Alexander, Crown Prince of Yugoslavia
Alexander Karageorgevitch (Aleksandar Karađorđević, born
July 17,
1945) is the current
pretender to the abolished thrones of
Yugoslavia and
Serbia.
[The name Kingdom of Yugoslavia was adopted in 1929.][Montenegro, one of the two remaining member states of the Yugoslav Federation voted in May 2006 to leave Yugoslavia and become an independent country.]. He has retained the honorary title,
Crown Prince[The title Crown Prince is a courtesy title, not a constitutional office, in a former monarchy that has now become a republic. The last holder of a monarchical title traditionally continues to hold that title as a courtesy title for their lifetime. It dies with them and cannot be inherited by a successor unless the monarchy is restored. Alexander was born while his father was still King of Yugoslavia, making him Yugoslavia's last crown prince unless the monarchy is restored.] Alexander is the son of
Peter II, the last king of
Yugoslavia, who was from the
Karageorgevitch dynasty, and
Princess Alexandra of Greece. He claims for himself the title
King of Yugoslavia, but that title was and remains unrecognised either by the Yugoslav and Serbian states or by any country.
[Alexander's website claims.]As with some other monarchs in their own states during
World War II, King Peter II left Yugoslavia in April 1941 to establish a government-in-exile. He arrived in
London in June 1941. Shortly after the occupation, two
puppet governments were formed:
Independent State of Croatia in the region of Croatia and Bosnia, and
Nedić's Serbia, the popular name of the Serbian state under German occupation in WWII.
After the
Teheran Conference, the Allies shifted support from royalist
Chetniks to communist
Partisans. In June 1944,
Ivan Šubašić, a royal envoy, and
Josip Broz (Tito), a partisan leader, signed an agreement which was an attempt to merge the royal and communist governments.
On
November 29,
1943,
AVNOJ (formed by Partisans) declared themselves the sovereign government of Yugoslavia and proclaimed taking away all legal rights from the Royal government. On
August 10 1945, less than a month after Karađorđević's birth, AVNOJ named the country
Democratic Federal Yugoslavia. On
November 29,
1945, the country was declared a republic, and changed its name to
Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia.
In
1947, his family lost Yugoslavian
citizenship and all property.
Alexander was born at
Claridge's Hotel in Brook Street,
London. The British Government temporarily ceded sovereignty over the suite in which the birth occurred to Yugoslavia so that the prince would be born on Yugoslav territory.
His godparents were
King George VI and then Princess Elizabeth, now
Queen Elizabeth II. The son of
King Peter II and
Queen Alexandra (born a Princess of Greece), he was educated at
Gordonstoun,
Institut Le Rosey, and
Mons Officer Cadet School, Aldershot.
Alexander is the only grandchild of
Aspasia Manos, and therefore the only living royal, apart from his own sons, who has her ancestry: from monarchical perspective, mostly
reigning princes of
Moldavia and
Valachia, as well as their families.
On
July 1 1972 at the Villamanrique de la Condesa, in
Seville,
Spain, he was married to
Princess Maria da Gloria of Orleans-Braganca. They had three sons, Hereditary Prince
Peter and twins
Alexander and
Philip. They were divorced in 1985. Crown Prince Alexander married Katherine Clairy Batis, daughter of Robert Batis and his wife Anna Dosti, legally on
September 20,
1985, and religiously the following day, at St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church, Notting Hill, London.
Alexander first came to Yugoslavia in
1991. He moved to Yugoslavia after
Slobodan Milošević was deposed in 2000. In March 2001 Yugoslavian citizenship was given to him by the government and property seized from his family, including royal palaces, were returned.
He currently lives in
Beli Dvor (the King's summer palace) in
Belgrade, formerly the residence of President
Tito.
He would be in line to the British throne, had he not married a Catholic woman. As it is, his sons are in the line, currently in 91st, 92nd and 93rd place.
His ancestry amongst medieval monarchs of the Balkans is presented at
Nemanjic pedigree of the Royal House of Yugoslavia.
Alexander is a proponent of establishing
parliamentary monarchy in Serbia within its current borders and sees himself as the rightful king. He believes that monarchy would give Serbia "stability and unity".
[Royalfamily.org press release press release.] |
Crown Prince Alexander with his family on the steps of the Royal Palace in Belgrade |
Some of the political parties and organizations which support monarchy in Serbia are
Serbian Renewal Movement, Serbian Demochristian Party,
Serbian Orthodox Church and
Obraz. The assassinated former Serbian Prime Minister
Zoran Đinđić could often be seen in the company of the prince and his family, supporting their campaigns and projects, although his Democratic Party never publicly embraced monarchy. This is true for most other relevant parties in Serbia; it seems that no party is ready to energetically push the issue of monarchy either because of other grave problems in the country or from fear or further fragmenting the already fragmented and unpredictible Serbian electorate, thus the prince seems to be used by political figures for populist aspirations of politicians.
Crown Prince Alexander has vowed to stay out of politics and has so far fulfilled this promise, sticking mainly to the royal couple's humanitarian work.
The crown prince however has increasingly participated in public functions alongside the leaders of the Serbian and Yugoslav republics and members of the
Diplomatic corp. On
May 11 2006 he hosted a reception at the White Palace for delegates attending a summit on Serbia and Montenegro. The reception was attended by the Governor of the National Bank of Serbia, as well as ambassadors and diplomatics from
Slovenia,
Poland,
Brazil,
Japan,
United States and
Austria. He later delivered a key-note speech in front of prime ministers
Vojislav Kostunica and
Milo Djukanovic. In the speech he spoke of prospective Serbian membership of the
European Union. He told delegates:
In addition, we in Serbia and Montenegro must take into account that whatever form we take within the European Union, we have only but one choice and that is to work for the common good of all member nations. It is also central to take into account that stability in our region will be enhanced when Serbia is fully at peace with itself.
[Press release by Alexander's chancellery.]Pending the status resolution of
Serbia and Montenegro following
Montenegro's independence referendum on
May 21 2006 reinstitution of Serbian monarchy may again become an issue in daily political debate. A monarchist proposal for the new Serbian constitution has been published along side other proposals.
The crown prince raised the issue of a royal restoration in the immediate aftermath of the vote. In a press release issued on the
24 May 2006 he stated:
It has been officially confirmed that the people of Montenegro voted for independence. I am sad, but I wish our Montenegrin brothers peace, democracy and happiness. The people of Montenegro are our brothers and sisters no matter what if we live in one or in two countries, that is how it was and that is how it will be forever.
...I strongly believe in the Constitutional Parliamentary Kingdom of Serbia. Again, we need to be proud, a strong Serbia that is at peace with itself and with its neighbors. We were a proud, respected and happy country in the days of my great grandfather King Peter I. So, we can do it! Only if we have a form of governance close to the Serbian soul: the Kingdom of Serbia.
...Simply, the King is above daily politics, he is the guardian of national unity, political stability and continuity of the state. In Constitutional Parliamentary Monarchies the King is the protector of public interest: there is no personal or party interest. What is most important is the interest of Serbia.
...I am ready to meet all our politicians; we have to work together for the common good of Serbia, and to be friends in the name of the future of our country. I appeal for the end of the continuous wrangling, division and arguments. I appeal for mature democratic debate in the interest of Serbia. Serbia must have clear and realistic objectives.
[Press release. 24 May 2006.]*
Monarchs of Serbia*
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*
Royal family personal website
