In October 2025, Crown Prince Leka of Albania announced his royal engagement to Blerta Celibashi, just 18 months after his divorce from his first wife, Crown Princess Elia, was finalised in 2024.
However, even the most fervent royalists among us might not be familiar with the Albanian Royal Family, aka the House of Zogu.
Let’s break down who’s who.
Who are the House of Zogu: The Albanian Royal Family?
Tucked into the turbulent history of the Balkans is an often-overlooked royal saga: the House of Zogu, the Albanian royals. Their story is less one of ancient crowns and grand courts than exile, symbolism, and the occasional flicker of restoration. But even as the monarchy has long been abolished in Albania, the royals still inspire intrigue.
Albania is today a parliamentary republic, with a President as head of state. The monarchy was officially abolished in 1946, following decades of upheaval and shifts in governance.
Yet those decades since have not erased the royal legacy; instead, they’ve transformed it into a largely symbolic institution anchored in identity, lineage, and public presence.
Royal engagement in Europe! Credit: Albanian Royal Family
The rise (and fall) of the House of Zogu
The House of Zogu (originally Zogolli under Ottoman influence) traces its political ascendancy to northern Albania, particularly the Mati region. The family accrued local power and influence over the 19th and early 20th centuries, navigating the complex transition from Ottoman rule to Balkan state-building.
In 1928, Ahmet “Zogu” Zogolli, then President of Albania, pronounced the country a kingdom and declared himself King Zog I, the first (and ultimately only) monarch of the modern Albanian state. His position was precarious from the start: he sought to balance modernisation and tradition, European diplomacy and Balkan pressures.
His reign was cut short in 1939 when Italy, under Mussolini, invaded, and Zog was forced into exile. He died in exile in 1961 in France.
A monarchy in exile
After Zog’s death, his son Leka I succeeded as head of the royal house (in pretence). He never regained the throne, but his role became that of a symbolic claimant—maintaining the royal identity abroad, lobbying for restoration, and preserving the legacy.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the idea of returning the royal family to Albania gained traction. In 1997, a brief moment of instability allowed Leka I to return, though he departed again soon after. Eventually, in 2002, a formal agreement in the parliament allowed the family’s return without necessarily restoring royal prerogatives.
Since then, members of the royal family have lived in Albania, carried out charitable work, and sometimes played advisory roles in cultural and diplomatic arenas—though always as private, symbolic figures, not constitutional rulers.
HRH Princess Geraldine of the Albanians. Credit: Albanian Royal Court
The modern royal figures
Crown Prince Leka II
Born in 1982 in Johannesburg, South Africa, Leka Anwar Zog Reza Baudouin Msiziwe Zogu became head of the House of Zogu following his father’s death in 2011. He is the only living male descendant of King Zog I.
Leka has been active in Albanian public life, serving within the economy, interior, and foreign ministries, and advising the President in past administrations. He married Elia Zaharia, an Albanian actress, in 2016 in a high-profile ceremony that drew royals from across Europe. Their daughter, Princess Geraldine, was born in 2020, making her the first royal child born in Albania in many decades.
In January 2024, Leka and Elia announced their mutual decision to divorce after eight years of marriage.
Royal engagement news
In a fresh twist, on October 12, 2025, the Royal Court announced that Crown Prince Leka II is engaged to Blerta Celibashi, his longtime partner. The engagement reportedly took place on October 11, 2025, in Ksamil, Southern Albania, attended by family and close friends.
In social media posts and official statements, the announcement included images featuring Princess Geraldine alongside the couple.
This development marks Leka’s second serious public relationship since the divorce.
Line of succession
Because Leka II has no sons, the line of succession is not straightforwardly linear. The heir presumptive is currently Skënder Zogu, Leka’s first cousin once removed.
Author
The Australian Women’s Weekly
Sign up for our newsletter
Want 15% off at ADORE BEAUTY? Sign-up to the latest news from Australian Women’s Weekly
Disclaimer: By joining, you agree to our Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
About your privacy Are Media Pty Limited collects your personal information through this site to process registrations, send out newsletters, communicate offers, discounts, competitions, or surveys, and to provide you with targeted advertising based on your online activities. Our Privacy Policy contains information on how you can access or correct your personal information, which entities we may disclose your personal information to (including overseas recipients), how to opt out of targeted advertising, and how to lodge a complaint.