HRH Crown Prince Alexander was very pleased to give a very thorough interview to Danas daily newspapers, in which he in which he spoke about the 90th anniversary of the murder of HM Knightly King Alexander I and the consequences of the Marseille Assassination.
The text, which was published in the printed edition of Danas newspapers on 9 October 2024 is also available below. We thank the journalist, Mrs. Jelena Tasić for her professionalism and the interview. Interview is also available on the website of the newspapers on LINK
Crown Prince Alexander for Danas on the 90th Anniversary of the Assassination of His Grandfather, King Alexander I, the Unifier
THE ASSASSINATION IN MARSEILLE WAS BOTH A NATIONAL AND A FAMILY TRAGEDY
- With the ‘Little Entente,’ he formed a community of states that could much more easily resist both Nazism and Fascism on one side, and Communism on the other. That is why his death was equally celebrated in Berlin, Rome, and Moscow of that era.
- He was a ruler with all his virtues and flaws, who led the country in very turbulent times and, despite all the circumstances, achieved results that many before him could only dream of. However, more time is needed for the truth about him to be solidified, as we are dealing with decades of lies and slander.
- The formation of Yugoslavia is a historical event that my grandfather realized and brought to fruition, but it is also something that many desired and worked toward. It is an idea that is even older than the 19th century when it began to expand.
The assassination of King Alexander I nine decades ago had a fateful impact on the course of history, not only in our country but also, one might say, in Europe and the world. The assassination in Marseille, like every other such horrible crime, was a great tragedy for our state, which in the most complex moments for the peoples of Europe lost a great monarch, a visionary, one who held and protected the young country, torn between great powers and internal strife, but also a tragedy for our family, said Crown Prince Alexander Karađorđević in a conversation with Danas on the 90th anniversary of the assassination of his grandfather, King Alexander I, the Unifier.
The first shots of the Second World War
– The consequences were truly deep and far-reaching. I do not like to engage in “what if” theories, but it is an indisputable fact that the assassination of King Alexander and French Foreign Minister Louis Barthou opened wide the doors for extreme ideologies, which were already on the rise, to expand beyond their national boundaries and spread throughout Europe, leaving neither Yugoslavia nor Serbia immune to these events.
King Alexander achieved something few before him had done. In the span of about twenty years, he turned Turkey, a centuries-old enemy whom he defeated as the commander of the First Serbian Army during the First Balkan War, into a friend. He conducted similar diplomatic efforts with Bulgaria. This is just one example of his statesmanship. Through the Balkan Alliance and the Little Entente, he united states into communities that were much better positioned to resist Nazism and Fascism on one hand, and Communism on the other. That is why his death was celebrated in Berlin, Rome, and Moscow at that time, as well as by their satellite countries. Not to mention the strings pulled by these centers of power in the Marseille assassination. It is no exaggeration to say that the shots fired in Marseille were the first shots of World War II.
Had he survived and managed to complete the work he was actively pursuing—strengthening the state and resolving pressing issues both domestically and internationally—who knows what might have happened…
* After 90 years, has historiography fully recognized the character and legacy of King Alexander I as a ruler, military leader, and diplomat, or is it still, in some sense, “neglectful” of him? Why does the dilemma remain about whether he was a unifier, a martyr, or a dictator?
– It is fair to say that the situation is significantly better now than it was and that a more accurate picture of him is emerging. A picture of a man and ruler, with all his virtues and flaws, who led the country in very turbulent times and achieved results that many before him could only dream of. However, it will still take time to solidify the truth about him, as we are dealing with decades of lies and slander. The dictated historiography, in which ideology and propaganda took precedence over facts, was directly aimed at tarnishing the image and legacy of King Alexander I. Even in death, they gave him no peace—he remained their enemy and threat.
The dilemma you mention persists because lies are seductive. Lies endure because they are easily spoken, but the truth, which requires evidence and arguments, takes longer to establish. Yet in the long run, truth always prevails—just as the two-headed eagles in the basement of the Royal Palace, though painted over and well-hidden, reappeared when the time was right.
The idea of Yugoslavia and Serbia
* Many Serbs, both in the homeland and the diaspora, even 90 years after the King’s assassination, cannot forgive him for creating the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, later Yugoslavia. Did he truly sacrifice Serbia for the Yugoslav idea?
– Every historical event should be viewed in the context of the time in which it occurred, taking into account all its circumstances. The formation of Yugoslavia was a historical event that my grandfather realized and brought to fruition, but it was also desired and supported by many others. It was an idea older even than the 19th century when it gained prominence. King Alexander himself said in one of his speeches that this was a vision dreamed of by his grandfather, Prince Alexander, and Ilija Garašanin. It was also a dream of Prince Mihailo Obrenović and many other prominent figures from the Serbian and broader South Slavic nations.
The Government of the Kingdom of Serbia, during World War I, defined Yugoslavia as a war objective through the Niš and later Corfu Declarations. At that time, my grandfather, as Regent, exercised royal authority on behalf of his father, King Peter I. However, neither the King nor the Regent were despots. The Kingdom of Serbia was a state governed by a constitution and laws, a parliamentary democracy established by my great-grandfather, King Peter I. Even the King could not go against the will of the Government.
Yugoslavia was fundamentally a noble idea that, unfortunately, faced challenges in practice. Perhaps things would have been different had King Alexander returned alive from Marseille… Neither the United States in the 19th century nor Yugoslavia was the most stable country… New Yorkers and Texans did not particularly like each other, the country endured a bloody Civil War, but eventually managed to achieve unity. Fundamentally, the idea of Yugoslavia is similar, but unlike the United States, which was far removed from Europe and its greatest adversaries, our country was in a vulnerable position, exposed to the influence and attacks of too many powers that worked diligently to dismantle it.
First and foremost, he wanted to ensure peace
Looking at the situation from the perspective of 1918 and 1919, things are not as black-and-white as they are often portrayed today. The Great War had ended in terms of armed conflict, but diplomatically, it was far from over. Regent Alexander led a victorious but devastated state that had set the formation of a united South Slavic state as its war goal, which he achieved. Could something different have been accomplished after the war? Perhaps, but that would likely have left parts of the Serbian people outside the country, under foreign rule, potentially leading to new conflicts. King Alexander’s foremost goal was to secure peace.
* What is the status of the earlier request from Crown representatives, and later from a group of Serbian intellectuals, to the Serbian Orthodox Church to canonize King Alexander I as a holy martyr?
– The Church and the Crown are very close, but I neither can, nor should, nor want to interfere in the Church’s work. This is solely a matter of ecclesiastical canons, which are millennia old. I do not know the current status of this request, nor would I wish to comment further on it.
The Crown is above politics.
* Besides marking the nine decades since the assassination in Marseille, this year, 2024, is significant for the 180th anniversary of the birth of King Peter I and the recent 120th anniversary of his coronation. Considering the role and importance of both rulers—your great-grandfather and grandfather—in the history of modern Serbia, will the activities of the recently unified Royal Family mean a greater presence of the Karadjordjevic family not only in humanitarian life but also in addressing pressing state and national issues in Serbia?
– The Karađorđević Royal family is always here to help our homeland and our people in every possible way that is in accordance with the rules of our Family and the fact that the Crown is above politics. This is our duty and obligation, which has remained with us since Karađorđe. Big jubilees are always a good opportunity to remind us all of who we are and what we are, how much debt and legacy our ancestors left us. And our duty remains the same, it does not change. That’s how it was in the past, that’s how it is now, and that’s how it will be in the future. We will continue to contribute as much as we can to the welfare and prosperity of our country. We owe it to our ancestors to continue their legacy, but also to future generations to ensure that they have a good and stable country, which they will continue to build.
From Oplenac to the Royal Palace and Museums
Marking the 90th anniversary of King Alexander’s assassination, members of the Royal Family will gather today at Oplenac, where the Bishop of Šumadija, His Grace Jovan (Mladenović), will serve a liturgy and memorial service in the Church of St. George, followed by an official state ceremony to pay tribute.
– At the Royal Palace, we recently hosted an exhibition dedicated to my grandfather last December, commemorating 135 years since his birth. Therefore, we decided not to organize a similar event this time but to support other cultural institutions honoring the late King, such as the Museum of Yugoslavia and the Museum of Vojvodina, by lending artifacts from our collection.
On October 17, the Royal Palace will host the presentation of a book about King Alexander I, authored by Momčilo Vuković Birčanin, an officer of the Royal Yugoslav Army. This is the book’s first edition in Serbia, published under my patronage in collaboration with the Historical Archive of Užice and the Cultural Institution of Bajina Bašta. It was originally published in Munich in 1974, on the 40th anniversary of the assassination. The author, who served as an officer in the cavalry of my grandfather’s Royal Guard and later as my father’s personal secretary after the war, aimed to preserve the memory of the Valiant King.
The date of the book launch is symbolic—on October 17, 1934, the body of King Alexander I was transferred from the Royal Palace to the Cathedral Church before embarking on his final journey to Oplenac, says Crown Prince Alexander.
Exhibition “Protect (My) Yugoslavia”
According to announcements from the Ministry of Culture, an exhibition on the assassination of King Alexander I in Marseille, titled “Protect (My) Yugoslavia,” is set to open in the “25 May Museum Building,” now the Museum of Yugoslavia.
“The significance of this tragic event and its place in the culture of remembrance among the people of this region is presented through the exhibition, which will be open to visitors from October 10, 2024, to March 31, 2025,” stated the Ministry of Culture.
