Who would be Queen of Yugoslavia today?

The Kingdom of Serbia existed between 1882 and 1918 and was preceded by the Principality of Serbia. Milan Obrenović IV, Prince of Serbia, became its first King. In 1918, it was succeeded by the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, which was renamed to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929. The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was formally abolished in November 1945. The kingdom operated under Salic law, which did not allow for the succession of women. The Queens mentioned are, therefore, consorts and not reigning Queens. Any claimed titles since the end of the kingdom are titular.

King Milan had married Natalia Keshko on 17 October 1875, and they had one surviving son together. A second son, Prince Sergei, had died four days after his birth. They separated after 11 years of marriage, and in 1889, King Milan suddenly abdicated in favour of their 12-year-old son. While Milan withdrew from public life, Natalia was appointed as one of the regents for her son.

The new King declared himself to be of age in 1893 and had the regents – save his mother – arrested. He brought his father back to Serbia and appointed him as commander-in-chief of the army. He even restored the previous constitution.

In 1900, he announced his engagement to Draga Mašin, who had been a lady-in-waiting to his mother. Natalia opposed the marriage and was banished by her son. The match was quite unpopular, but the wedding took place in August regardless.

The situation in the country deteriorated in the following three years, and on 11 June 1903, Alexander and Draga were brutally murdered.

The couple had no children, and the National Assembly declared Peter Karađorđević, the eldest surviving son of Alexander Karađorđević, Prince of Serbia, who reigned from 1842 until 1858, as the new King. Pete had married Princess Ljubica of Montenegro in 1883, but she died in 1890 after giving birth to their fifth child, who was stillborn or died shortly after birth. They had three surviving children, as one of their daughters had died in infancy. Peter did not remarry, so there was no Queen during his reign.

Peter was King of Serbia until 1918 and then King of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes until his death in 1921 at the age of 77. He was succeeded as King by his second son, Alexander. His eldest son had been forced to give up his place in the line of succession after he had kicked a servant to death.

The new King Alexander I had married Princess Maria of Romania in 1922, and they went on to have three sons together. King Alexander was assassinated during a state visit to France in 1934. He was succeeded by his 11-year-old son, who now became King Peter. The regency was given to Alexander’s first cousin, Prince Paul. By then, the kingdom was renamed as the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.

During the Second World War, Yugoslavia was invaded by Nazi Germany and the government was forced to surrender. Peter managed to flee the country, and he set up a government in exile in London. In April 1942, he proposed to Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark, but the announcement of the engagement caused controversy in occupied Yugoslavia. They eventually married on 20 March 1944 in London. They had one son together, Crown Prince Alexander, who was born on 17 July 1945.

After the Second World War, King Peter was not allowed to return home. Meanwhile, a regency council was formed. Peter was dethroned by Yugoslavia’s Communist Constituent Assembly on 29 November 1945, and Yugoslavia was declared a republic. The former King and Queen settled in the United States in 1949. The situation in exile was difficult, and their son was eventually sent to Italy, where he had a chance at a more stable upbringing.

After some difficulties in their relationship, Peter and Alexandra reconciled and moved to France. In 1967, the relationship was definitely over, and Peter moved back to the United States. The former King died on 3 November 1970 in Denver after a failed liver transplant.

Princess Maria da Gloria of Orléans-Bragança on the far right

The claim to the Yugoslav throne was inherited by Peter and Alexandra’s only son, Crown Prince Alexander. He went on to marry Princess Maria da Gloria of Orléans-Bragança in 1972, and they had three sons together, including a set of twins. They were divorced on 19 February 1985. That same year, Alexander remarried to Katherine Clairy Batis. This makes Katherine the current titular Queen of Yugoslavia.

Katherine was born in Athens on 13 November 1943 as the daughter of Robert Batis and Anna Dosti. She received her primary and secondary education in Athens and Lausanne. She then studied business at the University of Denver and the University of Dallas. In 1962, she married Jack Walter Andrews, with whom she had a son and a daughter. They divorced in 1984.

Since 2001, she and Alexander have lived in the Royal Palace in Belgrade. The claim is set to be inherited by Crown Prince Alexander’s second son, Philip, as his eldest son, Peter,  has renounced the title of hereditary prince. Philip is married to Danica Marinković, and they have a son and a daughter together.