Memorie.al / The Belgian magazine “Le Patriote Illustré” published an interview with King Leka I in Switzerland on February 11, 1962, on pages No. 18-19. Aurenc Bebja, through the Blog “Dars (Klos), Mat – Albania,” has brought this exclusive interview to the Albanian public.
An Exclusive Interview. King in exile, Leka I of Albania, lived only 48 hours in his country.
G. GYGAX
“Respecting point by point the will of my Father and the declarations he made during his exile, I solemnly reaffirm that our endeavors will aim only at the liberation of Albania, and that the constitutional form of the State will be chosen when the Albanian people have the great joy of regaining their freedom, thus being able to express themselves freely and democratically…”.
This proclamation was signed by Crown Prince Leka, who became Leka I after the death of his father, King Zog, on May 15, 1961, in Paris. The death of King Zog closed the final page of an extraordinary adventurous novel, in the noblest sense of the word. A true chivalrous novel… Leka I is, in fact, the son of a republic’s president who became king by the desire of his people.
This fact in itself is rare and strange enough to be mentioned. In truth, Ahmet Bey Zogolli, who played an important role in the political fate of Turkey around the 1920s, was elected President of the Albanian Republic in 1925. He held this post until 1928, the date on which he was proclaimed King. Ten years later, Zog I married a very graceful Hungarian Countess, Geraldine Apponyi, who bore him a son in 1939, Prince Leka.
Two days after his birth, on April 8, 1939, Mussolini’s troops invaded little Albania. Overwhelmed by numbers, Zog was forced to take the road of exile. Queen Geraldine, transported on a stretcher, barely reached the Greek border. After several years in Egypt, the royal family settled in France, in Cannes, and, finally, in Paris.
Having become King of the Albanians in May 1961, Leka I had lived only two days in his homeland… A homeland to which he dedicates a true cult, without concealing, however, the great obstacles that separate him from the Throne of Tirana.
A Secret Country
For several months, Albania has occupied a primary place in the “concert” of nations. Its spectacular dispute with Moscow, its very close rapprochement with Beijing, has caused a stir. Led by Communists loyal to Stalinism, “harsh” in the full sense of the word, the country is very difficult to access, and Western journalists who have managed to cross its borders can be counted on the fingers of one hand.
Enver Hoxha, the strong man of the regime, is as far from Leka I as Chiang Kai-Shek (Tchang Kaï-Chek) is from Mao. The young sovereign knows this very well; he who said in the proclamation of May 1961: “I feel completely responsible for the burden that rests on my shoulders…”!
At the end of 1959, we had the opportunity to meet the Prince in Cannes, at his parents’ house. At that time, Leka was continuing his studies in Switzerland, a country he particularly likes, in Villars-sur-Ollon, to be precise. We met him again a few days ago in Lausanne, always just as calm, modest, and reserved.
He greeted us, smiling from his height of 2.08 meters (6 feet 10 inches), and declared that; “out of respect for Helvetic neutrality, he would not answer questions of a political nature.” Although this limitation narrows the scope of the interview, it seemed interesting to us to ask the new king about his education, studies, activities, and, of course, his loves…!
The People Will Decide…
Leka I: “I first studied in Alexandria, in Egypt, a country where my family lived for several years under the reign of King Farouk. After Villars-sur-Ollon, I spent two years at the Sandhurst Military Academy. Since then, I have been primarily interested in political science and history and have been following courses at the Sorbonne. But Albanian affairs occupy almost all my time, and more and more every day…!”
The Journalist: “What about Albanian issues?”
Leka I: “I am involved, together with my mother, in aid work for the countless Albanian refugees scattered throughout the world. You probably don’t know that the number of these refugees is almost equal to the population of my country, about 1.5 million inhabitants. Every day, new escapees cross the borders of Greece and Yugoslavia. Recently, 400 Albanians have achieved the extraordinary success of crossing abroad…!”
The Journalist: “Are you informed about the current situation in Albania?”
Leka I: “I have information.”
The Journalist: “With the death of your father, you automatically became king. Do your people know this?”
Leka I smiles and answers very diplomatically: “My ascent to the throne was made in accordance with the Albanian Royal Constitution. But it must be ratified by the Albanian people. When the situation allows me to return to my country, a plebiscite will be organized. The people will choose between Monarchy and Republic…”
The Journalist: “Who will organize this plebiscite?”
Leka I: “It doesn’t matter, in truth! It can be organized by the Albanian parliament or by the United Nations. What is important is that every citizen can express themselves freely, without any kind of coercion. For the moment, I am doing everything I can in favor of my country…!”
The Journalist: “Let’s change the subject, Your Majesty. Are you engaged?”
Leka I: “No, I am not. Public rumors often engage me to this or that princess. Recently, some newspapers have spoken of my ‘engagement’ to Princess Ferial, the daughter of King Farouk of Egypt…!”
The Journalist: “And what can you say about this?”
Leka I: “I haven’t seen Princess Ferial since the age of six!”
For the moment, Leka I, 23 years old, does not seem to think much about marriage. He divides his time between his studies – he speaks six languages fluently and admirably knows the history of the Balkan countries – and his activity at the head of an Albania in exile, waiting for the evolution of the general situation to allow him to approach a country about which he is fully informed thanks to his activities, studies, and connections, despite the fact that he only lived there for 48 hours./ Memorie.al
Source: Le Patriote Illustré, February 11, 1962, pages No. 18-19
