by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2021
photo: Albanian Royal Court
Crown Princess Susan was the wife of Crown Prince Leka I of the Albanians, the only son of King Zog I and Queen Geraldine. She was born Susan Barbara Cullen-Ward on January 28, 1941 in Waverley, a suburb of Sydney, Australia, one of five children of Alan Cullen-Ward and Phyllis Murray-Prior.
Raised on her family’s sheep farm in New South Wales, Australia, Susan attended the Ladies Presbyterian College in Orange, before attending the University of the Academy of Arts in Sydney, studying art, history and architecture. She returned to teach art at Ladies Presbyterian College and then ran her own interior design company in Sydney. An avid Egyptologist, she received a scholarship to attend Sorbonne University in France. It was there that she first met Crown Prince Leka I, who later invited her to come to Spain where she studied tourism. The couple was engaged in 1974.
On April 8, 1975, Susan married Crown Prince Leka I in a civil ceremony held in Biarritz, France. A religious ceremony was held the following October in Toledo, Spain where the couple received the blessing of the Muslim, Orthodox, Catholic, and Anglican religious leaders. They had one son, Crown Prince Leka II, born in 1982.
As Crown Princess, Susan was a strong supporter of her husband and his efforts to restore the Albanian monarchy, and to make life better for the Albanian people. She established the Queen Susan Cultural Foundation in the United States, which worked to assist Albanians through medical aid and education. In that role, the Crown Princess traveled extensively throughout Europe and North America to promote and gain support.
The Royal Family was invited to return to Albania in June 2002. Arriving with her husband, son, and Queen Geraldine, Susan continued her work for improving conditions for the Albanian people and remained steadfast in her unyielding support for her husband’s efforts. Sadly, just two years later, having been diagnosed with lung cancer, Crown Princess Susan died in a village near Tirana on July 17, 2004. She was buried alongside her mother-in-law in the Sharra cemetery, and in 2012, her remains were moved to the newly rebuilt Royal Mausoleum in Tirana, along with her husband and his parents.
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Albanian Resources at Unofficial Royalty
- Kingdom of Albania Index
- Albanian Royal Burial Sites
- Albanian Royal Dates
- Profiles: The Albanian Royal Family
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