Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia (1924–2016)

Prince Alexander
Alexander in 1958
Born (1924-08-13)13 August 1924
White Lodge, Richmond Park, England
Died 12 May 2016(2016-05-12) (aged 91)
Paris, France
Burial St. George's Church, Serbia
Spouse
Princess Maria Pia of Savoy
(m. 1955; div. 1967)

Princess Barbara of Liechtenstein (m. 1973)
Issue Prince Dimitri
Prince Michael
Prince Sergius
Princess Helene
Prince Dušan
House Karađorđević
Father Prince Paul of Yugoslavia
Mother Princess Olga of Greece and Denmark
Religion Eastern Orthodox
Styles of
Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia
Reference style His Royal Highness
Spoken style Your Royal Highness
Alternative style Sir

Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia (Serbian: Александар П. Карађорђевић / Aleksandar P. Karađorđević; 13 August 1924 – 12 May 2016) was the elder son of Prince Paul, who served as Regent of Yugoslavia in the 1930s, and his wife, Princess Olga of Greece and Denmark.

Birth and education

Alexander was born at White Lodge, Richmond Park, United Kingdom, and was approximately 1374th in the Line of succession to the British throne. As a nephew of Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent (née of Greece and Denmark), he was a first cousin of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, Prince Michael of Kent, and Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy; he was also a first cousin once removed of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

Marriage and family

On 12 February 1955, Alexander married Princess Maria Pia of Savoy, daughter of King Umberto II of Italy and of his wife, Princess Marie-José of Belgium.[1] The marriage took place at Cascais in Portugal where the bride's father was living in exile. The couple had met on 22 August 1954 during the royal cruise of the Agamemnon, hosted by King Paul and Queen Frederika of the Hellenes.

Alexander and Maria Pia have twin sons born in 1958, a second pair of twins being born during the marriage five years later:

  • Prince Dimitri of Yugoslavia (18 June 1958)
  • Prince Michael of Yugoslavia (18 June 1958)
  • Prince Sergius of Yugoslavia (12 March 1963), has an illegitimate son with Christiane Barrouta Galeotti:
    • Umberto Emmanuel Dimitri Karageorgevitch (6 March 2018)
  • Princess Helene of Yugoslavia (12 March 1963), married Thierry Gaubert on 12 January 1988, was divorced, and had issue. She remarried Stanislas Fougeron on 12 March 2018.

Alexander and Maria Pia divorced in 1967, and in 2003 she married Prince Michel of Bourbon-Parma, himself divorced from Princess Yolande de Broglie-Revel.

On 2 November 1973, Alexander married in a civil ceremony in Paris Princess Barbara of Liechtenstein [2] (9 July 1942) daughter of Prince Johannes of Liechtenstein (also first cousin once removed to both Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein and Princess Marie). On 28 October 1995 Prince Alexander and Princess Barbara were married in the Orthodox faith in Oplenac, and had issue:

  • Prince Dušan Paul of Yugoslavia (born 25 September 1977), married Valerie Demuzio on 6 July 2018.

Flying career

The Prince wished to serve in the British Royal Air Force during World War Two, but was initially prevented by his father's political affiliations. He was eventually commissioned in the RAF through the intervention of Prince George, Duke of Kent, his uncle.[3] , After the war, he sought employment as a pilot joining British European Airways in 1951, and subsequently engaging also in many aeronautic competitions.[3]

Associations

Alexander's coat of arms

Alexander was one of the four founding members of the Serbian Unity Congress.[4] He was patron of the Center for Research of Orthodox Monarchism.[5]

On 17 February 2008, Alexander issued a statement condemning the declaration of independence by Kosovo.[6]

On the occasion of Prince Alexander's 90th birthday on 13 August 2014, a celebration of his life in words and pictures appeared in that month's UK magazine Majesty.

Death

Prince Alexander died on 12 May 2016 in Paris,[7] where he and his wife had lived for many years. He was buried at Oplenac, Serbia, with his parents and brother, his coffin being carried by Serbian Air Force fighter pilots.[3]

Ancestry

References

  1. ↑ "Marriage of a Princess", The Times (14 February 1955), 6.
  2. ↑ Genealogy
  3. 1 2 3 "Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia, globe-trotting playboy prince – obituary". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  4. ↑ Founders of the Serbian Unity Congress. serbianunity.net
  5. ↑ http://www.czipm.org/
  6. ↑ Announcement of His Royal Highness Prince Aleksandar Pavlov Karageorgevich. Czipm.org. Retrieved on 27 July 2015.
  7. ↑
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