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Leka, Crown Prince of Albania (Leka Skënder Zogu; 5 April 1939 – 30 November 2011) was the only son of King Zog I and Queen Geraldine of Albania. He was called Crown Prince Skander at birth. After his father's death in 1961, Leka was the pretender to the Albanian throne, and his supporters referred to him as King Leka I.
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Leka, Crown Prince of Albania (Leka Skënder Zogu; 5 April 1939 – 30 November 2011) was the only son of King Zog I and Queen Geraldine of Albania. He was called Crown Prince Skander at birth. After his father's death in 1961, Leka was the pretender to the Albanian throne, and his supporters referred to him as King Leka I.
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Early life and education Leka was born on April 5, 1939, in the Royal Palace of Tirana in the Kingdom of Albania. He was named Crown Prince Skander and his birth was celebrated with a 101-gun salute and a military parade. Leka was the son of King Zog I of Albania and Queen Geraldine of Albania. Just two days after Leka's birth, King Zog I was forced into exile after Benito Mussolini's army invaded the country during the Italian invasion of Albania. Shortly after, Zog was replaced on the throne of Albania by Victor Emmanuel III of Italy — an action the King of Italy would later plead personal forgiveness for. Victor Emmanuel III remained King until his abdication in 1943, following the Armistice of Cassibile. Crown Prince Leka began life in exile in various countries. After traveling across Europe, the Albanian Royal Family settled in England, first at the Ritz Hotel in London, then moving for a very short period in 1941 to South Ascot, near Ascot in Berkshire, and then in 1941 to Parmoor House, Parmoor, near Frieth in Buckinghamshire. After the End of World War II in Europe, Zog, Queen Geraldine and Leka moved temporarily to Egypt,…
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Marriage and exile In 1975, Leka married Australian citizen and former teacher Susan Cullen-Ward. They were married in a civil ceremony in the Hôtel de Ville, Biarritz. The wedding reception, at a five-star Toledo Roadhouse, was attended by members of other exiled royal families, loyal Albanians and friends, who toasted "Long live the King". The couple returned to Madrid, where they were befriended by the Spanish King Juan Carlos I and continued to enjoy the attentions of Albanians. The couple married religiously in Madrid. Their wedding was officiated by a Muslim ulema, a Protestant pastor (because Susan was Episcopalian), and a Roman Catholic priest (as Queen Geraldine was Catholic). When it was discovered that Leka not only retained some Thai bodyguards, but had what was described as an arms cache in their home, the Spanish government asked him to leave. When his plane arrived at Gabon for refueling, he found that it was being surrounded by local troops, who were said to have been hired to capture him by the Albanian government. The soldiers backed down when Leka appeared at the plane's door with a bazooka in his hand. The couple went on to Rhodesia but, after Robert Mugabe took…
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Return to Albania In 1993 Leka was permitted to enter Albania for the first time (since being exiled aged a few days old in 1939), doing so under a passport issued by his own Royal Court-in-exile. In this royal passport, which the Albanian government had previously refused to recognise, Leka listed his profession as "King". During the 1997 rebellion in Albania, Leka returned again, this time being greeted by 2,000 supporters. Many of Leka's royalist supporters felt that a restoration of the monarchy would help bring political and financial stability to the government, as well as help protect Albanian democracy, following decades of communist rule. On June 29, a referendum was held in Albania concerning a restoration of the monarchy. Before the results had been finalized, Albanian government officials announced that the referendum had been rejected. Leka questioned the results of the election and claimed the vote had been manipulated. Leka protested, surrounded by roughly 20 guards, who were armed with assault rifles, grenades, and machine-guns. Leka himself was dressed in camouflage and carried two pistols. Albanian police had previously deployed armored vehicles and forces with heavy machine-guns, in case of any trouble ahead of the election. On July 3,…
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Further political activity Leka was backed by the Party of Right and Legality (PLL), a right wing monarchist party and a marginal factor in Albanian politics. It formed a coalition with other parties in Albania. Leka, however, did not vote, stating that I am above all political parties, even my own. Leka was head of the Movement for National Development. He argued that he was a fighter for a Greater Albania in terms of ethnicity and that his restoration as king would make possible this goal. However, in February 2006, he announced he would be withdrawing from political and public life.
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Death Leka died on 30 November 2011 from a heart attack in Mother Teresa Hospital, Tirana. Albanian authorities held official ceremonies for the former Crown Prince, and declared December 3, the day of his funeral, a day of national mourning. Tirana's mayor Lulzim Basha stated at the funeral that "We have come here today ... to honor, with full historic gratitude and national pride, the work of Leka Zogu." Muslim, Catholic and Orthodox prayers were all read by religious leaders at the funeral. Leka's son, Leka, Prince of Albania stated "I, Prince Leka II, swear in front of the body of my father that I will follow the road of King Zogu, of King Leka I to be at the service of the nation, the homeland." Leka was buried next to his wife's and mother's grave at the public Sharra cemetery in a Tirana suburb. Later he was buried at the Mausoleum of the Albanian Royal Family.
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Personal life Leka was a Muslim and appealed for Islamic solidarity. He also spoke a half-dozen languages, including Albanian, Arabic and English. Leka stood at a height of 6 ft 9 in (206 cm), much taller than his slim 5 ft 2 in (157 cm) wife Susan Cullen-Ward. Author Charles Fenyvesi gave a description of his appearance and manner in his 1979 book, Splendor in Exile: "Leka is a tower of a man with a bulging middle, the deliberate swagger of John Wayne, and the innocent eyes of an English schoolboy. He wears clean, freshly ironed green army fatigues, well-shined black combat boots, and a pistol strapped to his belt. He explains that the insignias on his jacket denote his specialties: guerilla warfare, commando operations, armaments expertise, marksmanship. The patch of a crowned double-headed eagle marks the outfit an Albanian uniform; his cap badge identifies him as the commander in chief." In the 1960s, Leka struck up a friendship with California Governor Ronald Reagan (later President of the United States), gifting him a baby elephant named "Gertie". This name was deemed unrefined by Nancy Reagan, who chose to rename the animal "GOP".
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Dynastic honours House of Zogu: Highest Holder of the Grand Collar of Honour of Albania House of Zogu: Grand Master of the Royal Order of Fidelity House of Zogu: Grand Master of the Royal Order of Skanderbeg House of Zogu: Grand Master of the Royal Order of Bravery Italian Royal Family: Knight Grand Cordon of the Royal Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus Russian Imperial Family: Member 1st class of the Imperial Order of Saint Vladimir Georgian Royal Family: Knight Grand Collar of the Royal Order of the Eagle of Georgia
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Bibliography Dedet, Joséphine "Géraldine, reine des Albanais". Paris: Belfond, 2016, published at the occasion of Prince Leka's wedding in Tirana, on October 8, 2016 (Leka being Geraldine's grandson) ; former editions: Criterion, 1997 ISBN 2-7413-0148-4 and Belfond, 2012, ISBN 978-2-7144-5090-6. Biography enriched by the Queen's testimony, by her personal archives and by a huge correspondence with the author, who has benefited of many unpublished sources. Dedet, Joséphine, Géraldine, Egy Magyar No Albania Tronjan, Budapest : Europa, 2015, ISBN 978-963-405-202-9, best-seller in Hungary, translation of Géraldine, reine des Albanais". Fenyvesi, Charles. "Splendor in Exile". Washington D.C.: New Republic Books, 1979. ISBN 978-0915220557 Najbor, Patrice. "Histoire de l'Albanie et de sa Maison Royale" (5 volumes) - JePublie - Paris - 2008 Rees, Neil. A Royal Exile – King Zog & Queen Geraldine of Albania including their wartime exile in the Thames Valley and Chilterns, 2010 (ISBN 978-0-9550883-1-5)
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Court of King Zog Research Society Official website of the Albanian Royal Court
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Maison Royale d'Albanie (in French) Histoire de l'Albanie et de sa Maison Royale 1443-2007 Archived 15 February 2016 at the Wayback Machine Leka in military uniform with his wife
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Historical video footage (12 April 1997) South Africa: Albanian Monarch in Exile King Leka I Speaks of Crisis (12 April 1997) Albania: King Leka I Returns from Exile in South Africa (12 April 1997) Albania: Self-proclaimed King Leka I Arrives (12 April 1997) Albania: King Gets Unruly Reception (18 April 1997) Albania: Berisha meets exiled King for talks
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(18 April 1997) Albania: Situation Update (20 April 1997) Albania: King Leka Makes Pilgrimage to His Father's Birthplace (3 July 1997) Albania: Leka Zogu's Supporters Open Fire on Police
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(3 July 1997) Albania: Royalist Dispute (3 July 1997) Albania: Appeal for Calm (5 July 1997) Albania: Victim of Shoot-Out Agim Gjoonpalaj's Funeral (12 July 1997) Albania: Would-be king Leka Zogu departs