House House of Karadordevic Role Born 1924 | Name Prince of | |
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Born 13 August 1924White Lodge, Richmond Park, England ( 1924-08-13 ) Issue Prince DimitriPrince MichaelPrince SergiusPrincess HelenePrince Dusan Parents Princess Olga of Greece and Denmark, Prince Paul of Yugoslavia Children Prince Dimitri of Yugoslavia Spouse Princess Barbara of Liechtenstein (m. 1973), Princess Maria Pia of Bourbon-Parma (m. 1955–1967) Grandparents Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia Cousins Prince Michael of Kent, Princess Alexandra - The Hono, Prince Edward - Duke of K Similar People Prince Paul of Yugoslavia, Princess Olga of Greece a, Prince Dimitri of Yugoslavia, Prince Nikola of Yugoslavia, Prince Michael of Yugoslavia | ||
Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia (Aleksandar Pavlov Karađorđević; 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.
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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 Frederika 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:
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 (b. 9 July 1942), a cousin of Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein and also a first cousin of his consort, Princess Marie. They have one son:
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.
He was a Freemason, initiated in France as part of the Grande Loge Nationale Française, but later joined the English constitution and held the senior rank of Past Senior Grand Warden in the United Grand Lodge of England. He belonged to lodges in Paris, London, Kent, and Somerset.
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.