Who would be Queen of Montenegro today?

The Kingdom of Montenegro existed between 1910 and 1918. It was preceded by the Principality of Montenegro, and Prince Nicholas of Montenegro became its first and only King. The Queens mentioned here are consorts, and they did not reign in their own right. Any titles after the abolishment of the monarchy are titular.

King Nicholas I of Montenegro was the Prince of Montenegro between 1860 and 1910, and he proclaimed the Kingdom of Montenegro in Cetinje on 28 August 1910. He was married to Milena Vukotić, and they had twelve children together – three sons and nine daughters. Montenegro was conquered by Austria-Hungary, and after the end of the First World War, a vote was held to depose King Nicholas, and Montenegro was merged with Serbia and other former territories of Austria-Hungary to form the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. This was renamed to Yugoslavia in 1929.

Nicholas and Milena went into exile in France, where they died in 1921 and 1923, respectively. Milena was thus the first and last Queen of Montenegro. Their eldest daughter, Princess Ljubica, also known as Zorka, had married the future King Peter I of Serbia.

The claim to the Montenegrin throne passed to Nicholas and Milena’s eldest son, Crown Prince Danilo Alexander. He had married Duchess Jutta of Mecklenburg-Strelitz in 1899, but the couple had no children together. She was the first titular Queen of Montenegro. Just one week after succeeding to the claim, Danila renounced his claim in favour of his nephew, Prince Michael of Montenegro. Prince Michael was the son of Prince Mirko, Nicholas and Milena’s second son.

Michael married Geneviève Prigent ​in 1941, and they had one son together. Geneviève was thus the second titular Queen of Montenegro. They divorced in 1949. Prince Michael died on 24 March 1986, and he was succeeded in his claim by his only son, Nicholas.

Nicholas had married Francine Navarro on 27 November 1976, and they had a daughter and a son together. Nicholas is still the current claimant to the Montenegrin throne, but Francine died on 6 August 2008 following a long illness. She was the third titular Queen between 1986 and her death in 2008. This means that the title of titular Queen of Montenegro is currently vacant.

Nicholas and Francine’s son, Boris, is married to Véronique Haillot Canas da Silva, and they have two daughters together.