Albania hasn’t had a monarchy in many years but it has welcomed a royal baby!
The Albanian Royal Family announced the birth of Her Royal Highness Princess Geraldine on 22 October 2020. The Princess is the first child of the Head of the House, Crown Prince Leka of Albanians, and his wife Crown Princess Elia of the Albanians. She was born at 9.30 in the morning at the Queen Geraldine Maternity Hospital in Tirana, Albania. Mother and child are both doing well.
Princess Geraldine was named for her great-grandmother Queen Geraldine (born Countess Géraldine Margit Virginia Olga Mária Apponyi de Nagy Appony) who coincidentally died on 22 October 2002.
Embed from Getty ImagesCrown Prince Leka married Elia Zaharia on 8 October 2016 with many royal attendees such as Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, Queen Sofia of Spain, Prince Guillaume and Princess Sibilla of Luxembourg and Princess Léa of Belgium. The civil wedding officiated by the Mayor of Tirana, Erion Veliaj. The following religious blessing was given by the five religious leaders of Albania representing the faiths of Sunni Islam, Bektashi, and the Christian denominations of Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant.
Even if Albania still had a monarchy, young Geraldine would not be in the line of succession as women are barred from inheriting the throne. Crown Prince Leka is the only living descendant of King Zog I and his heir presumptive is Skënder Zogu, his first-cousin once removed.
