Hundreds attend Albanian crown prince Leka's funeral

Several hundred people attended the funeral Saturday of the pretender to the Albanian throne, crown prince Leka Zogu, after tributes from the republic's top leadership. Leka, the son of self-proclaimed king Zog I, died Wednesday in a Tirana hospital aged 72, after being admitted with heart and lung trouble. Albania declared a day of mourning for Saturday, the day of the funeral, which would have all the "royal attributes", Prime Minister Sali Berisha said. Berisha, head of state Bamir Topi, representatives of political parties and religious communities, as well as the president of neighbouring ethnic Albanian Kosovo, Hatife Jahjaga, were among those attending the funeral. Flags flew at half-mast and state media broadcast solemn music. Tirana mayor Lulezim Basha said in a eulogy that "the whole Albanian royal family has made a great contribution to Albania and Kosovo and merits the honour and respect of Albanians". Leka was only a few days old when his father Zog was forced to leave after Italy invaded Albania in 1939. He returned for the first time in 1993 after the fall of communism but was not allowed to stay by the authorities. He finally came back with his family to settle in Albania in 2002 after 63 years in exile. Born in Tirana on April 5, 1939, Leka had been pretender to the Albanian throne since the death of his father in exile in France in 1961. He was crowned king Leka I by the Albanian community in exile at the Bristol hotel in Paris on April 15, 1961. He visited Albania for a second time in June 1997 when authorities organised a referendum to decide the future form of government for Albania. After the vote, where the monarchy option did not officially win a majority, Leka called a rally to pressure the electoral committee accused of falsifying the results. He appeared at the rally in military uniform, wielding a pair of guns and two hand grenades. The protest turned violent and two people were killed. He again left the country only returning definitively in 2002 after striking a deal with parliament. Leka is survived by his son, also named Leka, who works as a counsellor at the Albanian foreign ministry. He was to be buried in a public cemetery alongside his mother, Hungarian countess Geraldine Apponyi, who died in 2002, and his wife Cullen-Ward, who died two years later.