Traditionally honouring the Statehood Day of Serbia, TRH Crown Prince Alexander, Crown Princess Katherine, Hereditary Prince Philip, Princess Danica, and Prince Stefan attended today the Holy Liturgy and laid a wreath in Saint George’s Church in Oplenac.
The Crown Prince laid a wreath on the tomb of his ancestor, the founder of the Royal Dynasty Karadjordjevic and Leader of the First Serbian Uprising, Supreme Leader Karadjordje. TRH Prince Mihailo, Princess Ljubica, and Princess Natalija, Mr. Dragan Reljic, Director of the Foundation of King Peter I in Oplenac, members of the Kingdom of Serbia Association, and other associations and people who gathered to celebrate this National Day of our country, were also present in Oplenac.
Crown Prince Alexander on this occasion, repeated part of his Statehood Day congratulations: “The Serbian people have always been a state-building people. Throughout history, even in the most challenging times, we have acted responsibly and with deep love for our Homeland and for one another, remaining faithful to the knighthood legacy of our ancestors, and that humanity is equally important as heroism. This sense of duty and solidarity is what enabled our nation to endure and to survive through the centuries.
Branislav Nusic, the famous Serbian writer, said: “Homeland is not a limited, bordered, embodied object. Homeland is thought, the homeland is faith, and thought, and faith never die.” The homeland transcends the limits of human life; it was there before us and will be when we are gone, and our obligation is to ensure the future so that our descendants can peacefully live in the land of our ancestors. Today, as we honour the legacy of those who created and defended our state, we are called to honour and continue their work.
The Crown remains devoted to serving Serbia and all its people, encouraging dialogue, compassion, and working to provide continuity, stability, and unity, the values that have always defined our national identity.“
“On the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, the day when we celebrate the restoration of Serbian statehood, from Oplenac and Orašac – the holy places of our historical memory, I address you with words of deep respect and statesmanship. On this day in 1804, under the leadership of Supreme Leader Karađorđe, the Serbian people rose up not only against oppression but for the return of their state dignity. That act was more than a rebellion; it was the restoration of sovereignty, the return of Serbia among European states, and the beginning of the creation of a modern order based on law, honor, and freedom.
The soldiers in the Uprising knew that the state is not just a territory, but a vow. A covenant that freedom is not a gift, but a choice, and an obligation. Their sacrifice has woven into the foundations of Serbia the principle that government must serve the people, and the state must protect justice and the dignity of every person.
Oplenac, where the Supreme Leader Karađorđe is buried and where the memory of the generations that carried the burden of history is preserved, stands as a testimony to the continuity of Serbian statehood. It reminds us that statehood is not a passing political circumstance, but a permanent responsibility – towards the ancestors who renewed it with blood and towards the descendants to whom we must leave it stronger, more orderly, and more dignified.
Aware of the historical duty we bear, we are called to be worthy of their courage. Serbia survived when it was unique in its fundamental values: freedom, legality, honor, and unity, but also in its ability to preserve what was entrusted to it for future generations. This was and remains its strength.
May the spirit of Karađorđe and his soldiers oblige us to preserve the state as the highest common value and to build it wisely, steadily, and responsibly, taking care of its lasting foundations, for the good of all its citizens and for the honor of its name among nations. With faith in Serbia, its history and its future” said HRH Hereditary Prince Philip.
The “Children’s Gathering”, a manifestation which Prince Mihailo and Princess Ljubica organize in Topla for the third time, with the goal to promote and teach children about the Serbian heritage, is currently ongoing in Oplenac, marking the Statehood Day.
The Royal family, later on the same day also laid flowers on the monument of Supreme Leader Karadjordje in Orasac, a place where the First Serbian Uprising began, and where the spark of freedom was lit.
