ROYAL FAMILY AT CEREMONIAL COMMEMORATION IN HONOUR OF THE LATE PRIME MINISTER SLOBODAN JOVANOVIC

Belgrade, 11 December 2008 – Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Alexander II and Crown Princes Katherine accompanied by Their Royal Highnesses Prince Vladimir and Princess Brigitta attended this evening a ceremonial academy held at Kolarceva Endowment on the occasion of 50th anniversary of death of the late Prime Minister of Yugoslavia Slobodan Jovanovic.

Commemoration speeches were delivered by His Eminence Metropolitan Amfilohije, HRH Crown Prince Alexander II, Mr. Matija Beckovic and Prof. Dr. Branko Kovacevic, Rector of the Belgrade University.

In his speech the Crown Prince pointed out: “It is my great pleasure to speak on this occasion dedicated to the memory of Slobodan Jovanovic who is a unique person in our history, science and culture. He was a complete man, a complete scientist with a great mind. By becoming the Prime Minister in the Government of my father, King Peter II, he was punished with lifelong exile and a burial place outside his homeland”.

Slobodan Jovanović was one of Serbia's most prolific jurists, historians, sociologists and journalists. He distinguished himself with the characteristically clear and sharp writing style later called the "Belgrade style".

Slobodan Jovanović was liberal in his social and political views, he was perhaps Yugoslavia’s greatest authority on constitutional law; also a master of Serbian prose style, he was for nearly half a century a leader of the Serbian intelligentsia. He graduated in law in Geneva in 1890. In 1905, he became a Professor of the University of Belgrade's Law School. He kept this position until 1941.