King Leopold's Ghost

by Adam Hochschild

The king did get some artful revenge on one opponent, the influential French journalist Pierre Mille, an ally of Morel’s who had fiercely and repeatedly attacked the king in print. One day a courtier brought word that Mille was quietly visiting Brussels with a woman not his wife. Leopold found out where they were staying and sent them an invitation to visit the great greenhouses at the château of Laeken. Mille and his lady friend accepted, and they appeared so delighted that Leopold thought he had won over a major critic. But soon after, Mille resumed his attacks. The king then asked the Belgian embassy in Paris to find Mille’s home address. To it he sent a huge bouquet of flowers, with a card bearing the royal coat of arms and the message, “To Monsieur and Madame Pierre Mille, in memory of their visit to Laeken.”