 |
|
11-30-2011, 08:12 AM
|
 |
|
|
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: -, Netherlands
Posts: 2,923
|
|
|
Death of Crown Prince Leka, aka Leka I, King of the Albanians - 30 November 2011
Crown Prince Leka, aka Leka I, King of the Albanians, died today.
|
11-30-2011, 08:32 AM
|
 |
Administrator in Memoriam
|
|
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Sydney, Australia
Posts: 15,469
|
|
First Obituaries
The Associated Press: Albania's self-styled King Leka dies at 72
Albania's self-styled King Leka dies at 72 - Yahoo! News
TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Leka Zogu, whose father served as Albania's king until it was occupied by fascist Italy, and who twice returned home from exile to try to claim the throne himself, died Wednesday, his family said. He was 72. Zogu died of a heart attack at the Mother Teresa Hospital in Tirana, said the family spokeswoman, Julinda Kamberi.
Zogu's father, King Ahmet Zog, was this small Balkan country's first and only post-independence monarch, reigning from 1928 to 1939, when he fled after Albania was occupied by Italian forces. Born just two days before Albania was occupied in 1939, Zogu spent most of his life in exile in Europe and Africa while his country was ruled by Communists who abolished the monarchy in 1946 and banned contact with the outside world.
After Albania's Communist regime fell in 1990, Zogu made two disastrous attempts to return home — being thrown out during the first in 1993 and charged with leading an armed uprising during the second in 1997. The six-foot, five-inch (2-meter) tall Zogu finally settled in Albania in 2002, leading a quiet life with his Australian wife and son but never relinquishing his claim to the throne. The royal family's official website listed his interests as "arms, shooting, reading and history."
His family was given back some of its old royal properties and granted diplomatic passports. Zogu's son, also named Leka, has since served as an adviser to several Albanian governments. Today, a small royalist party is allied to the governing Democratic Party's coalition of Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha.
Two years ago, Albania's government pledged to bring home from Paris the late King Zog's remains, calling the monarch "one of the greatest, most distinguished personalities with a major contribution to the history of the Albanian nation." That could be done next year when Albania celebrates the 100th anniversary of its independence.
Zogu was educated in Egypt, Switzerland and France and graduated from the military academy of Sandhurst, England. He studied economics and political science at the Sorbonne, France, and spoke English, Spanish, French, German, Arabic, Portuguese and Italian. In 1975, he married Australian-born Susan Cullen-Ward, who died in 2004. Zogu's Hungarian mother, Queen Geraldina, died in 2002.
Zogu is survived by his son, the self-styled Leka II.
__________________
Seeking information? Check out the extensive Royal A-Z
|
11-30-2011, 09:18 AM
|
|
Imperial Majesty
|
|
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Warsaw, Poland
Posts: 11,692
|
|
|
Very sad news! He was not so old...
And Prince Leka jr. is now an orphan...
|
11-30-2011, 10:29 AM
|
 |
Majesty
|
|
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Brussels, Belgium
Posts: 7,470
|
|
|
Crown-Prince /King Leka I died in his country . I think the funeral will take place in Tirana as the remains of his father the late King Zog are there .
Is his son King or Crown Prince Leka II . Is he still engaged
I am looking forward the informations of the Albanian Royal House.
Thanks Warren.
|
11-30-2011, 11:46 AM
|
|
Gentry
|
|
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: London, United Kingdom
Posts: 83
|
|
|
Unfortunately the Associated Press (and thus all the sites that use the article) have forgotten Prince William of Wied as they call King Zog the "first and only post-independence monarch" of Albania.
|
11-30-2011, 12:19 PM
|
 |
Former Administrator
|
|
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Suffolk, United Kingdom
Posts: 9,227
|
|
|
I read his father's biography afew years ago. Sad news.
__________________
JACK
|
11-30-2011, 08:24 PM
|
 |
Courtier
|
|
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Imus, Cavite, Philippines
Posts: 800
|
|
What a sad news! I offer my deepest condolences to the Royal Family of Albania. May God rest his soul... 
|
12-01-2011, 12:49 AM
|
 |
Majesty
|
|
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Posts: 7,535
|
|
|
|
12-01-2011, 11:37 AM
|
|
Administrator in Memoriam
|
|
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Sydney, Australia
Posts: 15,469
|
|
More Obituaries, and excerpts
Albania's self-styled King Leka dies at 72 | World news | The Guardian
On Wednesday, Albanian President Bamir Topi, Prime Minister Berisha and political parties sent condolences to Leka Zogu and his family."His active efforts and role to topple the communist system and, during transition, to heighten Albania's national values and promote the integrating process remain alive in the nation's memory," Topi said.
Berisha honored Leka Zogu by referring to him with the royal title he had always wanted.The prime minister declared Saturday a day of national mourning and said Albania "will respect King Leka I with all the attributes of a king not in office."Describing him as "one of the greatest personalities of (Albania's) political history," Berisha also questioned the result of a 1997 referendum that upheld the abolition of the monarchy. "The referendum was held under the flares of a communist rebellion and cannot be considered a closed issue," he said during a Cabinet meeting.
Leka Zogu: Controversial 'king of the Albanians' who spent most of his life in exile - Obituaries - News - The Independent
Leka of Albania was one of the most colourful and controversial characters on the 20th century Balkan scene, and one of the last links with the pre-Second World War Zogist monarchy. He was born in 1939 into a world of deep political crisis, with the government of his father, King Zog, Albania's first king, about to be snuffed out by Mussolini's forces. When Leka was one day old, his father held a great military parade in the capital, Tirana, a great provocation to the Duce in Rome.
Plans were laid for the immediate exile of Leka and his mother, Queen Geraldine. Zog's plan to retire to the mountains to head an anti-Fascist resistance was stymied by the treachery of the Yugoslavs, and he, too, fled into exile – in such confusion that the family Fabergé eggs and the queen's fortune were left behind – the family and a small entourage settling in northern Greece.
Zog's hope that he would be able to secure British support for his return to the throne when the war ended was reinforced by his close relationship with key members of the Special Operations Executive, like Julian Amery, who were sent from SOE HQ in Cairo to assist the pro-royalist resistance to the Axis. The Foreign Office, though, was never inclined to forgive Zog for his pro-Italian leanings in the 1930s and gave enough support to pro-Communist groups under the control of Enver Hoxha's Partisans to enable them to seize power before the war ended elsewhere in Europe. Amery remained a lifelong friend.
...in one of the dramatic reversals of fortune that dominated his life, he was rescued from political oblivion by the Kosovo crisis. He had always campaigned actively and without thought of personal gain on the Kosovo Albanians' behalf, and had built up much goodwill in that community in their fight against Serbian occupation. He and his followers played a positive role in the wartime period, and millions of dollars were raised by royalist exiles in the US, particularly in Detroit, for humanitarian relief and for munitions for the Kosovo Liberation Army.
As the political atmosphere eased in Tirana, Leka returned to live in a grand house owned by an Albanian-American multi-millionaire and recently vacated by the Greek ambassador, a particularly satisfying irony as Leka had always regarded Greek expansionism as one of the central causes of instability in the region. The fact that he had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and his abstention from controversial political activity no doubt eased his passage home.
He continued to fight for Kosovo until his death, and in spring 2003 addressed a highly emotional gathering to commemorate the foundation of the Prizren League at which he endorsed the principle of reunification of the Albanians. During his final years Leka stoutly resisted his illness but retired from public life, spending most of his time in Albania and taking great pride in his son's achievements as an officer cadet at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, in Britain.
.
__________________
Seeking information? Check out the extensive Royal A-Z
|
12-01-2011, 10:17 PM
|
 |
Royal Highness
|
|
Join Date: May 2005
Location: San Francisco, United States
Posts: 1,990
|
|
Preparations are underway to pay tribute to the memory of the heir to King Zog, Leka Zogu I
1 Dec 2011
Prime Minister Sali Berisha declared December 3, 2011 a national Day of Mourning, in a sign of respect for Leka Zogu I, and called for the creation of State Commission for the organization of the funeral ceremony. The national flag will fly at half mast at all state and public institutions. A minute's silence will be observed on Saturday at midday, and the Albanian Radio-Television will broadcast funeral music. The official funeral ceremony will be held at the hall of the Albanian Assembly.
Source: Albeu
__________________
Sii forte.
|
12-02-2011, 12:31 AM
|
 |
Heir Presumptive
|
|
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: ****, Taiwan
Posts: 2,594
|
|
|
I wonder if the Albanian RF are muslims or christians. The founder of the dynasty was Pasha under Osmans, and Queen Geraldine was from Hungarian noble family (christian?).
Which funeral ceremony will the King have?
|
12-02-2011, 02:42 AM
|
 |
Aristocracy
|
|
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Prague, Czech Republic
Posts: 157
|
|
|
I think they are Muslims (heard somewhere that they are the only European muslim royal family), but am not completely sure.
|
12-02-2011, 04:43 AM
|
|
Heir Apparent
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Kingdom, Heard and McDonald Islands
Posts: 4,668
|
|
|
|
12-02-2011, 08:31 AM
|
|
Majesty
|
|
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Brussels, Belgium
Posts: 7,470
|
|
|
They saw what happen in Romania with the King’s 90th Birthday.
If they want to be known abroad it is a good idea to mix the officials with the funerals of the late King. (Albanian National Flag and the Hall of the Albanian Assembly.
During HIRH the late Archduke Otto Funerals , the President of Austria assisted and at the end I heard the Kaiser’s Hymn ’s Song.
|
12-02-2011, 08:51 AM
|
 |
Commoner
|
|
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Tirana(,Albania)-Rome(,Italy), Albania
Posts: 10
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kasumi
I wonder if the Albanian RF are muslims or christians. The founder of the dynasty was Pasha under Osmans, and Queen Geraldine was from Hungarian noble family (christian?).
Which funeral ceremony will the King have?
|
lol why everybody asks this over and over again??? 
(Ahmet) Zogu was an atheist... he was not a religious persson! Also he was a "big fun" of the slogan: (alb) "Feja e Shqiptarit është Shqiptaria" (eng) "The religion of Albanians is Albanism"!
So the answer to your question is: THEY ARE ATHEISTS! 
|
12-02-2011, 11:02 AM
|
|
Royal Highness
|
|
Join Date: May 2005
Location: San Francisco, United States
Posts: 1,990
|
|
|
Queen Geraldine was Catholic and Queen Suzani was Episcopalian, but Leka I and Leka II are Muslims as far as I know.
__________________
Sii forte.
|
12-02-2011, 11:14 AM
|
|
Heir Presumptive
|
|
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: ****, Taiwan
Posts: 2,594
|
|
|
Thank you, Benjamin, for clearing the situation!
|
12-03-2011, 05:45 AM
|
 |
|
|
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: N/A, Italy
Posts: 6,329
|
|
|
|
12-03-2011, 06:02 AM
|
|
Heir Apparent
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Kingdom, Heard and McDonald Islands
Posts: 4,668
|
|
|
Any foreign Royals at this funeral?
|
|
|
|
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
|
|
|
| Thread Tools |
Search this Thread |
|
|
|
| Display Modes |
 Linear Mode
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
|
Recent Discussions |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
