 The King remained in Belgium during the war as a German prisoner while the government went into exile and continued military action in the Allied cause . Unlike the Netherlands and Luxembourg where the monarchy was repressed or had joined the government in exile , Leopold III remained prominent in the occupied territory , and coins and stamps produced during the occupation continued to carry his face or monogram . Nevertheless , Leopold remained a focus for resistance , his position explained by the slogan " Belgium is captive ! Long live Belgium ! The King is captive ! Long live the King ! " While imprisoned , he sent a letter to Adolf Hitler in 1942 which has been credited with saving an estimated 500 @,@ 000 Belgian women and children from forced deportation to munitions factories in Germany . In November 1940 , Leopold visited Hitler in Berchtesgaden where he asked for Belgian prisoners of war to be freed . 
