Leka II, Crown Prince of Albania

Skënder Zogu
- Virginie Zogu
Mirgin Zogu
Maryse Zogu
- Alexandre Zogu
  Emmanuelle Zogu
  - Erina Zogu
  - Anna Zogu
  - Flora Zogu
- Michel Zogu
Elvira Zogu
Melita Zogu
Vera Zogu

Prince Leka of Albania (Leka Anwar Zog Reza Baudouin Msiziwe Zogu, born 26 March 1982) is the only child of the first Leka, Crown Prince of Albania, and Susan Cullen-Ward. Prince Leka was an official at the Albanian Ministry of Interior and in the past has served at the Albanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Presidency. The prince is referred by some Albanian monarchists as King Leka II since the death of his father, whom they referred to as Leka I. On 30 November 2011, he succeeded as head of the House of Zogu, titular King of the Albanians, and third Sovereign Head of the Order of Besa and of the Order of Skanderbeg, upon the death of his father.

In May 2010, the Prince became engaged to Elia Zaharia,^[1] an Albanian actress and singer. They married on 8 October 2016 in Tirana.^[2]

Early life

Leka is the son of the pretender to Albania's throne, Crown Prince Leka I, and his Australian wife Susan Cullen-Ward known as Queen Susan.

At the time of his birth in 1982, the South African government declared his maternity ward temporarily Albanian territory to ensure that Leka was born on Albanian soil.,^[3] although the Republic of Albania would not have recognised it as such. He was named in honour of Egyptian president Anwar El Sadat, his grandfather King Zog I, Shah Mohammad-Rezā Shāh Pahlavi of Iran, and Baudouin I, King of the Belgians. Msiziwe is a Zulu honorific. Leka is a member of the Zogu dynasty founded by King Zog and also is a hereditary bey (Albanian tribal chieftain and traditional land owner) of the Gheg clan.

Education and activities

Leka's secondary school education took place at St Peter's College, an Anglican school in Johannesburg. In December 2006, he graduated from Sandhurst Military Academy, United Kingdom, as did his father before him. Prince Leka was the “Best foreign student of the Academy”.^[4] He was subsequently congratulated by the Albanian Minister of Defence for this achievement. He also has completed studies at the Università per Stranieri in Perugia, Italy, in the Italian language. He subsequently also completed training at the Albanian Military Academy Skanderbej. He is studying international relations.^[5]

Prince Leka has featured in different magazines over the years. He resides in Tirana, and speaks Albanian and English, and also speaks some Zulu and Italian. He owns boxer dogs and his personal interests include martial arts, volleyball and swimming. He is also fond of wildlife and has taken part in mountain climbing, abseiling and target shooting.

On 5 April 2004 Prince Leka accepted the Mother Teresa Medal in behalf of his late grandmother, Queen Géraldine, for her humanitarian efforts.^[6]

Prince Leka is known to have worked with youth organizations, like MJAFT!, and supported a wide range of humanitarian efforts in Albania, but maintains that he only supports "self-help" projects to stimulate Albanian and Kosovar economic growth, Gazeta Sot.

Prince Leka is also known as a supporter of Kosovo independence from Serbia and has close ties with the Kosovo leadership in Pristina. Iliria Royal University in Prishtina and Tirana is styled as regal and functions with some reference to him.

Prince Leka also founded the Youth leadership of the "Movement for National Development" which was a movement created by his father in 2005, to change the political face of Albania.

On 24 June 2010 Prince Leka unveiled a blue plaque at Parmoor House in Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom, which was the home of King Zog during his wartime exile.

Career in Albanian leadership

On 21 August 2007, Foreign Minister Lulzim Basha announced that Leka had been appointed to his office. The prince intended to pursue a career in diplomacy.^[7] After two years he transferred to the office of the Minister of Interior. After the election of Bujar Nishani as President in 2012, Leka was appointed as political adviser to the President.^[8]

Personal life

Prince Leka met Elia Zaharia in Paris, and in May 2010 they became engaged. Since then she has accompanied the Prince on most of his visits and meetings with members of other royal families. She is also head of the Queen Geraldine Foundation, which is a humanitarian, charitable and non-profit organisation, created by the Royal Court. The foundation aims to be close to the Albanian families who need help and to children who need care. It has reconstructed numerous schools and kindergartens in northern Albania, especially in the Mat District, from where the Zogu Family comes.

On 27 March 2016 it was announced by Skënder Zogu, a member of the Albanian Royal Family, that the couple would get married on 8 October 2016 in the Royal Palace in Tirana.^[9]

Wedding

Dual Cypher of Prince Leka and Princess Elia

Prince Leka got married on Saturday 8 October 2016 in Tirana. The ceremony was a semi-official ceremony, held in Tirana in the Royal Palace, with many guests including members of other noble and royal families. The event was a civil wedding was officiated by the Mayor of Tirana Erion Veliaj. A blessing was given by the five religious leaders of Albania representing the faiths of: Sunni Islam, Bektashi, and the Christian denominations of Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant . This tradition of the Albanian royal family is part of the tradition of religious tolerance in Albania.^[10]

Wedding guests included friends and relatives from around the world including relatives of Queen Susan's from Australia. Guests also included members of other royal families from neighbouring countries and further afield. These included Her Majesty Queen Sofia of Spain, and their Royal Highnesses Prince and Princess Michael of Kent. HRH Prince Michael of Kent is a cousin of HM Queen Elizabeth II and his wife HRH Princess Michael of Kent is related to Prince Leka through her mother Marianne Szapáry who was a cousin to Queen Geraldine and had been a bridesmaid at her wedding to King Zog in 1938. Other royal guests included Her Majesty Farah Pahlavi of Iran, their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine of Yugoslavia, HRH Crown Prince Nikoli of Montenegro, HRH Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg together with Princess Sibilla, HI&RH Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia, Princess Léa of Belgium and other members from the royal families of Russia, Liechtenstein, Romania, Greece, Georgia, Morocco and members of other noble families. Also heads of state of Albania attended the ceremony.^[11]

Honours and awards

Honours

National honours

House of Zogu: Sovereign Knight with Collar of the Order of Honour^[12]^[13]
House of Zogu: Sovereign Knight Grand Cordon of the Order of Fidelity^[12]^[14]^[15]
House of Zogu: Sovereign Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Skanderbeg^[12]^[16]

Foreign honour

Italian Royal Family: Knight Grand Cordon of the Royal Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus^[17]^[18]
- Two Sicilian Royal Family: Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Francis I^[19]

Awards

Albania – Honored Citizen of the City of Burrel (2012)
Albania – Honored Citizen of the City of Bërdicë (2012)

Ancestors

Ancestors of Leka II, Crown Prince of Albania

16. Xhelal Pasha Zogu, Governor of Mati

8. Xhemal Pasha Zogu, Governor of Mati

17. Ruhijé Alltuni

4. Zog I of Albania

18. Salah Bey Toptani

9. Sadijé Toptani

19. a Lady of Toptani family

2. Leka I of Albania

20. Count Lajos Apponyi de Nagy-Appony

10. Count Gyula Apponyi de Nagy-Appony

21. Countess Marguerite of Scherr-Thoß

5. Countess Géraldine Apponyi de Nagyappony

22. John Henry Stewart

11. Gladys Virginia Stewart

23. Mary Virginia Ramsay Harding

1. Leka II of Albania

24. William Cullen-Ward

12. Rupert Allen Cullen-Ward

25. Mary Ann Hibbard

6. Alan Robert Cullen-Ward

26. Robert Collins

13. Mary Winifred Collins

27. Winifred Geraghty

3. Susan Cullen-Ward

28. The Hon. Thomas Lodge Murray-Prior

14. Robert Sterling Murray-Prior

29. Nora Clarina Barton

7. Phyllis Dorothea Murray-Prior

30. Gerard Edgar Herring

15. Estella Augusta Herring

31. Caroline Estella De Lange

References

Bibliography

Patrice Najbor, Histoire de l'Albanie et de sa maison royale (5 volumes), JePublie, Paris, 2008, (ISBN 978-2-9532382-0-4).
Patrice Najbor, la dynastye des Zogu, Textes & Prétextes, Paris, 2002
Geraldine of the Albanians; Robyns, Gwen – ISBN 0-584-11133-9

External links

Albanian royalty
Leka II, Crown Prince of Albania House of Zogu Born: 26 March 1982
Preceded by Crown Prince Leka	— TITULAR — King of the Albanians 30 November 2011 – present Reason for succession failure: House of Zogu deposed 1939	Incumbent

Pretenders to the Albanian throne since 1939

King Zog I (1939–1961) Crown Prince Leka I (1961–2011) Crown Prince Leka II (since 2011) heir: Skënder Zogu

See also House of Zogu

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