Baudouin of Belgium
| Baudouin | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
King Baudouin in 1960 | |||||
| King of the Belgians | |||||
| Reign | 17 July 1951 – 31 July 1993 | ||||
| Predecessor | Leopold III | ||||
| Successor | Albert II | ||||
| Prime ministers | |||||
| Born | 7 September 1930 Château of Stuyvenberg, Laeken, Brussels, Belgium | ||||
| Died | 31 July 1993 (aged 62) Villa Astrida, Motril, Spain | ||||
| Burial | |||||
| Spouse | |||||
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| House | Belgium | ||||
| Father | Leopold III of Belgium | ||||
| Mother | Astrid of Sweden | ||||
| Signature | |||||
Baudouin (US: /boʊˈdwæ̃/; 7 September 1930 – 31 July 1993) was King of the Belgians from 17 July 1951 until his death in 1993. He was the last Belgian king to be sovereign of the Congo, before it became independent in 1960 and became the Democratic Republic of the Congo (known from 1971 to 1997 as Zaire).
Baudouin was the elder son of King Leopold III (1901–1983) and his first wife, Princess Astrid of Sweden (1905–1935). Because he and his wife, Queen Fabiola, had no children, at Baudouin's death the crown passed to his younger brother, King Albert II.
In 2024, the Holy See opened the cause for his beatification, which gave him the posthumous title "Servant of God".