Prince Baudouin of Belgium

Prince Baudouin
Born	3 June 1869 Brussels, Belgium
Died	23 January 1891 (aged 21) Brussels, Belgium
Full name French: Baudouin Léopold Philippe Marie Charles Antoine Joseph Louis Dutch: Boudewijn Leopold Filips Marie Karel Antoon Jozef Lodewijk English: Baldwin Leopold Philip Marie Charles Anthony Joseph Louis
House	House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Father	Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders
Mother	Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen

Prince Baudouin of Belgium (3 June 1869 – 23 January 1891), born in Brussels, was the first child and eldest son of Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders, and his wife, Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen.

Baudouin was the nephew of Leopold II of Belgium. Upon the death of his eldest son, Leopold, Duke of Brabant, in the January before Baudouin's birth, the king was left with only one person in the line of succession – his younger brother, the Count of Flanders. Baudouin's birth that June was celebrated throughout the country. He was second in line to the throne at the time of his birth. King Leopold would have only one more child, another daughter, Clémentine. Baudouin was thus groomed to eventually succeed his uncle as king.

Death

Grave of Prince Baudouin with guard of honour

Baudouin died in Brussels on 23 January 1891, a day after the anniversary of his cousin Leopold's death. Baudouin had been visiting his sick sister, Henriette. The prince, who had been suffering a bout of influenza, insisted on staying with his sister. On 23 January he was wounded in a duel with the husband of his mistress and died of his injuries. His body was quickly removed from the site of the duel. Rumours circulated after his death that foul play had been involved, including a suggestion that Baudouin's death was a copy of the suicide of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria; Rudolf was the husband of Baudouin's cousin, Stéphanie. Baudouin was, at the time of his death, soon to be betrothed to his cousin, Clémentine.^[1] Upon the death of Prince Baudouin, the Belgian Parliament was adjourned and theatres and public institutions were closed until after the funeral. Baudouin's body was interred at the royal vault at the Church of Our Lady of Laeken in Brussels.

After Baudouin's death, his younger brother, Albert, eventually became heir presumptive after the death of their father, and later succeeded their uncle Leopold as Albert I of Belgium.

Titles

• His Royal Highness Prince Baudouin of Belgium, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Duke of Saxony (1869–1891)

References

1. Belgium in Mourning; Death of Prince Bandouin -- the heir to the throne, New York Times

Bibliography

Bilteryst Damien, Le prince Baudouin, frère du Roi-Chevalier, Bruxelles, Editions Racine, 2013, 336 p. ISBN 9782873868475