Today marks a significant milestone in the life of Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia, as she celebrates her 85th birthday. Born into a royal family with a rich history, Princess Elizabeth's life has been marked by both privilege and hardship, shaped by the tumultuous events of the 20th century. Her story is a testament to resilience and adaptability, as she navigated the complexities of royal life and the challenges of war and exile.
Princess Elizabeth's early life was marked by the Nazi invasion of Yugoslavia in 1941, which led to her family being placed under British watch in Kenya. Her education took her to Kenya, Switzerland, and France, where she developed a strong foundation for her future. Her marriage to Howard Oxenburg in 1961 brought her to the United States, where she built a new life. Throughout her life, Princess Elizabeth has been a constant presence in the royal family, maintaining strong ties to her heritage and her family's legacy[1].
what is the significance of princess elizabeth of yugoslavia's 85th birthday
Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia's 85th birthday marks a significant milestone in her life, reflecting her remarkable resilience and adaptability in the face of historical turmoil and personal challenges. Born into a royal family with a rich heritage, Princess Elizabeth's life has been shaped by the tumultuous events of the 20th century, including the Nazi invasion of Yugoslavia, her family's exile, and the eventual abolition of the Serbian monarchy. Despite these challenges, she has continued to be a constant presence in the royal family, maintaining strong ties to her heritage and her family's legacy.
what is princess elizabeth of yugoslavia's background and family history
Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia was born on April 7, 1936, in the White Palace, Belgrade, as the third child and only daughter of Prince Paul of Yugoslavia (prince regent of Yugoslavia from 1934 to 1941) and Princess Olga of Greece and Denmark. Her older brothers were Prince Nicholas and Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia, who married, firstly, Princess Maria Pia of Savoy and, secondly, Princess Barbara of Liechtenstein.
who are the other members of the royal house of karađorđević
The House of Karađorđević, also known as the Karađorđević dynasty, is the former ruling Serbian and deposed Yugoslav royal family. The family includes several notable members, including:
King Peter I (1844–1921): The first king of the Kingdom of Serbia and later the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, which became the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.
King Alexander I (1888–1934): The son of King Peter I and the second king of Yugoslavia, known for his efforts to modernize the country and his assassination in Marseille, France.
King Peter II (1923–1970): The son of King Alexander I and the last king of Yugoslavia, who was deposed in 1945.
Crown Prince Alexander (born 1945): The son of King Peter II and the current head of the House of Karađorđević, actively involved in Serbian society and humanitarian work.
Hereditary Prince Philip (born 1982): The eldest son of Crown Prince Alexander and the heir apparent to the throne.
Prince George (born 1984): The younger son of Crown Prince Alexander.
Prince Michael (born 1985): The youngest son of Crown Prince Alexander.
Prince Alexander (born 1982): The younger son of Crown Prince Alexander.
Prince Tomislav (1928–2000): The younger son of King Peter II.
Prince Nicholas (born 1958): The younger son of Prince Andrew and a descendant of King Peter II.
Prince Andrew (1929–1990): The younger son of King Peter II.
Prince Christopher (1960–1994): The younger son of Prince Andrew.
Prince Vladimir (born 1964): The younger son of Prince Andrew.
Prince Dimitri (born 1965): The younger son of Prince Andrew.
These members of the House of Karađorđević have played significant roles in Serbian history and continue to be involved in the country's society and humanitarian efforts.
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| Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia, 1961. |
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| Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia. |
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| Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia. |
Today, Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia celebrates her eighty-fifth birthday!
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| Prince George, Duke of Kent, with his niece Princess Elizabeth during one of the duke's visits to Yugoslavia. The Duke of Kent was a good friend of his brother-in-law Prince Paul.
Photograph (c) Getty Images/Hutton Archive. |
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| Prince Paul and Princess Olga of Yugoslavia with their children: Alexander, Nicholas, and Elizabeth. |
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| Princess Olga of Yugoslavia with her sons Prince Alexander and Prince Nicholas and her daughter Princess Elizabeth. |
On 7 April 1936, Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia was born at the White Palace, Belgrade, as the first daughter and youngest child of Prince Paul of Yugoslavia and his wife Princess Olga of Greece and Denmark. Her godmother and namesake was her maternal aunt Princess Elizabeth of Greece and Denmark, Countess of Törring-Jettenbach. Paul and Olga married in 1923. Elizabeth had two elder brothers: Prince Alexander (1924-2016) and Prince Nicholas (1928-1954). After the Nazi invasion of Yugoslavia in 1941, Paul and Olga together with their children lived under British watch (i.e. house arrest) in Kenya. Their daughter Elizabeth was educated in Kenya, Switzerland, and France.
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| Mr Howard Oxenberg and Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia. |
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| Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia with her daughters Catherine and Christina Oxenberg. |
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| Elizabeth wearing a Van Cleef & Arpels bib necklace consisting of diamond horseshoes with a large round diamond in their centres and with seven pendant pearl drops. Pendant pearl drop earrings to match.
The princess is photographed here in the jewellery she wore to the Diamond Ball in New York, 1964. |
On 21 January 1961, the attractive twenty-five year-old Elizabeth married Howard Oxenburg (1919 - 2010), who was seventeen years her senior, at Manassas, Virginia. The couple had been an item for over a year; indeed, the news rags had incorrectly reported that the couple had eloped in either June or July of 1960. Almost eight months to the day after their wedding, Elizabeth of Yugoslavia and Howard Oxenberg welcomed the arrival of their first child, Catherine Oxenberg, who was born in New York City on 22 September 1961. On 27 December 1962, Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia, Mrs. Howard Oxenberg, gave birth to her second daughter, Christina, in New York City. Princess Olga of Yugoslavia had flown in from Europe to be with her daughter and to be present at her granddaughter's birth. Queen Mother Helen of Romania was Christina's godmother: Queen Mother Helen and Christina's grandmother Princess Olga were first cousins. Elizabeth of Yugoslavia and Howard Oxenberg divorced in 1966.
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| Neil Balfour and Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia. |
On 23 September 1969, Princess Elizabeth married Neil Roxburgh Balfour (b.1944), the son of Archibald Roxburgh Balfour and Lilian Helen Cooper. Elizabeth and Neil couple had one son, Nicholas Augustus Roxburgh Balfour, in 1970. The princess and Mr Balfour divorced in 1978. Neil Balfour went on to serve as the member of the European Parliament for Yorkshire North from 1979 to 1983.
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| Manuel Ulloa Elías and Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia, late 1980s. |
On 28 February 1987, Princess Elizabeth married a third time to Manuel Ulloa Elías (1922–1992), a former Prime Minister of Peru. Manuel had been married three times previously: his first wife was Carmen García Elmore; his second wife was Nadine van Perborgh; his third wife was Isabel Zorraquín y de Corral, the mother of Isabel Sartorius y Zorraquín (a youthful beau of Felipe, Prince of Asturias) and the former wife of Vicente Sartorius y Cabeza de Vaca, who subsequently married Princess Nora of Liechtenstein. Manuel and Elizabeth separated in 1989, but they never divorced. Upon the death of Ulloa Elías, the princess became a widow.
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| Prince Alexander, his sister Princess Elizabeth, and his wife Princess Barbara of Yugoslavia at the funeral of Princess Olga of Yugoslavia in 1997.
Photograph (c) Getty Images/Pool Benainous Cochard. |
Prince Paul of Yugoslavia died in Paris in 1976, aged eighty-three. In 1997, his widow Princess Olga passed away in Paris at the age of ninety-four. The couple were buried at the Bois-de-Vaux Cemetery in Lausanne with their son Prince Nicholas, who had tragically died in a car accident in 1954.
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| Princess Elizabeth with her son Nicholas Balfour and daughter Catherine Oxenberg oversee the exhumation of the graves of Elizabeth's father, mother, and brother in Switzerland, September 2012.
Photograph (c) Alamy/Reuters/Denis Balibouse. |
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| Catherine Oxenberg and her mother Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia attend the reburial of Prince Paul, Princess Olga, and Prince Nicholas at St. George's Church in Oplenac, October 2012. Photograph (c) Alamy/Reuters/Marko Djurica. |
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| Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia at the reburial of her father, mother, and brother. |
Beginning in the 1980s, Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia started a campaign to rehabilitate the legacy of her father. The image of Prince Regent Paul had been terribly maligned since his regency. A man deeply devoted to peace and maintaining the neutrality of Yugoslavia during World War II, Paul did his utmost to keep his homeland safe and from falling under the tyranny of Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia. Alas, many historians had painted the prince regent as a Nazi sympathiser, which could not have been further from the truth. Princess Elizabeth's relentless desire to rehabilitate her father was ultimately met with success in 2011, when the Serbian courts ruled that the prince regent had not been an "enemy of the state," as he along with other members of the royal family had been designated after the Communists overtook Yugoslavia. In 2012, the remains of Prince Paul, Princess Olga, and Prince Nicholas were brought to rest in Serbia, where they were granted a quasi-state funeral. This event was attended by the President of Serbia, Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine of Serbia, Hereditary Prince Peter of Serbia and his brother Prince Philip, Prince Alexander and Princess Barbara of Yugoslavia, as well as by Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia and her daughter Catherine Oxenberg and her son Nicholas Balfour. Several other members of the Serbian royal family and other relatives were also present.
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| Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia and Princess Alexandra of Kent. |
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| Princess Olga of Yugoslavia, Queen Marie-José of Italy, and Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia. |
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| Princess Olga of Yugoslavia; Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent; Prince Paul of Yugoslavia; Archduchess Helen of Austria; Prince Edward, Duke of Kent; Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia, 1956. |
Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia lives in Belgrade.
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| Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia, 1971.
Photograph (c) Getty Images/Lord Litchfield. |
Many happy returns of the day to Princess Elizabeth!
As we mark the 85th birthday of Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia, we are reminded of the remarkable life and legacy of this remarkable woman. Born into a royal family with a rich history, Princess Elizabeth's life has been shaped by the tumultuous events of the 20th century, including the Nazi invasion of Yugoslavia, her family's exile, and the eventual abolition of the Serbian monarchy. Despite these challenges, she has continued to be a constant presence in the royal family, maintaining strong ties to her heritage and her family's legacy. Her dedication to humanitarian work and her tireless efforts to promote peace and understanding have earned her numerous accolades and recognition worldwide.
As we celebrate Princess Elizabeth's milestone birthday, we are also reminded of the significance of her life and work. Her commitment to her family and her country has been unwavering, and her contributions to the world of art, literature, and philanthropy have been profound. Her story is a testament to the power of resilience and determination, and her legacy will continue to inspire generations to come. As we look back on her remarkable life, we are reminded of the importance of preserving our cultural heritage and honoring the sacrifices made by those who have come before us. We wish Princess Elizabeth a very happy 85th birthday and look forward to continuing to celebrate her remarkable life and legacy.
what are some of the notable achievements of princess elizabeth of yugoslavia
Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia has been recognized for her significant contributions to various fields, including humanitarian work, art, literature, and politics. Some of her notable achievements include:
Humanitarian Work: Princess Elizabeth has been actively involved in various humanitarian initiatives, particularly focusing on supporting children from war zones. She founded the Princess Elizabeth Foundation in 1990, which aims to provide aid and support to children affected by conflict.
Art and Literature: Princess Elizabeth is a writer and has authored four children's storybooks. She has also created two perfumes, "Jelisaveta" and "E," showcasing her creative endeavors.
Politics: Princess Elizabeth has been involved in Serbian politics, running in the presidential elections in Serbia in 2004, where she received 63,991 votes, placing her in sixth position.
Human Rights Activism: Princess Elizabeth has been a vocal advocate for human rights, particularly in the context of the Yugoslav Wars. She has received several awards for her work in this area, including the Nuclear Disarmament Forum Award and the Demiurgus Peace International.
Preservation of Family Legacy: Princess Elizabeth has worked to rehabilitate her father's relationship in Serbia and has maintained strong ties to her family's heritage.
These achievements demonstrate Princess Elizabeth's dedication to various causes and her commitment to making a positive impact in the world.
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