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| HRH Prince Peter of Serbia @HRH Crown Prince Alexander |
Hereditary Prince Peter of Serbia, the eldest son of Crown Prince Alexander, and his first wife, Princess Maria da Gloria of Orleans-Braganza, announced earlier today that he has made an official renunciation of his birth rights to his brother, Prince Philip, who is second in line.
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| Princess Maria da Gloria, Prince Peter, the Hereditary Princess Danica and Hereditary Prince Philip |
He said: "I continue my life in Seville, as I have done so far. I express my gratitude to my parents for their love, care and effort. I express my love and loyalty to the brothers, and loyalty and support to the new Prince-Heir of Serbia and Yugoslavia. Seville."
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| @HRH Crown Prince Alexander |
Peter signed the declaration of abdication in Seville in the presence of witnesses, including his mother, Princess Maria da Gloria, and husband, the Duke of Segorbe, and Orthodox Church officials,
No members of the Crown Prince's Crown Council attended the ceremony. Serbia media identified Nikola Stanovic as the Crown Prince's Chief of Staff. He is not Crown Prince Alexander's chief of staff.
Ljubodrag Grujic, who served as the Crown Prince's Herald, and was present for the ceremony, is no longer in that official position.
The new Hereditary Prince Philip and Hereditary Princess Danica were also present.
Prince Peter renounced for himself and for his descendants. He told his father, Crown Prince Alexander, that his decision was "unwavering." He said he believes that it is important for the heir to live with his family in Serbia.
Crown Prince Philip and Crown Princess Danica live in Belgrade with their young son, Prince Stefan.
Prince Peter was born in Chicago, Illinois on February 5, 1980, where his father, then in exile, worked as an insurance executive. The family moved to northern Virginia in late 1981 and settled into a new home in Fairfax County.
Hereditary Prince Philip and Prince Alexander, are fraternal twins. They were born in Falls Church, Virginia, on January 15, 1982. Philip's godparents are Queen Sofia of Spain, King Constantine II of the Hellenes, and Princess Anne, Duchess of Calabria.
In 1984, the Crown Prince and Princess and their three children moved to London. Unfortunately, the couple faced marital problems and their marriage ended in divorce in 1985. . Princess Maria da Gloria moved to Seville Spain where she married Don Ignacio de Medina y Fernández de Córdoba, Duke of Segorbe. The couple has two daughters, Sol and Luna.
Crown Prince Alexander also remarried in 1985. His second wife is Katherine Batis, now Crown Princess Katherine. They moved to Belgrade in July 2001 and reside in the Royal Palace in Dedinje.
Prince Peter studied art at the Camberwell College of Arts and the Rhode Island School of Design. He currently works as a graphic designer in Seville.
Prince Philip was educated in London and Canterbury. He earned a BA in Hispanic Studies from University College in London and worked for a London financial firm before moving to Belgrade.
He married Danica Marinković on October 7, 2017, at the Cathedral of St Michael the Archangel in Belgrade. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and Hereditary Prince Peter were the witnesses.
Prince Mihailo of Serbia released a statement after the announcement of Prince Peter's renunciation.
"I fully support the decision of my cousin, Peter, to transfer his duties, rights, and obligations to Filip.
I deeply believe that Filip will make an extraordinary contribution to our country, our people, and our society by living in Serbia and with his advocacy.
Over the past years, I have had the opportunity to believe in Filip's sincere intentions and true concern for the progress of our people, in Serbia and beyond.
Ljubica and I will continue, so far, to provide our support to Filip and Danica so that we can work together for the general good and progress."
Prince Mihailo is the youngest son of the late Prince Tomislav of Serbia, the second of three sons of King Alexander and Queen Marie. He and Crown Prince Alexander are first cousins as the Crown Prince is the only child of King Peter II, the eldest son of King Alexander.
Prince Peter is a double descendant of Queen Victoria on his father's side
Victoria - Victoria - Sophie - Alexander - Alexandra -Peter -Alexander -Peter
Victoria - Alfred - Marie - Marie - Peter -Alexander - Peter
I have read the “act of renunciation” by the Crown Prince of Serbia and noted the names of witnesses to this act, but have to point out that it cannot have any legality whatsoever under the terms of the Royal Yugoslav Constitution, of 3 September 1931. The succession to the Crown is very clear, under article 36: “King Alexander 1, of the Karageorge dynasty, reigns over the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. King Alexander shall be succeeded by his male descendants in the order of primogeniture.” And Article 34 states: “Every written act of the Royal power shall be countersigned by the competent Minister or by the Council of Ministers. The minister who countersigned, or the Council of Ministers, is responsible for any act of Royal authority.” While Article 29 states: “The King is the guardian of national unity and State integrity. He is the protector of their interests at all times. The King sanctions and promulgates the laws, appoints civil servants, and confers military rank, in accordance with the provisions of the law. The King is the supreme commander of all the military forces. He confers decorations and other distinctions.”
ReplyDeleteNeither the Heir to the Throne nor any other member of the dynasty has any authority whatsoever, except in the case of a Regency and the Heir certainly cannot change the succession to the throne, which his purported “renunciation” would do. The only way the succession can be changed is by a Royal Decree, signed by the King (today, the Head of the Royal House, HRH Crown Prince Alexander II) and countersigned by a responsible minister. As during the World War 2 emergency the king could appoint a minister to act in this capacity (Article 77: “The King appoints and dismisses the President of the Council of Ministers and the Ministers”). It is for HRH Crown Prince Alexander II alone to decide whether to consent to such an act, and if so, to decide which titles Prince Peter, if he ceases to be Crown Prince, should bear, once excluded along with his descendants, from the succession.
There is a general principal, enunciated in most European Civil Codes, which prohibit the renunciation of future successions; such articles are concerned with ordinary inheritance and in some cases make provision for renunciations if certain conditions are fulfilled. The purported renunciation by Prince Peter, however, would be an act of state, and such a unilateral act would have no legal effect as it directly contradicts the Royal Constitution, which lays out the succession to the crown.
As far as I know, Peter has never married. At 42, this is unusual. Reading between the lines, I propose that he is gay- and this would be a very good reason for renunciation: while Spain is a gay man's paradise, Serbia is most certainly not. This conservative Orthodox country would never accept a homosexual heir to their Throne. This would be a very good reason to renounce the Throne in favour of a brother who is married, living in Serbia, with a male child.
ReplyDeleteDouglas perhaps you should read more of my blog. It is unlikely that Peter is gay He has been involved with a number of women, and there is a more recent post where he acknowledges that he is the father a daughter ...
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