Who would be King of Serbia today?

If Serbia retained its monarchy, who would sit on the throne of the former Yugoslavia?

The answer is Crown Prince Alexander of Serbia, a godson of Britain’s late Queen Elizabeth II.

Crown Prince Alexander was born on 17 July 1945 in London to King Peter II and Queen Alexandra of Yugoslavia. Alexander was born while his family was in exile during World War II, and a few months after his birth, Yugoslavia was declared a communist republic under Soviet influence. 

The family lost their Yugoslavian citizenship and property in 1947 (with the exception of Alexander’s great uncle, Prince George). It wasn’t until 2015 that a Serbian court ruled the revocation of their citizenship was null and void.

Alexander was christened in Westminster Abbey with King George VI and the future Queen Elizabeth II serving as godparents. Due to his parents’ health issues, he was raised by his maternal grandmother, Princess Aspasia of Greece and Denmark. He was educated in Switzerland, the UK and the US. He graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 1966 and served in the British military.

The Crown Prince married Princess Maria da Gloria of Orléans-Braganza in 1972. They had three sons, Princes Peter, Philip and Alexander, who were all born in the United States. They divorced in 1985.

Crown Prince Alexander married for a second time to the Greek Katherine Batis (now Crown Princess Katherine) in 1985. The couple moved to Belgrade’s Royal Palace in 2001 following the Serbian government’s granting of citizenship to the family.

The Crown Prince supports the restoration of a constitutional monarchy in Serbia but stays out of politics and focuses on charity work. Although he is not on the throne, he has remained close with reigning and non-reigning royal families and has been seen at many royal events throughout the years.