Many thanks to my dear friend Roger Lundgren, Founder of Kungliga Magasinet, for sending me this signed photograph of Crown Prince Leka II of the Albanians and Crown Princess Elia (née Zaharia) on their wedding day. Roger was recently in Tirana to celebrate a personal occasion with the couple and their family. I was delighted to receive this picture in the mail today.
The Crown Prince and Crown Princess were wed on 8 October 2016 at Tirana, in an ceremony that was celebrated by members of royal families around the world, and planned by the Albanian Royal House with the assistance of Mr Lundgren. The date chosen for their wedding was no coincidence: it marked the 121st birthday of King Zog, Leka’s grandfather, who was born at Burgajet on 8 October 1895. Happily, it also marked the sixtieth birthday of my mother, Sally, who helped me cover the nuptials for the European Royal History Journal. Our report of the Albanian royal wedding appeared in Issue CVI, Volume 19.3 (Fall 2016).
For more photographs of the wedding that were taken by my mother and me, please visit this link: Scenes from the Royal Wedding