On the occasion of the 18th birthday and coming of age of his eldest son, His Royal Highness Prince Peter, HRH Crown Prince Alexander has issued the following statement: 
 
It is with immense joy that I announce that my eldest son, His Royal Highness Prince Peter, will be 18 this coming Thursday, 5 February, and will thus come of age.  I call on all Serbs and other citizens in the country and the diaspora to share this joy with me and to pray to Our Lord to give Prince Peter good health and success in his studies and preparations for the duties that await him one day. 
 
As my son and a member of the Karadjordjevic Royal family, he will continue the family tradition of service to the people.  As a descendent of Karadjordje, Prince Peter is deeply conscious that his fate is in inseparably linked with the fate of our people.  I am convinced that his life and work will be to the good of the people, and that his ancestors will be proud of him. 
 
Happy 18th birthday!    Long life! (Mnogaja ljeta) 
 
ALEXANDER 
 
London, 3 February 1998