Marche-les-Dames

A remarkable account that plays into many conspiracy theories about the death of Albert I is that of Charles Hennuy, son of Alfred Hennuy (an alderman of Marche-les-Dames). Until his death in 2000, he maintained that he had heard a gunshot on the afternoon of 17 February 1934. The Hennuy family lived a few hundred metres from where the body of King Albert I was found.

Charles Hennuy insisted that there had been only one shot. What is even stranger is that court chamberlain Théophile Van Dycke said nothing about hearing a gunshot, despite sitting nearby waiting for the king. This is one of the many contradictions in his account. According to the official version, Van Dycke was sitting on a bench a few hundred metres away, waiting while the king was climbing. Théophile Van Dycke’s statements were marked by curious inconsistencies from the outset. He contradicted himself on various aspects of that day, including exactly where the picnic took place, how often the king had visited Marche-les-Dames in the preceding weeks, and whether any food was eaten.

When the king failed to return at the agreed time, the alarm was raised. His body, bearing a large head wound, was not found until 2 a.m. on Sunday, 18 February 1934.

Pascal Brackman