King Philippe of the Belgians

It's Reigning Men

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Sunday, 23 March 2025 - 35 minutes

The newest country in Western Europe has its seventh king on the throne, after he took over from his father Albert II in 2013.King Philippe of the Belgians became head of state at a time when controversy was circling the royal family because of a daughter Albert had fathered during an affair.In the past 12 years Philippe has steadied the ship and become a figure of stability in the country, often representing the nation abroad.One of the most notable visits during his reign was to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2022, a former colony of Belgium.Between 1885 - 1908 King Leopold II of the Belgians colonised the Congo and it's estimated around 10 million people were killed.Historians describe it as one of the worst examples of colonisation.Now, more than 100 yeas later, discussions are happening in Belgium whether institutions - like the monarchy and government - are willing to apologise for the barbaric acts the monarchy and the state carried out.Guests:Wim Dehandschutter, Royalty Journalist and AuthorPauline Malenga Mwanga, Royal Museum for Central AfricaHosted by Daniel Rosney'Achter de muren van het paleis/ Behind the palace doors': https://www.borgerhoff-lamberigts.be/shop/boeken/achter-de-muren-van-het-paleisOur email is: itsreigningmenpod@gmail.com------------------Thanks for listening to It’s Reigning Men - a brand new podcast about royalty, royal families, and monarchs of the world. If you enjoyed it, please tell your friends who also might be interested in Kings, Queens, power and palaces.It would be great if you could subscribe so more episodes appear in your feed as soon as they’re ready.Find us on social media to Direct Message us on all the usual apps. Just search ‘It’s Reigning Men’. We're more than happy to take suggestions for a topic to be explored or to answer any questions about monarchies or specific members of royal families.There’s also a weekly newsletter on Substack too: https://itsreigningmen.substack.com/Speak soon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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