Death and Funeral of Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia; May 2016

[MAfan]

H.R.H. Prince Alexander Karađorđević died today in Paris, aged 91.

He was the eldest child and son of the late Prince Paul (Regent of Yougoslavia from 1934 to 1941) and his wife Princess Olga, née Princess of Greece and Denmark.

Prince Alexander Karadjordjevic dies at 91 | InSerbia News

He has been married from 1955 to 1966 to Princess Maria Pia of Savoy, the eldest daughter of King Umberto II and Queen Maria José of Italy; they became parents of two sets of twins (Michel, Serge, Dimitri and Elena).
After they divorced, he married secondly to Princess Barbara von und zu Liechtenstein, daughter of Prince Johannes and Princess Karoline; they had one son, Prince Dushan.

Prince Alexander will be buried at the Royal Mausoleum in Oplenac.

 

[Rudolph]

So a first cousin of the Duke of Kent?

 

[JessRulz]

Yes, his mother Olga was Marina, Duchess of Kent's eldest sister.

 

[MAfan]

Yes, he indeed was a cousin of the Duke of Kent (and therefore of Princess Alexandra and Prince Michael), as well as a cousin of the Count von Toerring-Jettenbach and of his sister, Archduchess Helene of Austria.

 

[MarleneKoenig]

Royal Musings: Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia (1924-2016)

 

[Marengo]

Arturo Beeche of the European Royal History Journal pays tribute to the late prince in a personal and interesting article on his blog:

EuropeanRoyalHistoryJournal.blogspot.com: HRH Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia (1924-2016)

Princess Barbara apparently contacted Noblesse & Royautés blog of Regine Saelens. The princess says that she is grateful for all the beautiful years she was able to spend by the prince's side.

Barbara de Yougoslavie : merveilleuse vie avec le prince Alexandre - Noblesse & Royautés

 

[MAfan]

Crown Prince Alexander II issued a statement, expressing his sorrow for the death of Prince Alexander:

“It was with sadness that I received the news of passing away of His Royal Highness Prince Alexander Karadjordjevic, the eldest son of Their Royal Highnesses the late Prince Paul and Princess Olga. He left his widowed wife, Her Royal Highnesses Princess Barbara and five children.
My wife, the entire Royal House and I join in extending our condolences and deepest sympathy to the family of the deceased Prince. Our prayers and thoughts are with the family at this sad time”

Crown Prince Alexander expresses sorrow for death of Prince Alexander | The Royal Family of Serbia

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Does anyone know what is exactly the title of the late Prince?
Crown Prince Alexander refers to him "merely" as Prince Alexander Karadjordjevic, while often I've seen him referred to as "Prince of Yugoslavia".

 

[eya]

HRH Prince Alexander Karadjordjevic funeral and burial in Oplenac | The Royal Family of Serbia

[FONT=verdana,arial][FONT=verdana,arial] A Memorial Mass was held at the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Paris on 20 June for the late Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia, who died on 12 May.

Pictures and Photos | Getty Images
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[Jacknch]

From The Royal Forum Blog:

Funeral and Burial of Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia | The Royal Forums

 

[Benjamin]

One out of each of the set of twins was absent: Prince Dimitri and Princess Helene.

It is interesting that Prince Alexander was not allowed to be buried in the Royal Crypt.

May the soul of HRH Rest in Peace.

 

[USCtrojan]

One out of each of the set of twins was absent: Prince Dimitri and Princess Helene.

It is interesting that Prince Alexander was not allowed to be buried in the Royal Crypt.

May the soul of HRH Rest in Peace.

Perhaps this was the case because there was limited space in the Royal moseleum? Maybe there is only enough room for the next two or three generations of heads of house and their spouses? There is a royal burial ground on the property.

Just my guess.

 

[Benjamin]

The Prince Regent Paul, his wife Princess Olga and their son Prince Nicholas were reburied in the Royal Crypt in 2012.

This only occurred after significant lobbying by Princess Elizabeth, who was opposed in her desire to repatriate the remains of her family by her cousin Crown Prince Alexander. The matter was discussed in the Serbian press at the time. Eventually Elizabeth's campaign was successful, and her parents and younger brother were granted a semi-state funeral.

It is possible that another embargo was imposed by the main line of the royal family as there is still plenty of room in the royal crypt: Crypt of St George Church | Oplenac

For some time now, there have not been cordial relations between the descendants of King Peter II, on the one hand, and those of Peter's brothers and cousin Paul, on the other.

Sources:
Aaron Gell
Malice At The Palace
https://www.1843magazine.com/content/ideas/emma-williams/princess-elizabeth-yugoslavia

 

[Cory]

Princess Maria Pia of Savoy did not attend the funeral?

 

[Marengo]

Thanks for the clarification Benjamin. And rather interesting articles to read. I knew that there were some disagreements in the family but I never realised the extend of those.

The second article seems rather biased in favor of princess Elizabeth. In the article she claims that there was no suitable prince to be found for her, while recently she claimed her parents wanted to force her to marry king Baudouin.

 

[An Ard Ri]

From the map provided above of the layout of the royal crypt there are free spaces but perhaps they are reserved for the future?

 

[Marengo]

According to noblesse & royautes there will be a memorialservice in Paris on 20 June. The service will be held at the Russian orthodox cathedral of Alexander Nevsky in a side street of the boulevard de Courcelles.

 

[USCtrojan]

From the map provided above of the layout of the royal crypt there are free spaces but perhaps they are reserved for the future?

This was my thought as well. I believe there are around 15 spaces left, which is less than it looks. If you put into consideration heads of house and wives, they go pretty quick.

I had no idea that there was a cemetery in the yard. This is great, as it allows family to be buried on the property even if they are not buried in the crypt.

If you think about it:

1. CP Alexander II
2. CP Katherine
3. HP Petar
4. Wife
5. P Alexander
6. Wife
7. P Philip
8. Wife
9. Ps. Elisabeth
10. Ps. Lavinia
11.-15. Several other family members

Clearly, I do not work there, and I am not a member of the family, or a person involved in these such orders, but this is simply a guess.

A TON of things go into consideration with these situations, so who knows who may or may not be interned in the crypt, but just my thought.

 

[MAfan]

Among the attendants were the late Prince Alexander's widow Princess Barbara, his children, his former wife Princess Maria Pia of Bourbon-Parma (née Princess of Savoy), Prince Nikolaus and Princess Isabelle vuz Liechtenstein, the Duke of Kent, Prince Michael of Kent, Prince Michel d'Orléans, Prince Charles Emmanuel of Bourbon-Parma, Prince Jean of Luxembourg and his wife Countess Diane de Nassau, Grand Duke Georgi of Russia, Princess Chantal of Bourbon-Parma.

 

[Benjamin]

Also noticed Duchess Sophie of Württemberg among the mourners.

 

[Cory]

No Catholic Requiem Mass for the Prince? Members of His Family are also Catholics.

 

[Benjamin]

Here is a gallery of images from the memorial mass held for Prince Alexander in Paris on 20 June:

Pictures and Photos | Getty Images

 

[MAfan]

No Catholic Requiem Mass for the Prince? Members of His Family are also Catholics.

Then for the same reason there should be also an Anglican service, shouldn't it? After all the late Prince had also some Anglican relatives...

 

[eya]

A memorial service for the one year from the death of Prince Alexander

ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEATH OF HRH PRINCE ALEXANDER KARADJORDJEVIC | The Royal Family of Serbia

 

[Benjamin]

Princess Barbara visited the grave of her husband last month:
https://eurohistoryjournal.blogspot.com/2022/11/princess-barbara-of-yugoslavia-pays.html