6 September 1923 Peter II of Yugoslavia

Peter II of Yugoslavia was born on 6 September 1923 at the Royal Palace
of Belgrade, then a part of Yugoslavia.

Peter II of Yugoslavia - Source picture: Wikipedia

Family

Peter II of Yugoslavia was the eldest son of King Alexander I of Yugoslavia
and Maria of Romania. Peter II of Yugoslavia was the godson of King George V
of the United Kingdom. He was a member of the royal house of Karadordevic.

In 1934, King Alexander I of Yugoslavia was assassinated at Marseille during
a state visit in France. Peter II of Yugoslavia was then very young, a regency was
set up under his father's cousin, Prince Paul.

Karadordevic dynasty - coat of arms 
Source picture: Wikipedia


World War II

King Peter II of Yugoslavia was opposed to Nazi Germany during World War II,
however his uncle Prince Paul joined the Tripartite Pact with Germany.
Two days later, Peter II was declared at age, when he was 17 years old, after
a British supported coup d'état.

On 6 April 1941, Nazi Germany attacked Yugoslavia and Greece.
The government was forced to surrender on April 17th. Parts of Yugoslavia
were annexed with Italy, Bulgaria, Hungary and Germany.

King Peter II left the country and finally he arrived in London in June 1941,
where he joined numerous governments in exile.

The King completed his education at Cambridge University before entering
the Royal Air Force. In 1942 he traveled to Canada and America, there he
met President Franklin D Roosevelt. He asked for support for the monarchy
but the president offered his support to the communist party...

Love and marriage

On 20 March 1944, King Peter of Yugoslavia married his third cousin,
Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark, in London. They had one
son, Crown Prince Alexander, who was born on 17 July 1945.
In 1953, the couple split but they reconciled in 1955.

Montgomery, Peter II and Churchill, source picture: Wikipedia

Exile and death

When the war was ended, King Peter was not allowed to return home.
The Yugoslavia's Communist Constituent Assembly deposed him on
29 November 1945.

He moved to the United States, where he died in Denver, Colorado,
on 3 November 1970. He was buried in Libertyville, Illinois. He was
the only European Monarch who was entered in the United States.

On 22 January 2013, Peter's remains were returned to Belgrade, now
a part of Serbia.

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