Editing Lilian Baels (section)

==Early life and education==
Mary Lilian Baels was born in Highbury, London, England,<ref name="sydney"/> where her parents had fled during [[World War I]]. She was one of the nine children of [[Henri Baels]] from [[Ostend]] and his wife, Anne Marie de Visscher, a member of the Belgian nobility from [[Dentergem]].<ref name="telegraph"/> Lilian was initially educated in English, but, upon her parents' return to [[Belgium]], she attended the College of the Sacred Heart in [[Ostend]], where she learned [[Dutch language|Dutch]].<ref name="telegraph">{{cite news|title=H R H Princess Liliane of Belgium|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1396745/H-R-H-Princess-Liliane-of-Belgium.html|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|date=10 June 2002|accessdate=15 September 2018}}</ref> Lilian continued her studies in [[French language|French]] at the Institute of the Sacred Heart in [[Brussels]].<ref name="cleermans"/> She was also fluent in [[German language|German]].<ref name="telegraph"/> Lilian completed her education by attending a convent school in London and attending finishing schools in [[France]], [[Switzerland]] and [[Austria]].<ref name="pittsburgh"/>

In addition to academic work, Lilian participated extensively in sports, such as [[skiing]], [[swimming (sport)|swimming]], [[golfing]], and [[hunting]]. Above all, however, she enjoyed, as did her father, literature and the arts. As a teenager, she was presented to [[King George V]] and [[Mary of Teck|Queen Mary]] of the United Kingdom at [[Buckingham Palace]].<ref name="jeancleermans">Jean Cleeremans, ''Léopold III, sa famille, son peuple sous l'occupation''</ref><ref name="telegraph"/>