Person    | Male  Born 9/4/1835  Died 17/12/1909

King Leopold II of the Belgians

Categories: Royalty

Countries: Belgium

Son of King Leopold I. King of the Belgians 1865 -1909. Leopold's cruel exploitation of the Congo was carried out in his name and under his instruction. The Queen Mary College students, succinctly, described him as a "genocidal colonialist".

It seems nobody can find anything nice to say about Leopold II. A society lady is quoted as describing the marriage of Leopold to Maria Henrietta as being "like the marriage of a stable-boy to a nun", and by "nun" she was not referring to the wife. It is said that, on a visit to London, the couple sought sex advice from Leopold's cousin Prince Albert and his wife Queen Victoria, who, we understand, were well-versed in conjugal happiness.

You can find more memorials to this much reviled royal at our Brussels website.

June 2020: Responding to the Black Lives Matter protests authorities in Antwerp took down a statue of King Leopold II and placed it in a museum.

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the memorials created by the subject on this page:
King Leopold II of the Belgians

Creations i

King Leopold II of Belgium

Foundation stone of this library was laid by His Majesty Leopold II King of t...

Read More

Other Subjects

King Henry III

King Henry III

Ascended throne in 1216, aged 9.  Son of King John.  Resurrected the Magna Carta.  Married Eleanor of Provence who became consort queen. Began the building of the current Westminster Abbey in 1245 ...

Person, Royalty

6 memorials
Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn

Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn

Born Arthur William Patrick Albert, the seventh child and third son of Queen Victoria. Created Duke of Connaught and Strathearn and Earl of Sussex in 1874. Entered the Royal Military Academy at Woo...

Person, Armed Forces, Royalty, Canada, Ireland

11 memorials
Edward, Duke of Kent (1735)

Edward, Duke of Kent (1735)

Edward Augustus was the 4th son of George III and the father of Queen Victoria. In 1818 the only legitimate grandchild of George III died, leaving the succession shaky. The three unmarried sons of...

Person, Royalty

1 memorial
Catrin Glyndwr

Catrin Glyndwr

Daughter of Owain Glyndwr the Welsh hero. Catrin was captured in 1409 at Harlech and taken to the Tower of London with her children and her mother, Glyndwr's wife, during Owain's fight for the free...

Person, Royalty, Wales

1 memorial
Princess Mary, Duchess of Teck

Princess Mary, Duchess of Teck

Born as Princess Mary Adelaide Wilhelmina Elizabeth in Hanover, Germany. Father was Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge. Also known as Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge. Died White Lodge, Richmond...

Person, Royalty, Germany

1 memorial