Who would be the King of Albania today?

While Albania is currently a republic, there was once a time when it had a monarch as its head of state.

The last reigning King was Zog I, who was ousted in 1939, a few months before the official start of World War II. Italian dictator Benito Mussolini had Italian troops invade Albania, and the Albanian Army wasn’t able to resist, especially with many Italian officers and advisers. The Royal Family then fled into exile, settling in Greece.

For a time, Albania was a protectorate of Italy, and the Italian monarch, Victor Emmanuel III, reigned as King of Albania. By 1943, his Albanian reign had ended, and the Germans had taken control of the country. Albania was liberated from the Germans a year later and became a communist dictatorship. The monarchy was officially abolished in 1946.

Photo: NettyRoyal.nl

If Albania were still a monarchy, who would sit on the throne?

Crown Prince Leka, the current head of the House of Zogu, would be the King of Albania. He succeeded his father, also named Leka, as head of the Royal Family upon his father’s death on 30 November 2011.

Leka, the grandson of Albania’s last reigning King, was born on 26 March 1982 in Johannesburg, South Africa. His parents are Crown Prince Leka and his Australian wife, Crown Princess Susan.

Leka was educated in South Africa, Italy, and Kosovo and also underwent military training at the UK’s Sandhurst and Albania’s Skanderbeg Military Academy. He has worked in the Office of the Foreign Minister’s office and the Minister of Interior before serving as an advisor to President Bujar Nishani. 

The Crown Prince was married to Albanian actress Elia Zaharia from 2016 to 2024. They have one daughter, Princess Geraldine, born in 2020.

Read about who would be the Queen of Albania on our sister site, History of Royal Women!