Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia (born 1924) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Prince Alexander |
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
Alexander in 1958
|
|
| Born | 13 August 1924 White Lodge, Richmond Park, England |
| Died | 12 May 2016 (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 | Paul, Prince Regent of Yugoslavia |
| Mother | Princess Olga of Greece and Denmark |
| Religion | Eastern Orthodox |
Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia (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. 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 Frederica 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.
- Milena Maria Pia Angélique Armelle Gaubert (born 1988)
- Nastasia Marie José Tania Vanessa Isabelle Gaubert (born 1991)
- Leopold Umberto Armand Michel Gaubert (born 1997)
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 (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) and Countess Caroline of Ledebur-Wicheln. 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 in a civil ceremony Valerie De Muzio on 3 July 2018. On 25 May 2019 they were married in the Orthodox faith in Oplenac.
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. , After the war, he sought employment as a pilot joining British European Airways in 1951, and subsequently engaging also in many aeronautic competitions.
Associations
Alexander was one of the four founding members of the Serbian Unity Congress. He was patron of the Center for Research of Orthodox Monarchism.
On 17 February 2008, Alexander issued a statement condemning the declaration of independence by Kosovo.
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, 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.
