Belgian King Philippe acknowledged "acts of violence and cruelty" in his country's colonial past in Africa.

A statue of King Leopold II stands defaced after protests this month in Brussels.

Belgian King Philippe acknowledged "acts of violence and cruelty" in his country's colonial past in Africa.

The policies of Belgian King Leopold II left millions of people dead more than a century ago in the region that is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Now, in a first for the Belgian monarchy, King Philippe has expressed his "deepest regrets" for a colonization campaign that remains notorious for its brutality.

Philippe, here Tuesday in Heverlee, Belgium, didn't explicitly mention Leopold II's name in his letter to Congo's leader.

Meanwhile, a commission approved earlier this month in the Belgian parliament has pledged to investigate and more broadly acknowledge the country's colonial past