Crown Prince Alexander lays wreath at the Monument of Unknown Hero

On September 15, Crown Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia laid a wreath at a Monument of Unknown Hero on Avala Mountain near Belgrade on the 91st anniversary of the breach of the Thessaloniki Front in 1918. During the traditional ceremony and military parade organized by Association of the descendants of Serbian Soldiers, the Crown Prince said: “I sincerely believe that our generation has an obligation to make a better and more prosperous country for our children so that they have the chance to be educated, work and live in peace with themselves and their neighbours in a united and flourishing Europe.”

The Monument of Unknown Hero, designed by famous sculptor Ivan Mestrovic, was built as homage to all unknown heroes that sacrificed their lives during World War I. It is the only monument in the Allied countries that is dedicated to Unknown Hero, rather than Unknown Soldier.

On September 14, Crown Prince Alexander II attended a ceremony on the occasion of the 201st Anniversary of Belgrade’s University. The Crown Prince had a chance to meet some of the best students of the University: he expressed his support and congratulated those young people with their success, calling them “Serbia’s best hope”. It’s not just words the Crown Prince supports Serbian students with: HRH Crown Prince Alexander II Foundation for Education is actively supporting distinguished Serbian students, providing them with a scholarship and helping them to continue their education at the best Universities of the United Kingdom and the United States.

The Crown Prince, who is very concerned about the health of Patriarch Pavle of the Serbian Orthodox Church, visited His Holiness on the occasion of his birthday. The Patriarch is currently recovering in the Military Hospital of Belgrade. Prince Alexander congratulated His Holiness with his birthday and expressed wishes of speedy recovery, good health and spiritual peace. The Prince has close ties with the Serbian Orthodox Church: the Church and Patriarch Pavle have openly supported restoration of the Monarchy in the country on a number of occasions.

Crown Prince Alexander is son of Peter II, the last King of Yugoslavia. He prefers to be known under the title he was born with – the Crown Prince. After the disintegration of the state of Yugoslavia, Alexander is now claimant to the Throne of Serbia: the idea of restoration in this country seems not unlikely as a large number of Serbians favour the idea of monarchy as a way on ensuring stability of the country. The Orthodox Church and most of the most influential political parties seem to support the idea as well. Crown Prince Alexander is also for the restoration but maintains that any decision on the matter should be the free and democratically expressed will of Serbian people. He has vowed to stay out of politics and has kept his word so far.

Serbia has fared better than most countries with its deposed Royals House: Crown Prince Alexander and his family were able to return to the country back in 1991, when he actively worked against the regime of Slobodan Milosevic: after Milosevic’s regime was overthrown in 2000, the family moved to Serbia permanently and received Yugoslavian (and later Serbian) citizenship. The Royal properties seized from the family (including Palaces, jewellery and other personal belongings) were restored and the Crown Prince currently resides in Kraljevski Dvor (the Royal Palace).

You can learn more about the Royal Family of Yugoslavia (Serbia) in this thread.

Filed under Serbia/Yugoslavia
Tagged Anniversary, Crown Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia, Education, Memorial, Restoration, World War I.