“BOTH IN Africa and Europe, Leopold’s death had promised to mark the end of an era. Many Belgians felt relieved; at last they would be rid of the multiple embarrassments of his youthful mistress, his unseemly quarrels with his daughters, and the sheer nakedness of his greed. But it was soon clear that Leopold’s ghost would not vanish so easily. The king who had died while in possession of one of Europe’s largest fortunes had tried to take it with him.”
