OBITUARY.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9670, 18 December 1909, Page 5

OBITUARY.

KING LEOPOLD OF BELGIUM. EMBOLISM THE CAUSE OF j DEATH. United Preas Association—Eleotrio Telegrap Copyright. Received December 17, 8.35 p.m. BRUSSELS, December 17. The death occurred at half-past two o'clock this morning of Kiug Leopold. Received December 17, 9.25 p.m. BRUSSELS. December 17. Embolism (the obstruction of a vessel by a clot of fibrine. a frequent cause of paralysis and of gangrene of the part beyond the obstacle) was the cause of King Leopold's death, which was peaceful. He suddenly cried out to the doctor, "I am choking." Morphia was injected, but he died almost immediately. Princ« Albert arrived shortly afterwards, and reverently kissed the dead monarch.

The late Ki g Leopold II was born at Brussels on April 9th, 1835, and was the son of Kine Leopold L, whom he succeeded on December 10th, 1865. He had travelled much in Europe. Asia Minor and Egypt He was practically the founder, and the ruling sovereign, of the Congo Free State. He married; in 1853, the Archduchess Maria of Austria, who died September 19th. 1902, and by whom he has three daughters. The eldest. Princess Louise, married in 1875 Prince Philip of Saxe Coburg Gotha, hut the manage was dissolved in January, 1906. The second, Princess Stephai.i >, widow of the late Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria, married Count Lonyay in 1899. The third is Princess Clementine. The heir to the Throne is Prince Albert, second son of the late Count of Flanders, brother of thfi King. He was born April Bth, 1875, „aiid married (October 2nd, 1900),-.t&| Duch?ss Elizabeth of Bavaria, arid has two sons, Prince Leopold (born November 3rd, 1901), Prince Charles Theodore (born October 10th, 1903), and a daughter (born August 4th, 1906). The late King had a Civil List of £132,000.