Exile suited Karadjordjevic, whose father, King Peter II, fled the country after the Nazis invaded in 1941. A British soldier turned businessman (and godson of Britain's Queen Elizabeth), the would-be monarch hopscotched the globe before returning to his Belgrade palace in 2001 and lobbying for the crown. Despite his kingly aspirations, Alexander's role has been largely ceremonial, though he won attention by pressing for Serbia's acceptance into the European Union and decrying Kosovar independence.
Royal Factoid:When Alexander was born in Claridge's Hotel in London in 1945, Britain ceded the room to Yugoslavia for the day to ensure the infant's eligibility for the throne.
"There's no gold, there are no jewels, there's no money. There are feelings and there's symbolism and there's history and there's hope."
— Karadjordjevic musing on his role
—Alex Altman