Boudewijn. Naar het Hart van de Koning

Baudouin succumbs to heart failure in the summer of 1993. Ironically, the King followed his heart more often in the last years of his reign. He stood up for the minorities and the poor, like migrants and victims of human trafficking. He reconciled with his Royal Commissionary Paula D'Hondt, and supported journalist Chris De Stoop fully, who had written a book 'They are so sweet, sir', which politically offended the King. At the end of his life, Baudouin retreated from the political arena, with the exception of important social issues. It was in this context that at his funeral, in front of all world leaders, a prostitute - a victim of human trafficking - was allowed to speak in front of them. Cardinal Godfried Danneels, the officiant of the mass, suggested to beatify Baudouin. "Some kings", he told, "are shepherds of their people."