The Queen, The Western Balkans and Me
As Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth passes, a few notes from me.
Hello and welcome to this edition of our Blog, from Čardačani, in the north of Bosnia and Herzegovina, written by an immigrant (me), as I am neither a tourist or a citizen here.
As an Englishman at this time, I am feeling, to be honest, a little bit lost (and sad), now that Queen Elizabeth the Second has passed away. It is a huge loss for my country of birth, The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
”God Save the King!”
In this post I felt like highlighting Her late Majesty’s connection with the area I now call home.
The Backgrounder
The country of Serbia (a part of the former Yugoslavia and a country in its own right for many centuries before that), has had ties with the United Kingdom, through their Royal Families. There have been ups and downs in that relationship for sure, as in all relationships, but as they say, “Blood is Thicker than Water”.
If you are interested in the modern day history of this region there are a plethora of resources for reference.
Here’s a really, really slimmed down version.
After the liberation of the region from the Nazis and Croatian Fascists, by Josep Broz (Tito) and his partisans (with assistance from the western allies and the Soviet Union) in 1945, a new communist based, Yugoslavia was established.
The Serbian Royal family, was exiled to the United Kingdom in 1941.
The Queen Elizabeth Visits Yugoslavia (1972).
Queen Elizabeth visited Yugoslavia by invitation from Marshal Josip Broz “Tito”.
It was the first communist country she had visited.
It seems that both the Queen and “Tito” got on, and it also seems as if the Queen enjoyed her visit very much.
As can be expected in this time of re-writing history, there are various versions of events, as well as legends and myths, that now are taken, and sadly accepted, as facts.
The Anecdote
Tamara recently came across this anecdote posted on Instagram, from a Banja Luka based journalist, Aleksandar Trifunović, who is the Editor in Chief of Buka Magazine.
The story, according to professor Miodrag Todorović, which they say is true, says that when Queen Elizabeth confirmed her arrival in Yugoslavia in 1972 and decided to sleep with her delegation in the White Palace, near which there was a swamp, the head of state (Tito), concluded that she would surely be bothered by the multitude of croaking frogs nearby.
Engineers from the JNA (The Yugoslav Peoples Army) transferred the frogs by helicopter to a lake not far away.
When Queen Elizabeth came to the accommodation, she was delighted with the location, the forest, the swamp, but she said to Marshal Josip Broz, "It's very nice here, but I'm surprised that there are no frogs here." I grew up listening to choruses of frogs, and that sound relaxes me a lot".
The engineering team spent the entire next day carrying out an operation to return the frogs.
A film from that visit in 1972, sadly without audio, BUT does given a fascinating insight.
The Royal Connection Today
Although not Head of State, the Serbian Crown Prince has returned to Serbia.
He was born in London, and his God Parents were the late King George 6th and (and as she was then) Princess Elizabeth.
On the death of her late Majesty, the Crown Prince wrote this in his letter of condolence to King Charles III.
“It is with great sadness and grief that I have received the news about the death of my dear godmother, HM Queen Elizabeth II. I send my prayers joined by those of my wife Crown Princess Katherine and my family to Almighty God to give her everlasting peace in his Kingdom, and my deepest condolences to my dear cousins, His Majesty King Charles III, and all other members of the Royal family of the United Kingdom. I share their grief in this difficult moment.
I will always fondly remember her great spirit, wisdom, and courage. It is well known how important godmothers and godfathers are for us Serbs, that is a special, sacred bond, and that is why this is so difficult and hard for me. Her dedication to serving her country and the people was a bright example of the role of a monarch in today’s world. She will be deeply missed by her people and all the persons in the world who had the pleasure of knowing this amazing woman, a role model, and an inspiration.”
And Me ?
My connection with Her Majesty was that I first met her in 1952, shortly before I was born. My mother was pregnant with me, and had been invited to Buckingham Place to see my late father awarded the George Medal for bravery. My father was a police officer.
I then served for nearly 3 decades in her armed forces, firstly as a soldier, and later as an officer.
Whilst on operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina with the UK component of the NATO Stabilisation Force (SFOR) in 1999, I was awarded the Queens Commendation for Valuable Service (QCVS) .
In 2001, I was made a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE), Military Division, in the operational awards list, for services in the Former Yugoslavia.
Meeting Her Majesty was a life moment. I was, to be honest, shocked at how small she was. She was however, a warm and easy to be with person. A day I will never forget.
It was also poignant for me, in that she decorated my late father on her first investiture, and exactly 5 decades later saw me, in front of her.
She will be missed.
And Finally
A post that I hope you have enjoyed reading. I also hoped it at least provided some value.
Once the period of official mourning is over in the UK, normal service here from the blog, will resume.
I ask for your forbearance at this time.
As ever, if you want to read back editions of the newsletter, listen to previous podcasts (we have quite an archive now), or catch other content, all this is available on the web interface, just like a regular blog.
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Tamara and I appreciate your faithful readership, your comments, and your generosity!
My condolences for the loss of your Queen. A very interesting post and also enjoyed the information about you and your father! Next tell us how you met your wife and ended up in Bosnia!