Belgrade, 4 November 2025 – An exhibition dedicated to HM Queen Maria of Yugoslavia, marking the 125th anniversary of Her Majesty's birth, was opened today at the Yugoslav Film Archive. The opening ceremony was attended by TRH Crown Prince Alexander, Crown Princess Katherine, Hereditary Prince Philip, and Princess Danica.
The event was hosted by Mr Alexander Erdeljanovic, the Director of the Yugoslav Film Archive, who greeted Their Royal Highnesses, who were accompanied by Mrs Betty Roumeliotis, the Crown Princess’s sister, and Mr Dusan Babac, Chairman of the Advisory Bodies of the Crown.
“I am very happy that, after the Royal Palace, another important institution is holding an exhibition about the Queen Mother, and I am very grateful to the Yugoslav Film Archive for contributing to the memory of my dear grandmother. Queen Marija was an exceptional woman whose heart was filled with honest and sincere love for her people. She was a mother of a nation, the people’s Queen, who is even today a role model for all of us. It is important that her legacy of kindness, compassion, true philanthropy, and love for “fellow men” is still alive, reminding us of the true values which we all should cherish and strive for”, said HRH Crown Prince Alexander.
Mr Erdeljanovic, in his speech, emphasised the historical role of Queen Maria as one of the greatest benefactors of our people, whose legacy continues to live today. He thanked the Royal Family of Serbia for their help in organising the exhibition and shared photo material. Also, he referred to preserved videos stored at the Yugoslav Film Archive, which serve as
a valuable testimony and a memory of the late Queen Mother. “With this exhibition, the Yugoslav Film Archive pays cinematic and historical tribute to the wife, the benefactor mother, who greatly indebted the Serbian and other Yugoslav people with her works, but was forgotten after World War II due to the play of fate and difficult political circumstances.”
Mr Babac, in his address, emphasised the good and cordial relations between the Royal Family of Serbia and the Yugoslav Film Archive, which “for many decades has shown true respect for the historical heritage of the Karađorđević family.” He reminded us how the film “Coronation of King Peter I” was restored in the 1990s, when it wasn’t easy, nor popular. Also, when Crown Prince Alexander returned to Serbia in 2001, the Film Archives found and preserved a documentary film made on 27 March 27 1941. “In that footage, we could see something that had been hidden for decades — the people wearing images of King Peter II on Belgrade streets, and not the symbols of the Communist Party, as the official interpretation had long claimed. That film was not only a testimony, but also an act of historical justice. As a result of that discovery, 27 March Street was renamed to its old and worthy name — Queen Maria’s Street.
Because truth, like light, always finds its way. And that is precisely why, today, in this hall full of history, we return to Queen Maria — a woman who carried that light within her with her life. Her kindness, her charity, and her modesty have remained inscribed in the collective memory of our people. She was, more than a title, a symbol of humanity and warmth.” Mr Babac also announced that he cooperation between the Royal Palace and the Yugoslav Film Archive continues, as recently restored movie made during the renovation of the Njegoš Chapel, as well as the journey of King Alexander and Queen Maria through Montenegro and the Adriatic, will soon be presented at the Royal Palace, in the next exhibition. This film, like many before it, will dispel numerous propaganda myths woven over the years, moving us closer to the truth.
Irina Kondić, the curator of the Yugoslav Film Archive, spoke about the exhibition, which consists of eight panels with biographical information and numerous photographs from the Royal Court Archives, as well as objects from the Ethnographic Museum, providing a comprehensive overview of the life, work, and personality of the beloved Queen Maria.
Through the exhibition, we learn how, in her early youth, as a Romanian Princess, she received the affectionate nickname Mignon, and how, upon arriving at the Yugoslav Court and raising her sons, Crown Prince Peter II and Princes Tomislav and Andrew, she was affectionately nicknamed Queen Mother. A special part of her work is her humanitarian efforts through the opening of schools and hospitals, assistance to neglected and poor children, and cooperation with organisations such as the Circle of Serbian Sisters, the "Saint John" Society, and the Yugoslav Red Cross Committee.
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