Prince Leka of Albania
Divorce! Now his wife is speaking out
Prince Leka and Princess Elia with their daughter Geraldine at their last public appearance in February 2022.
© abaca / DNPhotography/ ABACA / Picture Alliance
Rumors of crisis surrounding the marriage of Prince Leka and Princess Elia have been circulating for a few weeks now. Now the Albanian royal announces the divorce. His estranged wife would have preferred not to “decide on it.”
Prince Leka, 41, and Princess Elia, 40, regularly share current recordings with their daughter Geraldine, 3, or from performances on behalf of the Zogu house on their social media accounts. But in the past few months this has decreased dramatically and they no longer attend public appointments together. Rumors of a marital crisis have been circulating since they didn’t pose together for the traditional Christmas card in 2023. The Prince of Albania now confirms this.
Prince Leka of Albania and Princess Elia are getting divorced
Because on his official X account, formerly Twitter, Prince Leka announces his divorce from his wife Princess Elia after eight years of marriage. “In this post, I officially inform you that LTM Prince Leka and Elia Zaharia have agreed that their marriage should be ended,” the statement said on Monday evening, January 15, 2024.
“Since the marriage has lost its function, they have found a way to resolve it by mutual consent by initiating the necessary legal procedures. Despite the belief in the family institution, Prince Leka thinks that the values of mutual respect and understanding are the “will form the basis for the relationship in its continuity,” can also be read there.
Said respect will also play an important role in the joint upbringing of daughter Geraldine: “Geraldine’s mental and physical well-being remains the focus of his attention, he is committed to a happy and safe life for Geraldine. Prince Leka will make no further explanations or make comments and would like to ask that his privacy be respected in this matter,” it finally says.
Leka’s estranged wife expresses herself in her own separation statement: “Difficult months”
That same evening, Prince Leka’s estranged wife, Princess Elia, also spoke up on social media. She published a specially written statement on Instagram and Facebook that began with the following words: “I have to inform you that today we have initiated legal action to dissolve the marriage.” The still-married couple would have “decided on this together”. The end of love would in no way “make Elijah happy,” “there [sie] I believe in family values as the most expensive asset.” Therefore, it is important to her to emphasize:
I wouldn’t have chosen for my daughter to grow up with separated parents, but sometimes separation is the only way out. The most important thing is that my child experiences this moment as easily as possible.
Finally, Elia writes: “I thank you all for writing to me and encouraging me. Despite these difficult months that I have spent, your kindness has given me strength. I wish you health and happiness in your families”.
Divorce after 15 years together
Prince Leka and Princess Elia met at a theater event in 2008. The engagement followed in Paris in 2010 and then in 2016 the big wedding in the palace of the former monarchy in Tirana, Albania. They became parents on October 22, 2020.
Sources used: instagram.com, twitter.com, facebook.com