Prince Leka of Albania
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| HRH Prince Leka of Albania | |
 Prince Leka
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| Born | March 26, 1982 Sandton, South Africa |
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| Other names | Crown Prince Leka II |
| Title | Prince of Albania |
| Parents | Leka, Crown Prince of Albania and Susan Cullen-Ward |
Prince Leka of the Albanians (Leka Anwar Zog Reza Baudouin Msiziwe Zogu, born March 26, 1982, Sandton, South Africa) is the titular Crown Prince of Albania and an official at the Albanian Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
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[edit] Early life
Crown Prince Leka II, is the son of the pretender to Albania's throne, King Leka, and his late wife, the former Susan Cullen-Ward, known as Queen Susan. See also some of his ancestry [1].
At the time of his birth, the South African government declared his maternity ward temporarily Albanian territory to ensure that Leka was born on Albanian soil.[2] He was named in honor of Egyptian president Anwar al-Sadat, his grandfather King Zog I, Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi of Iran, and Baudouin I, King of the Belgians (his godfather). Msiziwe is a Zulu honorific. Through his paternal grandmother, Leka has medieval roots in Albania, whereas his grandfather's much closer Albanian ancestry can be historically attested as far as to Middle Ages.[citation needed] Leka is a member of the Zogu dynasty founded by King Zog and also is a hereditary bey (Albanian tribal chieftain and traditional land owner) of the Gheg clan.
[edit] Education and current activities
Leka's secondary school education took place at St. Peter's College, Johannesburg. In December 2006, he graduated from Sandhurst Military Academy, United Kingdom, as the “Best foreign student of the Academy” [3]. He was subsequently congratulated by the Albanian Minister of Defense for this achievement. He also has completed studies at the Università per Stranieri in Perugia, Italy, for the Italian Language and Economics. He is currently studying Law through correspondence [4].
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Prince Leka, who was featured in the cover story, 'Young and Royal', of Vanity Fair (magazine) in September 2003, currently resides in Tirana (although he has access to the former royal palace[citation needed]) is fluent in Albanian, French, English, Zulu and Italian. He owns four boxer dogs and his personal interests include martial arts, volleyball and swimming. He is also fond of wildlife and leads a very active life, taking part in and supporting mountain climbing and other outdoor sports, such as abseiling and target shooting.
In April 2004 he accepted the Mother Teresa Medal on behalf of his late grandmother, Queen Geraldine, for her humanitarian efforts.[5]
He is known to have worked with youth organizations, like MJAFT!, and supported a wide range of humanitarian efforts in Albania, but maintains that he only supports "Self Help" projects to stimulate Albanian and Kosovar economic growth, Gazeta Sot.
Prince Leka is also known as a supporter of Kosovo independence from Serbia and has close ties with the Kosovo leadership in Priština. Iliria Royal University in Priština and Tirana is styled as regal and functions under his guidance.
Prince Leka also founded the Youth leadership of the "Movement for National Development" which was a movement created by His Father to change the political face of Albania in 2005.
[edit] Career with the Albanian Foreign Ministry
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The Foreign Minister, Mr. Lulzim Basha introduced to the highest officials and his close team the new member of his cabinet, Prince Leka II on 21 August 2007. Minister Basha emphasized that the appointment of Prince Leka II in his cabinet, is part of the Albanian Government philosophy and his determination as well, to admit in the state administration the best capacities of the country, individuals with evident capabilities in line with the necessities of Foreign Service and the ever-growing requirements of the Albanian diplomacy.
Minister Basha underlined that Prince Leka II has accepted with pleasure the invitation to be part of his team, thus starting the professional career in the field of foreign relations, in service of the country’s diplomacy and in protection of the major interests of the Albanian nation. [6]
[edit] References
- Geraldine of the Albanians; Robyns, Gwen - ISBN 0-584-11133-9
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Prince Leka of Albania
Born: March 26 1982 |
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| Albanian royalty | ||
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| Preceded by Crown Prince Leka current pretender |
Line of succession to the Albanian throne 1st position |
unclear |
