Controversy has long surrounded the presume accidental death of Belgium ’s King Albert I in 1934 , with confederacy theorists crying murder . Now , 80 year later , forensic geneticistshave successfully matched DNAfrom blood found at the view of his death with that of two of the belated business leader ’s remote relatives , hopefully resolving the mystery story once and for all .
King Albert I was arguably one of the most popular monarch butterfly to rule the small kingdom of Belgium . He preside over a hugely turbulent period in history , steering the country through the German occupation during World War I , the post - war reconstruction , and the Great Depression , to name a few primal events . And he conk out new , at eld 58 , in an Alpine climbing chance event — or did he ?
See , the king was an avid and highly skilled spate crampon , leading some to interview whether his “ accident ” was actually murder or suicide . It ’s not like there were any eyewitnesses on manus . The pro - conspiracy crowd speculate that Albert was killed somewhere else and his body planted at the Marche - les - Dames situation after the fact .
historian have largely give the sack such theory . The official investigations close that the king either fell after leaning on a boulder that suddenly dislodge , or he fall 60 feet after the rocky pinnacle to which his climb circle was attached break off .
According toa novel paperin Forensic Science International : genetic science , historians have understanding to be confident in that consensus . Flemish diarist Reinout Goddyn had purchased one of the many relics collect from the land site where the Rex ’s body was bump — in this guinea pig , Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree leaves stained with rake . An earlier analysis in 2014 confirmed the stock was human .
Now two forensic geneticist have once and for all prove that the rakehell is indeed that of the tardy beloved king . They compare deoxyribonucleic acid from the blood on the leaves with that of two of Albert I ’s living distant relatives : the last czar and former prime minister of Bulgaria , Simeon II of Saxe - Coburg and Gotha , and a German baroness , Anna Maria Freifrau von Haxthausen .
Will this be enough to convert the most diehard confederacy theorists ? believably not . “ Eighty years after the fact , everyone postulate has go past away , and most fabric is gone ; we will likely never be capable to brush aside all speculations concerning this ‘ insensate case , ’ ” co - authorMaarten Larmuseauof University of Leuven in Belgiumsaid in a statement .
However , “ The authenticity of the trails of line of descent confirms the official news report of the decease of Albert I , ” he add . “ The story that the all in consistence of the Martin Luther King has never been in Marche - les - Dames or was only post there at dark has now become very improbable . Furthermore , the results show that conduct a perfect legal probe at the fourth dimension was impossible right from the start , because souvenir hunters had disturbed the view . ”
[ Forensic Science International : Genetics ]
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