Once I was a clever boy learning the arts of Oxford... is a quotation from the verses written by Bishop Richard Fleming (c.1385-1431) for his tomb in Lincoln Cathedral. Fleming, the founder of Lincoln College in Oxford, is the subject of my research for a D. Phil., and, like me, a son of the West Riding. I have remarked in the past that I have a deeply meaningful on-going relationship with a dead fifteenth century bishop... it was Fleming who, in effect, enabled me to come to Oxford and to learn its arts, and for that I am immensely grateful.


Saturday 8 October 2016

Royal Wedding in Albania


The Royal Central website has the following post about the wedding of the claimant to the Albanian throne which took place today:

Prince Leka of Albania, or King Leka II of Albania as he is known by Albanian royalists, is getting married to his longtime fiancee Elia Zaharia today.
Prince Leka is the grandson of King Zog I, who ruled the country from 1928 until 1939. His parents were Leka, Crown Prince of Albania (or King Leka I of Albania) and Australian born Susan Cullen-Ward. His father was just a few days old when the family was exiled from Albania due to the Italian invasion. Prince Leka was born on 26 March 1982 on South Africa, although the maternity ward was temporarily declared to be Albanian territory.  He went to school at St Peter's College in Johannesburg and also graduated from Sandhurst Military Academy in 2006, where he was declared the "best foreign student of the Academy". He studied Italian at the Università per Stranieri and also completed training at the Albanian Military Academy Skanderbej. He is fluent in Albanian, English, Italian and speaks some Zulu.
He currently lives in the capital of Albania, Tirana. Prince Leka is pursuing a career in diplomacy and he is now serving as a political advisor to the President.
His fiancee, Elia Zaharia, is an Albanian actress born on 8 February 1983 to George Zaharia and Yllka Mujo. She graduated from the National Art School in Tirana in 2002 and moved to Paris in 2002 to continue her studies. She met Prince Leka around that time. She graduated from the National Conservatory of Bordeaux in 2005. The couple became in engaged in May 2010 and she has accompanied Prince Leka on his visits since then. She is the head of the Queen Geraldine Foundation, which was created by the Royal Court and helps Albanian families who need help.
Their wedding date was finally announced on 27 March 2016 and the couple is set to marry today in Tirana. The civil marriage will be officiated by the Mayor of Tirana, Erion Veliaj. A blessing will be given by the religious leaders of Albania.
The guest list for the wedding includes Prince and Princess Michael of Kent.
Full guest list
Austria
Their Imperial and Royal Highnesses Archduke Georg and Archduchess Eilika
Belgium
Her Royal Highness Princess Léa
Bourbon-Two Sicilies
Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Castro
Egypt
His Royal Highness Prince Ali
Georgia
His Royal Highness Prince Davit Bagrationi
Germany
His Royal and Imperial Highness Prince Georg Friedrich of Prussia
Greece
Her Royal Highness Princess Irene
His Royal Highness Prince Michael and Princess Marina
Iran
Her Imperial Majesty Empress Farah Pahlavi
Italy
Her Royal Highness Princess Maria Pia of Savoy
Her Royal Highness Princess Maria Gabriella of Savoy
Liechtenstein
Their Serene Highnesses Prince Philipp and Princess Isabelle
Luxembourg
Their Royal Highnesses Prince Guillaume and Princess Sibilla
Montenegro
His Royal Highness Prince Nikola II Petrović-Njegoš
Morocco
Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Meryem
Portugal
Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Braganza
Romania
Their Royal Highnesses Crown Princess Margareta and Prince Radu
Russia
Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Maria
His Imperial Highness Grand Duke George
Serbia
Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine
Spain
Her Majesty Queen Sofia
Thurn und Taxis
Her Serene Highness Princess Gloria
Her Serene Highness Princess Elisabeth
The United Kingdom
Their Royal Highnesses Prince and Princess Michael of Kent
Others
His Serene Highness Prince Gundakar and Her Royal Highness Princess Marie of Liechtenstein
Her Serene Highness Princess Imaculata of Liechtenstein
Her Serene Highness Princess Charlotte of Liechtenstein, Mrs PK Van der Byl
His Royal Highness Prince Michel of Yugoslavia
Her Royal Highness Princess Maria Theresa of Bourbon-Parma
Their Imperial & Royal Highnesses Archduke Joseph Karl Habsburg and Her Imperial & Royal Highness Archduchess Margarete of Austria.
Her Imperial & Royal Highness Archduchess Johanna Sophie of Austria
His Highness Prince Joachim Murat
Prince Maurizio Ferrante Gonzaga del Vodice
Prince Alvaro de Orleans-Borbon and Princess Antonella de Orleans-Borbon
HSH The Prince d`Arenberg
Princess Sonia Poniatowsky
Prince Maurizio Ferrante Gonzaga del Vodice

Which is a pretty impressive line-up.

Dual Cypher 

Dual Cypher of Prince Leka and  Elia Zaharia

Image: Wikipedia
There is an online account of the wedding at Wedding of Prince Leka II and Elia Zaharia

 

The Arms of the House of Zogu as Kings of the Albanians

Image: Wikipedia

1 comment:

zerry ht said...

Good to know about this royal wedding. I was too invited to a royal wedding that was held at one of famous wedding venues. Was very happy to see all royal décor and menu there. It was a great privileged to be a part of such an amazing event.