Susan Cullen-Ward
Encyclopedia
Susan, Crown Princess of Albania (Susan Barbara Zogu, formerly Williams, née Susan Cullen-Ward, 28 January 194117 July 2004) was the Australia
n-born wife of Leka, Crown Prince of Albania
.
She preferred to use the title, and was sometimes referred to as, Queen Susan of the Albanians (in Albanian, Suzana Zog, Mbretëreshë e Shqiptarëvet). Her husband, known as King Leka, had been proclaimed King of the Albanians by the anti-communist Albanian government in exile in 1961, upon the death of his father King Zog. Meanwhile Albania itself was a communist republic.
suburb of Waverley
, a daughter of Alan Robert Cullen-Ward and his wife, the former Phyllis Dorothea Murray-Prior. She was a great-great-granddaughter of Thomas Lodge Murray-Prior, an Australian politician
who served as Postmaster-General
in the ministries of Robert Herbert
, Sir Robert Mackenzie, and Arthur Hunter Palmer
in Queensland
.
Cullen-Ward grew up on her father's sheep station. She attended Presbyterian Ladies' College
at Orange
, then Sydney Technical College
, before teaching art at a private studio.
She was married to Rick Williams from 1965 to 1970.
, the only child of King Zog of Albania
, at a dinner party in Sydney
. In 1975, they married in a civil ceremony
in Biarritz
, France
. The couple were later married in a religious ceremony in Madrid
.
Australian authorities refused to recognise her as a queen but, in a compromise when Andrew Peacock
was foreign minister, issued a passport in the name of "Susan Cullen Ward, known as Queen Susan".
She lived a turbulent life after marrying Leka, as they moved from one country to another, having no permanent residence or fixed point of reference. In the first few years of their marriage, the couple lived in Spain before Leka was expelled from the country for illicit arms dealing. They later settled in Rhodesia
(now known as Zimbabwe
). After a falling out with the government of Robert Mugabe
, the couple moved again, this time to South Africa
where their son, Leka, was born in 1982. She also had a stillborn
daughter while resident in Rhodesia.
on 17 July 2004 in Tirana
, Albania
. After her death she lay in state in a chapel outside Tirana. She is buried next to her mother-in-law, Queen Geraldine
.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n-born wife of Leka, Crown Prince of Albania
Leka, Crown Prince of Albania
Leka, Crown Prince of Albania was the only son of King Zog of Albania and his queen, Géraldine Apponyi de Nagyappony. He was called Crown Prince Skander at birth...
.
She preferred to use the title, and was sometimes referred to as, Queen Susan of the Albanians (in Albanian, Suzana Zog, Mbretëreshë e Shqiptarëvet). Her husband, known as King Leka, had been proclaimed King of the Albanians by the anti-communist Albanian government in exile in 1961, upon the death of his father King Zog. Meanwhile Albania itself was a communist republic.
Early life
She was born in the SydneySydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
suburb of Waverley
Waverley, New South Wales
Waverley is an eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Waverley is located 7 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Waverley Council....
, a daughter of Alan Robert Cullen-Ward and his wife, the former Phyllis Dorothea Murray-Prior. She was a great-great-granddaughter of Thomas Lodge Murray-Prior, an Australian politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
who served as Postmaster-General
Postmaster-General's Department
The Postmaster-General's Department was created at Federation in 1901 to control all postal services within Australia. Its minister was the Postmaster-General. In mid-1975 it was disaggregated into the Australian Telecommunications Commission and the Australian Postal Commission...
in the ministries of Robert Herbert
Robert Herbert
Sir Robert George Wyndham Herbert, GCB , was the first Premier of Queensland, Australia.-Early years:Born in Brighton, England, Herbert was the only son of the Hon. Algernon Herbert, a younger son of the first Earl of Carnarvon. He was educated at Eton and Balliol College, Oxford...
, Sir Robert Mackenzie, and Arthur Hunter Palmer
Arthur Hunter Palmer
Sir Arthur Hunter Palmer KCMG was an Irish-Australian politician and a Premier of Queensland.Palmer was born in Armagh, Ireland, the son of Lieutenant Arthur Palmer, R.N., and his wife, Emily née Hunter. Palmer was educated at Youghal Grammar School and a private tutor in Dublin...
in Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
.
Cullen-Ward grew up on her father's sheep station. She attended Presbyterian Ladies' College
Kinross Wolaroi School
Kinross Wolaroi School is an independent, Uniting church, co-educational, day and boarding school, located in Orange, a provincial city west of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
at Orange
Orange, New South Wales
Orange is a city in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. It is west of the state capital, Sydney, at an altitude of . Orange has an estimated population of 39,329 and the city is a major provincial centre....
, then Sydney Technical College
Sydney Technical College
The Sydney Technical College was a name used by Australia's oldest technical education institution.It began as the Sydney Mechanics' Institute in 1843...
, before teaching art at a private studio.
She was married to Rick Williams from 1965 to 1970.
Marriage to the Crown Prince of Albania
Susan Cullen-Ward met Crown Prince LekaLeka, Crown Prince of Albania
Leka, Crown Prince of Albania was the only son of King Zog of Albania and his queen, Géraldine Apponyi de Nagyappony. He was called Crown Prince Skander at birth...
, the only child of King Zog of Albania
Zog of Albania
Zog I, Skanderbeg III of the Albanians , born Ahmet Muhtar Bey Zogolli, was King of the Albanians from 1928 to 1939. He was previously Prime Minister of Albania and President of Albania .-Background and early political career:...
, at a dinner party in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. In 1975, they married in a civil ceremony
Civil ceremony
A civil registrar ceremony is a non-religious legal marriage ceremony performed by a government official or functionary. In the UK, this person is normally called a registrar...
in Biarritz
Biarritz
Biarritz is a city which lies on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast, in south-western France. It is a luxurious seaside town and is popular with tourists and surfers....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. The couple were later married in a religious ceremony in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
.
Australian authorities refused to recognise her as a queen but, in a compromise when Andrew Peacock
Andrew Peacock
Andrew Sharp Peacock AC, GCL , is a former Australian Liberal politician. He was a minister in the Gorton, McMahon and Fraser governments, and was federal leader of the Liberal Party of Australia 1983–1985 and 1989–1990...
was foreign minister, issued a passport in the name of "Susan Cullen Ward, known as Queen Susan".
She lived a turbulent life after marrying Leka, as they moved from one country to another, having no permanent residence or fixed point of reference. In the first few years of their marriage, the couple lived in Spain before Leka was expelled from the country for illicit arms dealing. They later settled in Rhodesia
Rhodesia
Rhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...
(now known as Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
). After a falling out with the government of Robert Mugabe
Robert Mugabe
Robert Gabriel Mugabe is the President of Zimbabwe. As one of the leaders of the liberation movement against white-minority rule, he was elected into power in 1980...
, the couple moved again, this time to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
where their son, Leka, was born in 1982. She also had a stillborn
Stillbirth
A stillbirth occurs when a fetus has died in the uterus. The Australian definition specifies that fetal death is termed a stillbirth after 20 weeks gestation or the fetus weighs more than . Once the fetus has died the mother still has contractions and remains undelivered. The term is often used in...
daughter while resident in Rhodesia.
Death
The Crown Princess of Albania died of lung cancerLung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
on 17 July 2004 in Tirana
Tirana
Tirana is the capital and the largest city of Albania. Modern Tirana was founded as an Ottoman town in 1614 by Sulejman Bargjini, a local ruler from Mullet, although the area has been continuously inhabited since antiquity. Tirana became Albania's capital city in 1920 and has a population of over...
, Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
. After her death she lay in state in a chapel outside Tirana. She is buried next to her mother-in-law, Queen Geraldine
Geraldine Apponyi de Nagy-Apponyi
Queen Géraldine or Countess Géraldine Margit Virginia Olga Mária Apponyi de Nagyappony was the Queen Consort of King Zog I, of the Zogu dynasty of Albania...
.
Titles, birth to death
- Miss Susan Cullen-Ward (1941—circa 1965)
- Mrs. Rick Williams (circa 1965—circa 1970)
- Miss Susan Cullen-Ward (circa 1970—1975)
- Her Royal Highness The Crown Princess of Albania (1975—2004)
- she called herself Her MajestyMajestyMajesty is an English word derived ultimately from the Latin maiestas, meaning "greatness".- Origin :Originally, during the Roman republic, the word maiestas was the legal term for the supreme status and dignity of the state, to be respected above everything else...
Queen Susan of the Albanians
- she called herself Her Majesty
Sources
- Albanian royal family genealogy
- The Age, 19 July 2004 – A royal dream dies
- Obituary, The Scotsman
- "Leka's queen, if not Albania's", The Sydney Morning Herald, 24 July 2004
- "Would-be Queen Susan dies uncrowned", The Sydney Morning Herald, 19 July 2004
- "Burke's Royal Families of the World, Vol. I, Europe & Latin America", Burkes Publishing Co., 1977, ISBN 0-85011-029-7