Alexander, Crown Prince of Yugoslavia
Encyclopedia
Alexander II Karadjordjevic, Crown Prince of Yugoslavia ' onMouseout='HidePop("70133")' href="/topics/Serbian_Cyrillic_alphabet">Cyrillic
: Александар Карађорђевић; born 17 July 1945), is the former crown prince of the former Kingdom of Yugoslavia
and the head of the House of Karadjordjevic. Alexander is the only child of former King Peter II of Yugoslavia
and Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark. He prefers to be known as "Crown Prince Alexander", the title he legally held in Democratic Federal Yugoslavia, a communist dictatorship, for the first four-and-a-half months of his life, from 17 July 1945 (his birth) up-until his father's deposition by the communist single party Yugoslav Parliament in late November of the same year.
With the formation of a communist government and the subsequent disintegration of the state of Yugoslavia, Alexander is now a proponent of re-creating a constitutional monarchy in Serbia.
, King Peter II left his country to establish a government-in-exile. He left Yugoslavia in April 1941 and arrived in London
in June 1941. The Royal Yugoslav Armed Forces capitulated.
After the Tehran Conference
, the Allies
shifted support from royalist Chetniks
to communist Partisans
. Commenting on the event and what happened to his father, Crown Prince Alexander II said, "He [Peter II] was too straight. He could not believe that his allies – the mighty American democracy and his relatives and friends in London – could do him in. But that's precisely what happened." In June 1944 Ivan Šubašić
, the Royalist prime minister, and Josip Broz (Tito), the Partisan leader, signed an agreement that was an attempt to merge the royal
and communist governments.
On 29 November 1943, AVNOJ
(formed by the Partisans) declared themselves the sovereign government of Yugoslavia and announced that they would take away all legal rights from the Royal government. On 10 August 1945, less than a month after Karađorđević's birth, AVNOJ named the country Democratic Federal Yugoslavia. On 29 November 1945, the country was declared a republic and changed its name to People's Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
In 1947, Alexander's family http://www.royalfamily.org/exhibits/hist-doc/resenje-o-oduzimanju.jpg was deprived of Yugoslavian citizenship
and all family property was confiscated http://www.royalfamily.org/exhibits/hist-doc/kardelj.pdf.
“Based upon the Decree of the Presidency of the Presidium of the National Assembly of the People's Federal Republic of Yugoslavia nr. 392 from 8 March 1947, with which the Government of PFRY was entrusted the fulfillment of the decision about the removal of the citizenship of the PFRY and confiscation of the property of the members of the Karadjordjevic family, the Government of PFRY brings the following ORDER:
By the Decree of the Presidency of the Presidium of the National Assembly of the People's Federal Republic of Yugoslavia nr. 392 from 8 March 1947 (Official Gazette nr. 64 from 1 August 1947), the citizenship of PFRY is being taken away from the members of the Karadjordjevic family and their entire property is being confiscated”.
. The British Government temporarily ceded sovereignty over the suite in which the birth occurred to Yugoslavia so that the prince would be born in Yugoslav territory.
His godparents were King George VI
and Princess Elizabeth, now Elizabeth II. He was the only child of King Peter II
and Queen Alexandra and the only grandchild of Princess Aspasia of Greece
. Through his maternal grandmother, Alexander is also a relative of Ileana, the current Duchess of Chartres.
His parents were relatively unable to take care of him, due to their various health and financial problems, so Alexander was raised by his maternal grandmother. He was educated at Institut Le Rosey
, Culver Military Academy, Gordonstoun
, Millfield
and Mons Officer Cadet School
, Aldershot.
, Spain
, he married Princess Maria da Gloria of Orléans Bragança. They had three sons, Hereditary Prince Peter
and fraternal twins Princes Philip
and Alexander
. By marrying a Roman Catholic, Alexander lost his place in line of succession to the British Throne
, which he had held as a descendant of Queen Victoria through her second son Alfred
. Alexander is also descended from Queen Victoria's eldest daughter Victoria
. His sons are in the line of British succession, in 94th, 95th and 96th place (as of 8 January 2009).
Alexander and Maria da Gloria divorced in 1985. Crown Prince Alexander married for the second time, Katherine Clairy Batis, the daughter of Robert Batis and his wife, Anna Dosti, civilly on 20 September 1985, and religiously the following day, at St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church, Notting Hill, London. Since their marriage, she is known as Katherine, Crown Princess of Yugoslavia
, as per the royal family's website.
Alexander first came to Yugoslavia in 1991. He actively worked with the democratic opposition against the regime of Slobodan Milošević
and moved to Yugoslavia after Slobodan Milošević
was deposed in 2000. In March 2001 Yugoslavian citizenship was finally restored to him by the government and the property seized from his family, including royal palaces, was returned for residential purposes with property ownership to be decided by parliament at the some later date.
He currently lives in Kraljevski Dvor (Royal Palace) in Dedinje
, an exclusive area of Belgrade. Kraljevski Dvor, which was completed in 1929, is one of two royal residences in the Royal Compound
; the other is White Palace
which was completed in 1936.
in Serbia and sees himself as the rightful king. He believes that monarchy could give Serbia "stability, continuity and unity".
Many members of political parties and organizations support a constitutional parliamentary monarchy in Serbia. The Serbian Orthodox Church has openly supported the restoration of the monarchy. The assassinated former Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Đinđić was often seen in the company of the prince and his family, supporting their campaigns and projects, although his Democratic Party never publicly embraced monarchy. It seems no party is ready to energetically push the issue of constitutional monarchy either because the country has more pressing problems, or because they don't want to drive another wedge into the already fragmented electorate.
Crown Prince Alexander II has vowed to stay out of politics and has so far fulfilled this promise. He and Crown Princess Katherine spend considerable time associated with humanitarian work.
The Crown Prince however has increasingly participated in public functions alongside the leaders of Serbia, the former Yugoslav republics and members of the diplomatic corps
. On 11 May 2006 he hosted a reception at the Royal 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 diplomats from Slovenia
, Poland
, Brazil
, Japan
, United States
and Austria
. He later delivered a keynote speech in front of prime ministers Vojislav Koštunica
and Milo Đukanović. In the speech he spoke of prospective Serbian membership of the European Union
. He told delegates:
Following Montenegro
's successful independence referendum on 21 May 2006, the re-creation of the Serbian monarchy did find its way into daily political debate. A monarchist proposal for the new Serbian constitution has been published alongside other proposals. The document
approved
in October 2006 is a republican one. The Serbian people have not had a chance to vote on the system of government.
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:
In 2011 a poll showed that 64% of Serbians support restoring the monarchy.
back to his homeland in the now Serbia
, and to be buried in the crypt of the Royal Family mausoleum Oplenac
, where Karađorđe Petrović (the dynasty’s progenitor), King Peter I, King Alexander I
, and all other members of the Royal Family have been buried.
He has not yet set a date for returning his father, but may do so for spring of 2012. The plan has caused controversy among a minority of Serbian-Americans since Peter II according to them personally chose St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Monastery as his final resting place. Most of King Peter II's ancestors are buried in the Royal Mausoleum at Oplenac. King Peter II's mother, Queen Marie of Yugoslavia is buried at the Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore
near Windsor Castle, Windsor
, United Kingdom
. Crown Prince Alexander would like to see his paternal grandmother buried next to King Alexander I
. The Crown Prince also would like Queen Alexandra of Yugoslavia, his mother, who is buried in Tatoi (Greece) to be buried eventually next King Peter II in Oplenac.
Serbian Cyrillic alphabet
The Serbian Cyrillic alphabet is an adaptation of the Cyrillic script for the Serbian language, developed in 1818 by Serbian linguist Vuk Karadžić. It is one of the two standard modern alphabets used to write the Serbian language, the other being Latin...
: Александар Карађорђевић; born 17 July 1945), is the former crown prince of the former Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a state stretching from the Western Balkans to Central Europe which existed during the often-tumultuous interwar era of 1918–1941...
and the head of the House of Karadjordjevic. Alexander is the only child of former King Peter II of Yugoslavia
Peter II of Yugoslavia
Peter II, also known as Peter II Karađorđević , was the third and last King of Yugoslavia...
and Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark. He prefers to be known as "Crown Prince Alexander", the title he legally held in Democratic Federal Yugoslavia, a communist dictatorship, for the first four-and-a-half months of his life, from 17 July 1945 (his birth) up-until his father's deposition by the communist single party Yugoslav Parliament in late November of the same year.
With the formation of a communist government and the subsequent disintegration of the state of Yugoslavia, Alexander is now a proponent of re-creating a constitutional monarchy in Serbia.
Status at birth
As with many other European monarchs during World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, King Peter II left his country to establish a government-in-exile. He left Yugoslavia in April 1941 and arrived in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in June 1941. The Royal Yugoslav Armed Forces capitulated.
After the Tehran Conference
Tehran Conference
The Tehran Conference was the meeting of Joseph Stalin, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill between November 28 and December 1, 1943, most of which was held at the Soviet Embassy in Tehran, Iran. It was the first World War II conference amongst the Big Three in which Stalin was present...
, the Allies
Allies
In everyday English usage, allies are people, groups, or nations that have joined together in an association for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out between them...
shifted support from royalist Chetniks
Chetniks
Chetniks, or the Chetnik movement , were Serbian nationalist and royalist paramilitary organizations from the first half of the 20th century. The Chetniks were formed as a Serbian resistance against the Ottoman Empire in 1904, and participated in the Balkan Wars, World War I, and World War II...
to communist Partisans
Partisans (Yugoslavia)
The Yugoslav Partisans, or simply the Partisans were a Communist-led World War II anti-fascist resistance movement in Yugoslavia...
. Commenting on the event and what happened to his father, Crown Prince Alexander II said, "He [Peter II] was too straight. He could not believe that his allies – the mighty American democracy and his relatives and friends in London – could do him in. But that's precisely what happened." In June 1944 Ivan Šubašić
Ivan Šubašic
Ivan Šubašić was a Croatian and Yugoslav politician, best known as the last Ban of Banovina of Croatia.He was born in Vukova Gorica, then in Austria-Hungary. He finished grammar and high school in Zagreb, and enrolled onto the Faculty of Theology at the University of Zagreb...
, the Royalist prime minister, and Josip Broz (Tito), the Partisan leader, signed an agreement that was an attempt to merge the royal
Monarchy
A monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected...
and communist governments.
On 29 November 1943, AVNOJ
AVNOJ
The Anti-Fascist Council of the People's Liberation of Yugoslavia, known more commonly by its Yugoslav abbreviation AVNOJ, was the political umbrella organization for the national liberation councils of the Yugoslav resistance against the World War II Axis occupation, eventually becoming the...
(formed by the Partisans) declared themselves the sovereign government of Yugoslavia and announced that they would take away all legal rights from the Royal government. On 10 August 1945, less than a month after Karađorđević's birth, AVNOJ named the country Democratic Federal Yugoslavia. On 29 November 1945, the country was declared a republic and changed its name to People's Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
In 1947, Alexander's family http://www.royalfamily.org/exhibits/hist-doc/resenje-o-oduzimanju.jpg was deprived of Yugoslavian citizenship
Citizenship
Citizenship is the state of being a citizen of a particular social, political, national, or human resource community. Citizenship status, under social contract theory, carries with it both rights and responsibilities...
and all family property was confiscated http://www.royalfamily.org/exhibits/hist-doc/kardelj.pdf.
“Based upon the Decree of the Presidency of the Presidium of the National Assembly of the People's Federal Republic of Yugoslavia nr. 392 from 8 March 1947, with which the Government of PFRY was entrusted the fulfillment of the decision about the removal of the citizenship of the PFRY and confiscation of the property of the members of the Karadjordjevic family, the Government of PFRY brings the following ORDER:
By the Decree of the Presidency of the Presidium of the National Assembly of the People's Federal Republic of Yugoslavia nr. 392 from 8 March 1947 (Official Gazette nr. 64 from 1 August 1947), the citizenship of PFRY is being taken away from the members of the Karadjordjevic family and their entire property is being confiscated”.
Birth and childhood
Alexander was born in Suite 212 of Claridge's Hotel in Brook Street, LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The British Government temporarily ceded sovereignty over the suite in which the birth occurred to Yugoslavia so that the prince would be born in Yugoslav territory.
His godparents were King George VI
George VI of the United Kingdom
George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death...
and Princess Elizabeth, now Elizabeth II. He was the only child of King Peter II
Peter II of Yugoslavia
Peter II, also known as Peter II Karađorđević , was the third and last King of Yugoslavia...
and Queen Alexandra and the only grandchild of Princess Aspasia of Greece
Aspasia Manos
Aspasia Manos , was a Greek commoner who became the wife of Alexander I, King of the Hellenes. Due to the controversy over her marriage, she was styled Princess of Greece and Denmark rather than Queen Aspasia of Greece.-Princess of Greece and Denmark:On 4 November 1919, at Tatoi, Aspasia Manos...
. Through his maternal grandmother, Alexander is also a relative of Ileana, the current Duchess of Chartres.
His parents were relatively unable to take care of him, due to their various health and financial problems, so Alexander was raised by his maternal grandmother. He was educated at Institut Le Rosey
Institut Le Rosey
Institut Le Rosey, commonly referred to as Le Rosey or simply Rosey, is a school, in Gstaad, Switzerland. It is described as one of the most prestigious boarding schools in the world. The school was founded by Paul-Émile Carnal in 1880 on the site of the 14th-century Château du Rosey near the town...
, Culver Military Academy, Gordonstoun
Gordonstoun
Gordonstoun School is a co-educational independent school for boarding and day pupils in Moray in North East Scotland. Named after the estate originally owned by Sir Robert Gordon in the 1600s, the school now uses this estate as its campus...
, Millfield
Millfield
Millfield is an independent school in Street in Somerset, in south-west England.The school currently has a roll of 1,260 pupils, of whom 910 are boarders...
and Mons Officer Cadet School
Mons Officer Cadet School
The Mons Officer Cadet School was a British military training establishment in Aldershot.1942 saw the RMC move to Mons Barracks where it became 161 OCTU. Cadets underwent a three month training programme prior to the Commisioning Passing Out Parade. Those passing out slow marched up the steps from...
, Aldershot.
Marriages
On 1 July 1972 at Villamanrique de la Condesa, near SevilleSeville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, he married Princess Maria da Gloria of Orléans Bragança. They had three sons, Hereditary Prince Peter
Peter, Hereditary Prince of Yugoslavia
-References:...
and fraternal twins Princes Philip
Prince Philip of Yugoslavia
Prince Philip of Yugoslavia, also known as Filip Karađorđević , is a member of the House of Karađorđević....
and Alexander
Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia (b. 1982)
Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia, also named Alexandar Karađorđević , is a member of the House of Karađorđević....
. By marrying a Roman Catholic, Alexander lost his place in line of succession to the British Throne
Line of succession to the British Throne
The line of succession to the British throne is the ordered sequence of those people eligible to succeed to the throne of the United Kingdom and the other 15 Commonwealth realms. By the terms of the Act of Settlement 1701, the succession is limited to the descendants of the Electress Sophia of...
, which he had held as a descendant of Queen Victoria through her second son Alfred
Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was the third Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and reigned from 1893 to 1900. He was also a member of the British Royal Family, the second son and fourth child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha...
. Alexander is also descended from Queen Victoria's eldest daughter Victoria
Victoria, Princess Royal
The Princess Victoria, Princess Royal was the eldest child of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert. She was created Princess Royal of the United Kingdom in 1841. She became German Empress and Queen of Prussia by marriage to German Emperor Frederick III...
. His sons are in the line of British succession, in 94th, 95th and 96th place (as of 8 January 2009).
Alexander and Maria da Gloria divorced in 1985. Crown Prince Alexander married for the second time, Katherine Clairy Batis, the daughter of Robert Batis and his wife, Anna Dosti, civilly on 20 September 1985, and religiously the following day, at St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church, Notting Hill, London. Since their marriage, she is known as Katherine, Crown Princess of Yugoslavia
Katherine, Crown Princess of Yugoslavia
Katherine, Crown Princess of Yugoslavia, also named Katherine Karađorđević , is the wife of Alexander, Crown Prince of Serbia.Katherine was educated in Athens and Lausanne, Switzerland. She studied business at the University of Denver, Colorado and the University of Dallas, Texas...
, as per the royal family's website.
Return to Yugoslavia
Slobodan Milošević
Slobodan Milošević was President of Serbia and Yugoslavia. He served as the President of Socialist Republic of Serbia and Republic of Serbia from 1989 until 1997 in three terms and as President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1997 to 2000...
and moved to Yugoslavia after Slobodan Milošević
Slobodan Milošević
Slobodan Milošević was President of Serbia and Yugoslavia. He served as the President of Socialist Republic of Serbia and Republic of Serbia from 1989 until 1997 in three terms and as President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1997 to 2000...
was deposed in 2000. In March 2001 Yugoslavian citizenship was finally restored to him by the government and the property seized from his family, including royal palaces, was returned for residential purposes with property ownership to be decided by parliament at the some later date.
He currently lives in Kraljevski Dvor (Royal Palace) in Dedinje
Dedinje
Dedinje is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Savski Venac...
, an exclusive area of Belgrade. Kraljevski Dvor, which was completed in 1929, is one of two royal residences in the Royal Compound
Royal Compound
The Royal compound is located in Dedinje, a prestigious area of Belgrade, Serbia. It consists of two palaces: Kraljevski dvor and Beli dvor ....
; the other is White Palace
Beli Dvor
Beli Dvor is a mansion located in Belgrade, Serbia. The mansion is part of the Royal Compound, a real estate of royal residences and parklands located in Dedinje, an exclusive area of Belgrade....
which was completed in 1936.
Belief in constitutional monarchy
Alexander is a proponent of re-creating a constitutional monarchyConstitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy is a form of government in which a monarch acts as head of state within the parameters of a constitution, whether it be a written, uncodified or blended constitution...
in Serbia and sees himself as the rightful king. He believes that monarchy could give Serbia "stability, continuity and unity".
Many members of political parties and organizations support a constitutional parliamentary monarchy in Serbia. The Serbian Orthodox Church has openly supported the restoration of the monarchy. The assassinated former Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Đinđić was often seen in the company of the prince and his family, supporting their campaigns and projects, although his Democratic Party never publicly embraced monarchy. It seems no party is ready to energetically push the issue of constitutional monarchy either because the country has more pressing problems, or because they don't want to drive another wedge into the already fragmented electorate.
Crown Prince Alexander II has vowed to stay out of politics and has so far fulfilled this promise. He and Crown Princess Katherine spend considerable time associated with humanitarian work.
The Crown Prince however has increasingly participated in public functions alongside the leaders of Serbia, the former Yugoslav republics and members of the diplomatic corps
Diplomatic corps
The diplomatic corps or corps diplomatique is the collective body of foreign diplomats accredited to a particular country or body.The diplomatic corps may, in certain contexts, refer to the collection of accredited heads of mission who represent their countries in another state or country...
. On 11 May 2006 he hosted a reception at the Royal 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 diplomats from Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. He later delivered a keynote speech in front of prime ministers Vojislav Koštunica
Vojislav Koštunica
Vojislav Koštunica is a Serbian politician, statesman and the president of the Democratic Party of Serbia. He was the last President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, succeeding Slobodan Milošević and serving from 2000 to 2003...
and Milo Đukanović. In the speech he spoke of prospective Serbian membership of the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
. He told delegates:
Following Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
's successful independence referendum on 21 May 2006, the re-creation of the Serbian monarchy did find its way into daily political debate. A monarchist proposal for the new Serbian constitution has been published alongside other proposals. The document
Constitution of Serbia
The Constitution of the Republic of Serbia is Serbia's fundamental law. The current constitution was approved in a constitutional referendum, held from on 28–29 October 2006...
approved
Serbian constitutional referendum, 2006
A referendum on a proposed draft of the new Serbian constitution was held on October 28 and 29 October 2006 and has resulted in the draft constitution being approved by the Serbian electorate. The constitution is Serbia's first as an independent state since the Kingdom of Serbia's 1903 constitution...
in October 2006 is a republican one. The Serbian people have not had a chance to vote on the system of government.
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:
In 2011 a poll showed that 64% of Serbians support restoring the monarchy.
Returning the remains of King Peter II to Serbia
On 4 March 2007 Crown Prince Alexander announced the plans to return the remains of his late father King Peter IIPeter II of Yugoslavia
Peter II, also known as Peter II Karađorđević , was the third and last King of Yugoslavia...
back to his homeland in the now Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
, and to be buried in the crypt of the Royal Family mausoleum Oplenac
Oplenac
St. George′s Church knows also as Oplenac Church and Oplenac Mausoleum, is the Mausoleum of the Serbian and Yugoslav Royal House of Karađorđević located on top of the Hill Oplenac in city Topola, Serbia...
, where Karađorđe Petrović (the dynasty’s progenitor), King Peter I, King Alexander I
Alexander I of Yugoslavia
Alexander I , also known as Alexander the Unifier was the first king of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia as well as the last king of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes .-Childhood:...
, and all other members of the Royal Family have been buried.
He has not yet set a date for returning his father, but may do so for spring of 2012. The plan has caused controversy among a minority of Serbian-Americans since Peter II according to them personally chose St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Monastery as his final resting place. Most of King Peter II's ancestors are buried in the Royal Mausoleum at Oplenac. King Peter II's mother, Queen Marie of Yugoslavia is buried at the Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore
Frogmore
The Frogmore Estate or Gardens comprise of private gardens within the grounds of the Home Park, adjoining Windsor Castle, in the English county of Berkshire. The name derives from the preponderance of frogs which have always lived in this low-lying and marshy area.It is the location of Frogmore...
near Windsor Castle, Windsor
Windsor, Berkshire
Windsor is an affluent suburban town and unparished area in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is widely known as the site of Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of the British Royal Family....
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Crown Prince Alexander would like to see his paternal grandmother buried next to King Alexander I
Alexander I of Yugoslavia
Alexander I , also known as Alexander the Unifier was the first king of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia as well as the last king of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes .-Childhood:...
. The Crown Prince also would like Queen Alexandra of Yugoslavia, his mother, who is buried in Tatoi (Greece) to be buried eventually next King Peter II in Oplenac.
Ancestors
See also
- Monarchs of Yugoslavia
- Monarchs of Serbia
- MonarchyMonarchyA monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected...
- Karađorđe Petrović
- History of the BalkansHistory of the BalkansThe Balkans is an area of southeastern Europe situated at a major crossroads between mainland Europe and the Near East. The distinct identity and fragmentation of the Balkans owes much to its common and often violent history and to its very mountainous geography.-Neolithic:Archaeologists have...
- History of EuropeHistory of EuropeHistory of Europe describes the history of humans inhabiting the European continent since it was first populated in prehistoric times to present, with the first human settlement between 45,000 and 25,000 BC.-Overview:...
- Wars of Yugoslav successionYugoslav warsThe Yugoslav Wars were a series of wars, fought throughout the former Yugoslavia between 1991 and 1995. The wars were complex: characterized by bitter ethnic conflicts among the peoples of the former Yugoslavia, mostly between Serbs on the one side and Croats and Bosniaks on the other; but also...