During the Second World War, she became friendly with the highest circles of the German occupation authorities, whilst in a few occasions helping the resistance.
[1] On December 19, 1923, Elisabeth married the Roman aristocrat Constantino Ruspoli de Poggio-Suasa, who was making a diplomatic career.
He was killed on October 25, 1942 at the Second Battle of El Alamein, while defending Hill 77, the most advanced Italian position, during operation Lightfoot.
During week-ends he hosted at Seneffe Castle, left behind by the Jewish bankers' family Philippson and now declared "ownerless, non-Arian Capital".
The city was being bombarded and at one point she and her Gestapo guard Hertha Schulz had to run for hours through the streets, searching shelter.
Several months earlier, in July, Ulrich von Hassell had warned that the NSDAP considered Falkenhausen's relations with the Belgians all too intimate and that he was being watched by the Gestapo.
[14] When what he had feared came true, a disapproving Von Hassell wrote in his diary that her phone had been tapped and that the accusations against her were not political but moral (black money market and immorality).
[17] Falkenhausen asked Wilhelm Keitel for her release, but in vain: he was told that she had been arrested on the personal orders of Benito Mussolini.
At this point the relationship between Falkenhausen and Ruspoli, and similar relations of German highranking officers with Belgian citizens, provoked a comment by Hitler.