|
INSIGHT: Crown principles “We, a group of editors and senior editorial executives from various publications in South Eastern Europe, have been brought sightseeing to the palaces of what once was the crown of Yugoslavia. Logistics allowing, we shall be received by the current head of the family, who styles himself Crown Prince Alexander II, and his wife, whom it pleases the family to refer to as Princess Katherine. …Alexander is at pains to point out that he is apolitical and has no aspirations to elected office. He and his wife lead charity initiatives, host ecumenical gatherings and, they both emphasise, want his role to be that of a unifying figure. Asked his forecast for the January 21 elections, he says, “Let the people decide” although between the lines his comments appear to lean towards favouring the “pro-Western” policies of Serbia’s most recent government. With questions and answers flowing in what appears to straddle being an audience and a news conference, I put to him that he and Simeon Saxe-Coburg made very different choices. When former king Saxe-Coburg returned to Bulgaria in 2001, his first aspiration was to be elected President. Denied this because he failed to meet the criteria for residence, he became Prime Minister, serving a term before his party’s diminished performance in 2005 saw him out of public office and serving as one of three members of the governing tripartite coalition’s Political Council. Alexander replies that he knows Saxe-Coburg well and that they see each frequently, and that he respects the choice that Saxe-Coburg made. He adds that Saxe-Coburg did a very good job for Bulgaria and “he got Bulgaria into the EU” .…The tale of Alexander II is a fascinating footnote story in the Serbia and the Balkans of 2007. Wading on to the turbulent and vitriolic waters of Serbian politics comes the man who calls himself Crown Prince rather than King, because he wants the people to recognise the monarchy officially before he will accept his anointment; he comes as a unifier, as a giver of charity, as a man who will take every opportunity, including afternoon tea with a group of editors, to appeal for fairer and more favourable coverage of his country.”
|