The 89th anniversary of the assassination of HM King Alexander I was marked today in the Mausoleum of the Royal Family, Saint George’s Church in Oplenac. Mr. Zoran Zivanovic and Mr. Darko Spasic, members of the Crown Council, attended the ceremony as the representatives of HRH Crown Prince Alexander, together with TRH Hereditary Prince Philip, Princess Danica, Prince Mihailo, and Princess Ljubica. Due to several charity activities in the North America in the month of October, Crown Prince was unable to personally attend the memorial service for his grandfather, the late knightly King.
“This day is always a sad day for my family. My grandfather, King Alexander I was one of the first leaders of state in Europe and the entire world who had foreseen the danger coming from the rise of extremist ideologies of Nazism and Fascism. Consequently, he fell as one of their first victims.
Although remembered mostly as a soldier, and a military leader, he was much more. We should all cherish the memory of a great King and visionary that King Alexander I was. I am proud to be his grandson”, stated HRH Crown Prince Alexander.
Holy Liturgy and memorial service were officiated by His Grace Bishop Jovan of Sumadija. After the church service, wreaths were laid on the King’s tomb by Crown Council members, Messrs. Zivanovic and Spasic on behalf of HRH Crown Prince Alexander, HE Mr. Nikola Selakovic, Minister for Labour, Employment, Veterans and Social Affairs of Serbia, representatives of the Army of Serbia, Mr. Dragan Reljic, Direcotor of the Endowment of King Peter I in Oplenac, representatives of the Municipality of Topola, Kingdom of Serbia Association, which is under Crown Prince’s patronage, as well as gathered people who also paid their respects to Knightly King.
HM King Alexander I of Yugoslavia was assassinated during a state visit to France on 9 October 1934 in Marseille, along with the French Foreign Minister Monsieur Louis Barthou.
He was the second son of HM King Peter I and Princess Zorka, who was born in Cetinje Montenegro on 16 December 1888. His Godfather was the Russian Tsar Alexander II. Young Prince Alexander spent his childhood in Montenegro and was educated in Geneva Switzerland. He continued his schooling at the Military School in St. Petersburg Russia and then in Belgrade.
As Regent and Supreme Commander of the Army of the Kingdom of Serbia, he led his people through the most tragic and most glorious days of our history. When King Peter I died on 16 August 1921, the Regent HRH Crown Prince Alexander became the King of the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes. In 1929 he became king of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.
In 1922, he married HRH Princess Maria of Romania. They had three sons – Crown Prince Peter (later King II of Yugoslavia), Prince Tomislav, and Prince Andrej. In 1929, when the country changed its name, he became King of Yugoslavia. He loved his people very much and left numerous endowments.
