Early life and education Leka was born on April 5, 1939, in the
Royal Palace of Tirana in the
Kingdom of Albania. He was named Crown Prince Skander and his birth was celebrated with a 101-gun salute and a military parade. Leka was the son of
King Zog I of Albania and
Queen Geraldine of Albania. Just two days after Leka's birth, King Zog I was forced into exile after
Benito Mussolini's army invaded the country during the
Italian invasion of Albania. Shortly after, Zog was replaced on the throne of
Albania by
Victor Emmanuel III of Italy — an action the
King of Italy would later plead personal forgiveness for. Victor Emmanuel III remained King until his abdication in 1943, following the
Armistice of Cassibile. Crown Prince Leka began life in exile in various countries. After traveling across
Europe, the Albanian
Royal Family settled in
England, first at the
Ritz Hotel in
London, then moving for a very short period in 1941 to
South Ascot, near
Ascot in
Berkshire, and then in 1941 to Parmoor House,
Parmoor, near
Frieth in
Buckinghamshire. After the
End of World War II in Europe, Zog, Queen Geraldine and Leka moved temporarily to
Egypt, where they lived at the invitation of
King Farouk I. Leka attended school at
Victoria College, Alexandria in
Egypt and at
Aiglon College in
Villars-sur-Ollon,
Switzerland. He studied economics at the
University of Geneva and at the
Sorbonne, and attended the
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in
England. Following this he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the
British Army. He had since made his money with successful business deals in commodities. Leka became
heir apparent of the abolished throne on 5 April, 1957. On the death of King Zog in 1961, Leka was proclaimed
King of the Albanians by a convened Albanian National Assembly-in-exile, in a
function room at the
Hotel Bristol,
Paris.
Marriage and exile In 1975, Leka married
Australian citizen and former teacher
Susan Cullen-Ward. They were married in a
civil ceremony in the
Hôtel de Ville, Biarritz. The wedding reception, at a five-star Toledo Roadhouse, was attended by members of other exiled royal families, loyal Albanians and friends, who toasted "Long live the King". When it was discovered that Leka not only retained some
Thai bodyguards, but had what was described as an
arms cache in their home, the
Spanish government asked him to leave. When his plane arrived at
Gabon for refueling, he found that it was being surrounded by local troops, who were said to have been hired to capture him by the
Albanian government. The soldiers backed down when Leka appeared at the plane's door with a
bazooka in his hand. During the
1997 rebellion in Albania, Leka returned again, this time being greeted by 2,000 supporters. Many of Leka's royalist supporters felt that a restoration of the monarchy would help bring political and financial stability to the government, as well as help protect Albanian democracy, following
decades of communist rule. On June 29, a
referendum was held in Albania concerning a restoration of the
monarchy. Before the results had been finalized, Albanian government officials announced that the referendum had been rejected. Leka questioned the results of the election and claimed the
vote had been manipulated. Leka protested, surrounded by roughly 20 guards, who were armed with assault rifles, grenades, and machine-guns. Leka himself was dressed in camouflage and carried two pistols. Albanian police had previously deployed armored vehicles and forces with heavy machine-guns, in case of any trouble ahead of the election. On July 3, Leka led a crowd of 900 protesters, some armed, outside the main elections building, to protest, claiming election fraud had occurred. Royalist protesters sang at the rally, chanting "Brother, pick up the weapons. We'll fight or die, we'll win", as they waved pro-monarchy flags. 300 royalists then marched alongside Leka in the central Skanderbeg Square, causing police intervention. This led to a shootout between royalists and police, which lasted approximately 15 minutes. Gunfire and several grenade explosions went off, as nearby civilians scrambled for cover. Police killed one royalist protestor, Agim Gjonpalaj, and several others were injured in the gunfight. Gjonpalaj was both a monarchist and a pro-democracy advocate. Gjonpalaj's funeral was held two days later, on June 5. President
Sali Berisha called upon members of the
Democratic Party of Albania to attend the funeral. Leka also attended, greeting mourners and walking with the coffin bearers. The funeral procession proceeded through
Skanderbeg Square, where the violence had previously broken out two days before. Royalists at the funeral walked through the square, shouting "Down with Communism!" After a recount it was announced by the government that the restoration was rejected by approximately two-thirds of those voting. Albanian President Sali Berisha expressed his thoughts on the failed referendum in 2011: When Leka was later asked if he intended to leave Albania, he replied: "Why? It is my country", though he soon left Albania of his own accord on July 12. Following that, Leka was tried and sentenced by the Albanian government to three years imprisonment for
sedition, in absentia. This conviction was later set aside in March 2002, when 72 members of Parliament asked the royal family to return. In June 2002, Leka returned to Albania and brought with him 11 cases of automatic weapons, grenades, and hunting arms. The authorities quickly seized them, though the weapons were returned to the royal family six years later, after being deemed items of cultural heritage. After his 2002 settlement in Albania, he lived out a quiet life with his wife and son.
Further political activity Leka was backed by the
Party of Right and Legality (PLL), a right wing monarchist party and a marginal factor in Albanian politics. He argued that he was a fighter for a Greater Albania in terms of ethnicity and that his restoration as king would make possible this goal. However, in February 2006, he announced he would be withdrawing from political and public life. Later he was buried at the Mausoleum of the Albanian Royal Family. == Personal life ==