Sofia magazine, number 76, June 2007

THIS IS NOT A CINDERELLA STORY (PDF>>>)

The Karadjordjevic Dynasty is two centuries old. Serbia became a Monarchy in 1811, when Djordje Petrovic Karadjordje was proclaimed hereditary ruler. In November 1945 Monarchy was abolished illegally, without a referendum, and Yugoslavia was transformed into a Communist country. Their Majesties King Peter II and Queen Alexandra and their son Crown Prince Alexander were left without their citizenships and were banned from returning to the country. HM King Peter II had never abdicated. The Royal Family – Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine have returned to Serbia, and since July 2001, the Karadjordjevics have been living at the White Palace once again.

Serbian Princess Katherine is a born Athenian. She is educated, energetic, and quick. For a member of a Royal Family, she is unusually direct and open in communication with people. She likes ordinary things – theatre, music, cooking... She has lived in Australia, Africa, and America, but from all the places on Earth she chose Serbia. Or, Serbia chose her. That is why, with complete dedication, she absolutely and honestly believes that everybody's life has a certain purpose, and hers is to help the Serbian people.

Is being a Princess more of an obligation, or a privilege?

Being a Princess is a privilege. And a big one it is! When somebody says thank you to me, I feel like I should be the one saying thank you to that person, because he or she has given me a chance to help. I like to see people laughing and having hope. To know that you have a possibility to change the people’s lives for the better makes you feel different, special, nice.

When you met your husband, did you know that he was the Crown Prince of Serbia?

When I met Alexander, we did not talk about nobility and the Palace. Of course, he introduced himself, but that meant nothing to me. Even before our marriage, I did not think that a title makes the man. A good heart in the person has always been the only thing important to me. That is why my opinion today is that Monarchy is not a coronation of the head, but of the heart. Monarchy has a meaning only if it shows how to be more humane to people, how to make their lives easier and better, with unity and love. This is not a Cinderella story, it is fate. It was God’s will for us to be together and work for the benefit of the people.

Did you ever, before all this, even think that you would be where you are today?

Nobody knows for sure what his or her fate is, but each one of us must be always ready for it. It should be recognised, accepted, followed. Above all, I am grateful to my parents who had taught me that the biggest joy in life is – giving. Sometimes my husband tells me that I should pause, take a break… go to sleep, when everyone else around us is no longer awake, but I can't. I always think that, maybe, someone is around, for whom I can do something.

You have two homelands – Greece and Serbia?

For me, that is one. There are many more things bringing us together, than tearing us apart. When I say – Serbs to the Greek people, they ask me not to call them that, but to call them brothers and sisters. They are very proud of me. In any case, my husband's mother was also Greek. He followed his father's example and married me, and she was very happy about it, and so were my parents.

How do you feel in Serbia today?

I've always felt close to our people, especially when they needed help. When we were living abroad, my husband had a habit of saying that we were refugees in the physical sense, but not in the spiritual sense, that we always have to have close contact with our people, to be with them when they are facing tough times, and to help them when they need help the most. That is what we are also doing today.

The Palace as a place for living?

My husband thinks that the Palace is a monument dedicated to tradition, and that is how it should stay. It is a legacy to which we have a responsibility: to protect it and preserve it. It is open to the public and we often meet people who are very touched to see that my husband has finally come back home.

All your children?

We have five children, I like to say I have five children. My eldest son, David, is 43 years old, he finished banking and is very successful at what he does. Recently, he got married for the second time to a Greek doctor, and I hope I will be a grandmother again soon. Alison is my younger daughter, she is 41. She has followed my example and married at the age of 19, and had her first baby at 20. Three out of four of her children are now attending Universities. The eldest, Amanda, was here in mid May with us, and had celebrated her 21^st birthday. Stephanie will be 20 in July and is finishing her second year at the University. Nicholas is younger and is just starting his studies, while the youngest, Michael, lives with my daughter in Athens. 

Life choices of the young Princes?

Alexander and Philip, the twins, were only 18 months old when they came into my life, while Peter was three and a half years old. I raised them all these years. I love them very much and I care about them. They are now 25, Filip is working in London and Alexander is studying in California. The eldest, Hereditary Prince Peter is into graphic design and lives and works between England and Spain. I am proud of them.

Are  the Princes being prepared for their future obligations?

The most important thing that we have given them is a chance to feel our care during growing-up, and to see how our lives were dedicated to helping people. Of course, they are completely aware of their origin and of their obligations. At the moment, they are not here physically, but are mentally. Everyone expects their father to become King first, and this should have happened by now.

Everyone in life has a mission. Your mission ?

My humanitarian work did not start in 2001 when we moved to the Royal Palace at Dedinje. I've been helping people all my life, and marrying the Crown Prince of Serbia had just given it a different tone. Since then, I have the honour to help people, officially. When you are giving, it is hard to talk about it, you are doing it because you feel that it should be done that way. We have managed to collect and distribute significant amounts of humanitarian aid across the former Yugoslavia, when we were not even here. Our Federal Ministry of Health had named me as the Coordinator of Humanitarian Assistance when we came here. I have also founded the Lifeline humanitarian organization, which works under the title - Foundation of HRH Princess Katherine.

How are your humanitarian projects achieved  within the Foundation?

Every hospital in Serbia has gotten at least one piece of the needed medical equipment, we donated a certain number of ambulances and the needed medical aid. Apart from the medical equipment and medicines, the Foundation organized  visits of medical experts from all over the world. Besides, the Foundation tries to secure enough food and warm clothes for refugees and materially challenged people in the country. Even though the people of our Diaspora are far away, they are compassionate and want to help. They were glad to have heard about my Foundation in the country, and also that the Lifeline humanitarian organization has branch offices in Toronto, New York, Chicago, London, and Athens. Apart from being with me and helping with my activities in the Foundation, my husband also cares about the young people through the Career Centres. Those Centres are computerised and through them, students and graduates can establish contacts between themselves, on one side, and with the employers, on the other. Also, scholarships are enabled for graduate studies abroad. Our young people are very smart and talented, and have great potential.

You are often accompanied by children, you visit them and they visit you. Your Fund is mostly dedicated to them...

The children, our own as well as all the other, are our future. The most important thing is for them to be born healthy and to grow up happily. The new Ultrasound Centre of the Clinical Centre, the only one of its kind in the Balkans, established in cooperation with the Thomas Jefferson Institute from Philadelphia, and the renovated and completely equipped Intensive Care Unit of the Children’s Clinic at Tirsova Street, make this possible. Apart from the equipment and doctors, it is equally important to me to bring children’s theatres to the hospitals, for the children who are waiting for difficult, specialized operations, so that we can bring the smiles back on their faces.

Mothers give birth to children...

Correct, women, in essence, give life. That is why it is important for them to be healthy and give birth to healthy children. The visit of Professor David Khayat, one of the most eminent oncologists in the world, to the Institute for Oncology in Sremska Kamenica, and to the Institute for Pneumonic Diseases of the Clinical Centre of Serbia, and to the Institute for Oncology and Radiology of Serbia, is a step forward to an upcoming period of donations of equipment to the clinics that are lacking the equipment, and also towards securing a certain number of scholarships for the specialisation of young doctors from Serbia, their advancement and research work in France. Together with an extraordinary lady, Denise Hale, a renovated unit at the Saint Sava hospital has been opened. With the help of Dr. Richard Hirsh, and on the occasion of the International Women’s Health Day, 28 May, the Health Centre Bezanijska Kosa in Belgrade has been provided with a mammography, apparatus, which detects breast cancer in women.

Recently, a huge humanitarian event took place in Paris, to help the prematurely born babies in Serbia?

It was held on 4 June in Paris, at the Residence of the Ambassador of Serbia to France, a beautiful building that was bought during the time of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, alongside the Aiffel Tower. All babies need special care until they get stronger, and prematurely born babies need that care in order to survive. The event was dedicated to them and to raising funds to improve the services for emergency premature deliveries. Each table for guests had the value of one incubator. I am happy that the invitation was accepted by Mrs. Chirac and the entire European aristocracy, and special joy was given to me by Maria Serifovic (Eurosong winner), who has a big heart and who sang at that charity ball. All together, we will enable prematurely born children to grow up and become strong and healthy people. That is why I never give up, and I have no regrets.