What do we know about the Serbian monarchy?

There was news in the Serbian and foreign media that many did not notice: the hereditary Prince of Serbia Petar Karađorđević renounced his birthright in favor of his brother, Prince Philip.

As noted, these rights would one day allow him to become the head of the Serbian dynasty.

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Peter formulated his renunciation of the role of hereditary prince of Serbia as follows: “By the act of renunciation, I renounce for myself and all my descendants who were born or will be born in marriage or out of wedlock.

I transfer all rights based on birthright to the next born after seniority, my brother Prince Philip, which is an automatic process with this abdication and our sovereign will.

I do not waive the rights arising from the right to inherit the name, the title of a member of the royal house, the title of prince and all other rights and obligations which law and tradition impose and impose on a member of the family.".

This decision came into force on the day of signing, April 27, 2022, and was witnessed in particular by Princess Maria da Gloria of Orléans and Bragança and his brother Prince Philippe.

Philip and his wife

The decision was criticized by many. Some argue that it is not legally binding because it was adopted outside Serbian territory - in Seville, Spain. It is also argued that such abdication does not comply with the rules applicable under Serbian law since the existence of the monarchy.

Prince Peter, who is unmarried and has no children, argued that the decision was in the best interests of the future of the Serbian royal family. He also noted that he did this for his own good, since he still intends to live in Spain and does not plan to return to Serbia. At the same time, some experts doubt whether the prince’s father Alexander was aware of the act.

Alexander

_{Indeed, for most readers, the fact that this country turns out to have its own princes came as a surprise. However, one should not imagine the scope of any more or less significant European monarchy. With them, everything is more or less in order with legitimacy. Unlike the Serbian dynasty.}

And the whole point is that although the Crown Prince of Yugoslavia, 73-year-old Alexander, lives in the elite Belgrade district of Dedinje, and even in the royal palace, which does not belong to him, he de jure has no rights to this title. When in 1945, after graduation World War II to power in Yugoslavia came the communists under the direction of Josipa Broz Tito, the dynasty was displaced, and its then head, who fled the country from the Nazis in March 1941, Alexander’s father, Peter, signed an abdication of the throne. Total dynasty Karadjordjevici, Karadjordjevici (Serb. Karaђorђeviћ) formally existed as a ruling princely state since 1842 and in royal status until 1941.

_{Despite the fact that there are no formal reasons for restoring the monarchy in modern Serbia, there are political associations here that advocate the restoration of the royal throne and the transfer of power to the remaining representatives of the dynasty.}

For example, one of them, the Serbian Renewal Movement (SPO), received three seats in parliament after the country's recent parliamentary elections.

Another one, the Movement for the Restoration of the Kingdom of Serbia (POKS), received 10 seats in the Skupština together with its coalition colleagues, the Doors movement. The idea of ​​restoring the monarchy is also supported by democrat Milos Jovanovic. Under his leadership, the Democratic Party of Serbia entered the NADA coalition - and as a result, they all together took 15 seats in parliament.

Thus, monarchical sentiments also have political expression in this Balkan state. However, as both opinion polls and election results show, there is practically no chance of turning them into real actions.