“Our father ended his life in exile in the USA, he was like the Biblical ‘stranger in a strange land’, for he was alienated from his homeland and his many European royal cousins, explain for “Politika” TRH Prince Dimitri and his sister Princess Lavinia Maria Karadjordjevic on the occasion of the repatriation  of HRH Prince Andrew’s earthly remains, the youngest son of TM King Alexander and Queen Maria to Belgrade. “You can’t just rationalize away the pain of losing everything, which in the Royal Family’s case was also their kingdom. In the end it is almost certainly what killed our father.

-Our parents and us children mostly spoke English or later Portuguese at home, or if my parents were having a serious debate, then always in German! This left us as children of exiles wondering about our homeland and its rich culture and heritage. It is only now that we are reclaiming that heritage with the return of our father to his spiritual homeland, that we feel ready to learn Serbian for the first time, and are really loving it – admit Dimitri and Lavinia Maria, whose mother is Princess Princess Kira of Leiningen, of German/Romanov royal ancestry.

Their Royal Highnesses have many Serbian friends from all over the world and are now: “discovering the spirit, humor and zest for life of Serbian people!”

   – In the end we only have each other, so we need to foster a sense of belonging, loving and being wanted, otherwise we can never work in harmony towards common ideals and goals. The Karadjordjevic family is more united than ever, and it is wonderful to see – say Prince Andrews’ children.

Considering recent public scientific survey that showed that 39,7 percentage  of Serbian citizens consider revival of Monarchy is a good idea, Prince and Princess believe that percentage is higher:

-When you redistribute the Undecided vote, the overall projected figure is nearly 55%, which is a viable majority! Constitutional monarchies are the norm in Europe and you can see why, because they promote social cohesion and a feel-good factor by being above the political fray. Royal Families are a reassuring constant, no matter what the political and economic climate is. Given its long and illustrious Royal history, it is a proposal that Serbia should consider very seriously – say Their Royal Highnesses.

Their Royal Highnesses say  that they celebrate Orthodox Christmas and Easter, often at the Palace, as they did this year or at home in London.

-We give special significance to the Royal Family Slava for St. Andrew The First Called every December 13th, which we usually try to be at the Royal Palace for each year. We are very proud of our cousin Crown Prince Alexander, who is the head of the family, and Princess Katherine who do tremendous work on many fronts – both charitable and promoting Serbia’s image abroad, and they must be applauded for their tireless and selfless efforts in that regard- Their Royal Highnesses said.

Dimitri and Lavinia also tell stories about the history of Kradjordjevic family and Karadjordje himself:

-Of course we tell them all the famous historical stories, and learning Serbian is also a big part of reconnecting with and contextualizing that proud family and national history. Byzantine jewel of a church  in Oplenac sits atop an especially beautiful wooded hill in Topola elevates it both spiritually and literally. It is a source of great inspiration and comfort, which is another reason we are overjoyed that all our family members will now rest together there in eternal peace.