Royal couple announce plans to divorce after 7 years of marriage in official statement
Royal Albanian couple divorce after 7 years.
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Crown Prince Leka II and Crown Princess Elia of Albania have announced plans to divorce after seven years of marriage.
In a statement posted on Prince Leka’s official Instagram on Monday, it stressed that the couple’s daughter would be their main priority.
Translated from Albanian, the statement read: "Hello friends and well-wishers, through this post, I officially inform you that LTM Prince Leka and Elia Zaharia have agreed to end their marriage.
"Since the marriage has lost its function, they have seen the way to resolve it by mutual consent by starting the necessary legal procedures.”
The prince and princess married in October 2016.
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Leka, the head of the Albanian Royal Family, married actress and and singer, Elia in Tirana in October 2016.
The statement added: "Despite the trust in the institution of the family, LTM Prince Leka II believes that the values of mutual respect and understanding will form the basis of the relationship in its continuity, which will have as its motive the growth and education of LSM Princess Geraldine!!!
"The spiritual and physical well-being of the girl, LSM Princess Geraldine, will remain at the centre of their attention, dedicated to ensuring a happy and safe life for Geraldine."
Crown Princess Elia also shared the statement on social media with added thanks to her followers, but the post has since been deleted.
Prince Leka II and Princess Elia with Farah Pahlavi, Queen Sofia of Spain and Princess Lalla Meryem of Morocco.
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In the deleted post, the princess said: "Friends and well wishers, I need to inform you that today we started the legal procedures for the settlement of marriage, as we jointly decided to seek a divorce.
"This is not at all a reality that makes me happy, as I believe in family values as the most precious thing!
"I would never have chosen for my daughter to grow up with separate parents, but sometimes separation is the only option.
"What matters most, is that my baby girl experiences this moment as easily as possible. Thank you very much to all of you who wrote to me and gave me courage!"
The royal couple have one three-year-old daughter.
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Princess Elia was an actress and singer in Albania.
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Four years after their marriage, the royal couple welcomed their first child, Geraldine, who was named after the prince’s late grandmother, Queen Geraldine.
Prince Leka II is the grandson of former King Zog I, who was exiled to Italy with his family in April 1939 when Mussolini invaded Albania.
After King Leka I died in 2011, Crown Prince Leka II became the heir to the Albanian Crown.
The prince and princess are “custodians of the Monarchy’s legacy” and maintain a balanced position in Albanian politics as a “symbol of Albanian unity.”