from a unitary into a federal state. He constantly called upon Belgians to exercise tolerance, and to show greater mutual understanding. Addressing the nation on Belgium's National Day, 21 July 1993, the sovereign made reference to the importance of the recent constitutional reforms, stressing that the most important task remaining was "to make the new institutions work properly." This would only be possible, he went on, "if all those responsible show the necessary desire for reconciliation, good will, tolerance and sense of federal citizenship."

King Baudouin was a people's monarch. He cared about them as individuals, and sought personally to improve the lot of those from faraway countries who sought a better life in Belgium. He raised immigrants to the status of fellow citizens, and strove to put an end to the scandalous trafficking of women.

"The King was fighting against this sex trade. He was standing up for us. He was a real King. I called him my friend. Now we cry again. We lost our friend." These words were spoken by a young Filipino woman at the funeral ceremony.

In the international field he showed a continuing concern in all his public speeches to remind rich countries that they ought to reach out to developing countries in a spirit of respect, understanding and cooperation.

It is much too early as yet to take final stock of King Baudouin's reign. One thing, however, is certain. He always sought to do justice to the individual person, and his own person gave meaning to the office of monarch. That this was also recognized by the Belgian people was apparent from the genuine grief and the mass descent upon Brussels to which his death gave rise.

King Baudouin and Queen Fabiola remained childless, and so the late King was succeeded by his brother Albert, in accordance with the Constitution. The latter was sworn in as Albert II, King of the Belgians, in Parliament on 9 August 1993.

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