We are obsessed with the royals here at HELLO!, even the ones you might not even know about, like the Albanian royal family.
The Balkan nation has had several iterations of a royal family throughout its history, with one of its royal houses only lasting for 11 years, which was formed by the country's then president, Ahmed Muhtar Zogolli, who summarily became known as King Zog I.
The House of Zogu doesn't have as many members as some other royal houses, but join HELLO! as we take you through them.
Family tree
© HELLO!King Zog
© KeystoneBorn on 8 October 1895, King Zog was the founder of the House of Zogu after Albania became a Kingdom during his presidency. During his youth, Zog fought in World War I and became a minister in the Albanian government during the 1920s.
In 1924, Zog was exiled from the country following the assassination of a political opponent, however, he re-entered the country with the backing of Russian and Yugoslavian military officers and the following year he was elected as President of Albania.
Three years later, he transformed the country into a Kingdom and declared himself the King of the Albanians, and giving his mother and siblings royal titles. However, despite his self-appointment, Zog did not make Albania an absolute monarchy and in his rewriting of the constitution, he forbade Princes of the royal house from serving in the Cabinet of Albania.
During his reign, Albania forged incredibly close ties with Benito Mussolini's Italy and the country became more and more dependent on the country due to the worldwide economic depression of the 1930s. Italy exerted further control over Albania before finally invading to little resistance in 1939.
Zog lived the rest of his life with his family in exile from Albania, spending large parts of their lives in France, the United Kingdom and Egypt. In 1955, Zog moved back to France, but six years later on 9 April 1961, he died at the age of 65 of an undisclosed condition. He was buried near Paris.
In 1938, Zog married Countess Geraldine and the pair welcomed a son, Leka, two days before they fled Albania.
Queen Geraldine
© Evening StandardBorn on 6 August 1915, Queen Geraldine was the Queen Consort of Albania during her marriage to King Zog, although her tenure lasted just shy of one year.
Geraldine was born in Budapest in what was then Austria-Hungary to the noble Apponyi family. Following the collapse of the country's empire, the family fled to Switzerland before moving back to the new Kingdom of Hungary. The family later moved to France following the death of Geraldine's father.
Geraldine was introduced to Zog in December 1937 after the Albanian monarch saw a picture of her. The pair were soon engaged and married on 27 April 1938, welcoming their son, Crown Prince Leka, a year later.
However, the royal family were forced to flee Albania following the invasion by Italy, meaning that Geraldine was Queen Consort of the country for less than a year. Following Zog's death in 1961, Geraldine took the title of Queen Mother of Albania.
Unlike her husband, Geraldine would return to Albania, heading to the country in 2002. However, five months after her return, Geraldine died following a heart attack.
Crown Prince Leka
© ExpressBorn on 5 April 1939, Crown Prince Leka was the heir apparent to the Albanian throne, and is seen a pretender to the throne, with some of his royal supporters having dubbed him as King Leka I.
Just two days after his birth, Leka and his family were exiled from Albania following Italy's invasion of the country. Leka lived across Europe and Egypt was mainly educated in Egypt and Switzerland during his youth, as well as a stint at Sandhurst.
Upon his 18th birthday, Leka was named as the heir apparent to the Albanian throne and succeeded his father upon his death in 1961 as the head of the House of Zogu. Although an exiled Albanian parliament named Leka as King of the Albanians, he was never able to officially take the title.
Leka was granted the right to return to Albania in 1993 and he finally returned to his homeland in 1997 amid civil unrest in the country. A referendum was held on the restoration of the monarchy, however, after the question was rejected before the official announcement, Leka claimed vote manipulation. The royal led protests against the vote, however following a recount it was claimed that restoration of the monarchy had been rejected.
Leka left the country a month after the results, but returned in 2002 and lived his life as a private citizen.
In October 1975, Leka married Australian teacher Susan Cullen-Ward, and the couple welcomed a son, also named Leka. The couple sadly lost a baby daughter while they lived in Rhodesia.
On 30 November 2011, Leka suffered a heart attack and died at the age of 72.
Susan Cullen-Ward
© Luc CastelBorn on 28 January 1941, Susan was the wife of Crown Prince Leka. During her life, Susan was brought up on a sheep farm and later became a teacher. She married Richard Williams in 1965, but they divorced in 1970.
In 1975, she found love with Crown Prince Leka and the couple married in October. However, due to Leka's exile from the country, she and the royal had no fixed abode for many years. The pair welcomed a son, Leka, in 1982, but during a time in Rhodesia, she had a stillbirth with a daughter.
The Albanian government never officially recognised Susan as Queen of the Albanians, although a passport was issued with the name of Queen Susan.
She moved with her husband and son to Albania in 2002, however, Susan was later diagnosed with lung cancer and she died at the age of 63 on 17 July 2004.
Prince Leka
Born on 26 March 1982, Prince Leka is the current head of the House of Zogu. Like his father, Leka studied in both South Africa and at Sandhurst.
Leka has become involved in humanitarian efforts, including MJAFT!, which battles against political scandals and social injustice. Leka has mostly pursued a career in public office, working in Albania's interior office and as an adviser to the president. It had been rumoured that he would be named as a presidential candidate in 2022, but this never came to fruition.
In 2010, Leka proposed to Albanian actress and singer Elia Zaharia and the couple married six years on 27 March 2016. The couple welcomed their daughter Princess Geraldine on 22 October 2020. However, on 15 January 2024 the couple announced that they were getting divorced, this was finalised in April 2024.
Elia Zaharia
© Luc CastelBorn on 8 February 1983, Elia was the wife of Prince Leka and the mother of his only child, Princess Geraldine. Before meeting the royal, Elia was an actress and singer, where she mainly specialised in the theatre.
The star had several roles including in A Midsummer's Night Dream, The Crucible and The Sunshine Boys. For three years, she was a member of the Albanian group Spirit Voice.
Elia met Prince Leka during her studies in Paris, with the pair getting engaged in 2010 before walking down the aisle in 2016. In 2020, the pair welcomed their daughter, Princess Geraldine, and in 2024 the couple confirmed they were divorcing.
Princess Geraldine
© DNPhotography/ABACA/ShutterstockBorn on 22 October 2020, Princess Geraldine is the only daughter of Prince Leka and Elia Zaharia. Geraldine was named after her late grandmother, and was even born on the anniversary of her passing.
Geraldine was christened on 28 January 2023 and her godparents were named as Luxembourg's Princess Sibyl and Tomi Frasheri, who is a family friend.
