King Peter II of Yugoslavia

by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2016

source: Wikipedia

King Peter II of Yugoslavia

King Peter II of Yugoslavia was the last King of Yugoslavia. He was born on September 6, 1923, in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, now in Serbia, the eldest son of King Alexander I of Yugoslavia and Princess Maria of Romania. His godparents were King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom. Peter had two younger siblings:

Peter was initially educated at the Royal Palace in Belgrade before attending the Sandroyd School in Wiltshire, England. Sadly, his father was assassinated on October 9, 1934, and the 11-year-old Peter ascended the throne as King Peter II. Because of his age, a Regency Council was established, led by his father’s cousin Prince Paul of Yugoslavia.

At the onset of World War II, Yugoslavia was surrounded by countries that had become allies of the Nazis. Prince Paul, against the advice of Peter and his advisers, decided in 1941 to enter into a non-aggression pact with Germany. This resulted in riots and protests in Yugoslavia and led to a coup, supported by the British. As a result, on March 27, 1941, at just 17-years-old, King Peter II was proclaimed of age and the Regency was ended.

Within weeks, Yugoslavia was occupied by Nazi forces and the government was forced to surrender on April 17, 1941. King Peter went into exile with the government, first to Greece, then to Jerusalem and to Cairo. In June 1941, King Peter went to the United Kingdom, where he finished his education at Cambridge University and joined the Royal Air Force.

King Peter and Princess Alexandra on their wedding day. source: Royal Family of Serbia

King Peter and Princess Alexandra on their wedding day, with King George VI of the United Kingdom (l) and King George II of the Hellenes (r). source: Royal Family of Serbia

While in London, he met Princess Alexandra of Greece, the daughter of King Alexander I of the Hellenes and Aspasia Manos. The couple married on March 20, 1944, at the Yugoslav Embassy in London. Guests at their wedding included King George VI of the United Kingdom, King George II of the Hellenes, King Haakon VII of Norway and Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands.

Peter and Alexandra had one son:

Peter and Alexandra with Prince Alexander, 1945. source: Royal Family of Serbia

Peter and Alexandra with Prince Alexander, 1945. source: Royal Family of Serbia

Back in Yugoslavia, two rival resistance groups had been born during the Nazi invasion. The first loyalist group was led by Colonel Dragoljub Mihailovic who served as Minister of Defense for the Yugoslav government in exile. The other group, the Partisans, was led by the communist party leader Josip Broz – later known as Tito. Following the German occupation, civil war broke out between the two groups. Despite initially supporting Mihailovic, the Allies soon began to support Tito. In 1944, the Partisans entered Belgrade and established a Communist government. The following year, in November 1945, the new government abolished the monarchy and formally deposed King Peter II. This was, however, done without any referendum and the King never abdicated. Yugoslavia would remain a communist state for over 40 years.

After the war, Peter and Alexandra left London, living in France and Switzerland before settling in the United States in 1949. The marriage suffered from the strain of Peter’s numerous affairs and the constant struggle to find sources of income. Eventually, they went their separate ways. King Peter settled permanently in the United States while Alexandra took her son and moved to Venice with her mother.

King Peter II, 1966 source: Royal Family of Serbia

King Peter II, 1966; source: Royal Family of Serbia

Suffering from cirrhosis of the liver, King Peter II died on November 3, 1970, in Denver, Colorado, following a failed liver transplant. Per his wishes, he was interred at the Saint Sava Monastery Church in Libertyville, Illinois. To date, he is the only European monarch to be buried in the United States. In January 2013, his remains were returned to Serbia and buried in the Royal Family Mausoleum beneath St. George’s Church at Oplenac.

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