THEIR ROYAL HIGHNESSES ARRIVE IN AUSTRALIA

Melbourne, November 9, 2005 - Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Alexander II and Crown Princess Katherine arrived in Australia today for a 6-day visit upon invitation of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Australia and His Grace Milutin, Bishop of Australia and New Zeeland.

His Excellency Serbia and Montenegro’s Ambassador to Australia and New Zeeland Milivoje Glisic, Serbian clergy and a cheering crowd met Crown Prince and Crown Princess at the Melbourne’s airport with some Serb women trying to fight back tears while chanting ‘’Long live the Serbian King”.

“My wife and I came here looking for unity amongst our people. It is very important that our people here act as ambassadors to our country. It is very important to create a bridge between our country and Australia and to invite Australians to Serbia to invest,’’ Crown Prince Alexander II told a news conference upon arriving in Melbourne.

His Royal Highness also said that in our country ‘’we respect everybody, we are multi-ethnic and multi-religious. We do respect human rights”.

The guests at a charity dinner at the Serbian Orthodox St. Steven Church in Keysborough, Melbourne, included Mr. Richard Wynne, representing Steve Bracks, the Premier of Victoria, Councilor Maria Sampey, the Mayor of the City of Greater Dandengdon, and the representatives of the Monarchist League of Australia.

Bishop Milutin and Ambassador Glisic expressed their gratitude to Their Royal Highnesses for coming to Australia with a clear pledge for unity and solidarity.

Mr. Wynne praised the Serb community on the continent for adjusting to their new home while still respecting all their national and traditional values.

After watching a moving film about Crown Princess’ humanitarian work, showing poor conditions in Serbia’s hospitals, Mayor Sampey said she would like to help the establishment of an Australian office of Crown Princess’ humanitarian organization Lifeline.

‘’We must help our babies and children,” Princess told the guests.

Crown Prince Alexander expressed gratitude to Australia for being a good new home to many Serbs and called upon them to be good Australians as well.

On their first official trip to Australia, Their Royal Highnesses will also visit the Serbian Orthodox Church and community in Canberra and Sydney and meet with various representatives of the Australian government. Of particular significance is their personal endorsement and support of the establishment in Sydney of St. Sava College, the first Serbian Orthodox School to be founded in Australia. The school will be located in the south-west of Sydney where many thousand Serbian refugees from the former Yugoslavia have begun new lives.