HRH Hereditary Prince Philip and HRH Princess Danica attended the Holy Liturgy and memorial service on the 207th anniversary of the death of the founder of the Royal Dynasty Karadjordjevic, Supreme Leader George Petrovic – Karadjorjde, on Friday, 26 July in Radovanjski lug, the place where the founder of modern Serbia was killed.

“Today, we gathered in Radovanjski Lug to pay our respects to the life and work of one of the greatest leaders of our people, my ancestor, Supreme Leader Karadjordje. 207 years ago, a terrible crime occurred in this very place that ended his life, in a way unworthy of such a hero, but in the way which describes his killers the best. He as an appearance caused too much fear in the enemies, that they would not dare to oppose him awake. This event marked a turning point and is one of the darkest in our recent history.

However, what he represented and what he fought for never died, and his spirit continued to live in the Serbian people, where it still exists today. You can still hear people saying: “Stand up, Karadjordje”, as a cry for justice and as a response to tyranny and oppression of the people.

I am proud of such a person in my family, I hope that with my life and commitment to the people and homeland, with the strength of his blood, will and determination, I will be able to justify the origin and high goals that he set for all our descendants”, stated HRH Hereditary Prince Philip.

After the fall of the First Serbian Uprising, Karadjordje with his family and the most prominent Serbian chieftains left the country, initially for Austria and later for Bessarabia (Russia). After attempts to persuade the Russian Tsar to go to war against Turkey failed, Karadjordje made contacts with the Greek organization “Heteria”, whose aim was the allied uprising of the Greeks, Serbs and Bulgarians and the establishment of a great Balkan state. With the intention to start the struggle anew, Karadjordje secretly came to Serbia. Under orders of the Turkish Vizier and rival Serbian chieftain Milos Obrenovic, Karadjordje was assassinated in Radovanjski Lug near the city of Smederevo, on the night of 24 July 1817. His body was later buried in the Mausoleum of St. George in Oplenac, built by King Peter I.