Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha

He was six years old when his father Boris III of Bulgaria died in 1943. Royal power was exercised on his behalf by a regency council led by Simeon's uncle Kiril, Prince of Preslav, General Nikola Mihov and prime minister, Bogdan Filov. In 1946 the monarchy was abolished by referendum, and Simeon was forced into exile.

Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha
Симеон Сакскобургготски
Simeon in 2015
48th Prime Minister of Bulgaria
In office 24 July 2001 – 17 August 2005
President	Petar Stoyanov Georgi Parvanov
Deputy	Nikolay Vasilev Lydia Shuleva (2001–2005) Kostadin Paskalev (2001–2002) Plamen Panayotov (2003–2005)
Preceded by	Ivan Kostov
Succeeded by	Sergey Stanishev
Personal details
Born	(1937-06-16) 16 June 1937 (age 86) Vrana Palace, Sofia, Kingdom of Bulgaria
Political party	Independent (2009–present)
Other political affiliations	National Movement for Stability and Progress (2001–2009)
Spouse	Margarita Gómez-Acebo y Cejuela ​ ​ (m. 1962)​
Children	Kardam, Prince of Tarnovo Kyril, Prince of Preslav Kubrat, Prince of Panagyurishte Konstantin-Assen, Prince of Vidin Princess Kalina, Countess of Murany
Parent(s)	Boris III of Bulgaria Giovanna of Italy
Alma mater	Valley Forge Military Academy and College
Tsar of Bulgaria
Reign	28 August 1943 – 15 September 1946 Regents' council
Predecessor	Boris III
Successor	Monarchy abolished Vasil Kolarov (as Acting President)
Regent	See list 28 August 1943 – 9 September 1944: Prince Kiril Bogdan Filov Nikola Mikhov 9 Sep 1944 – 15 September 1946: Todor Pavlov Venelin Ganev Tsvetko Boboshevski
Premiers	See list Bogdan Filov Petur Gabrovski (Acting) Dobri Bozhilov Ivan Ivanov Bagryanov Konstantin Muraviev Kimon Georgiev
House	Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Koháry
Religion	Eastern Orthodox
Signature

He returned to his home country in 1996, formed the political party National Movement for Stability and Progress (NMSP) and was elected Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria from July 2001 until August 2005. In the next elections, as a leader of NMSP, he took part in a coalition government with the Bulgarian Socialist Party. In 2009, after NMSP failed to win any seats in Parliament, he left politics.

He is, along with the 14th Dalai Lama, one of only two living people who were heads of state from the time of World War II, although both held mostly symbolic roles in their government's position.

 

 

Simeon was born to Boris III of Bulgaria and Giovanna of Italy. Following his birth, Boris III sent an air force officer to the Jordan River to obtain water for Simeon's baptism in the Orthodox faith. He was pointed to accede to the throne on 28 August 1943 upon the death of his father, who had just returned to Bulgaria from a meeting with Adolf Hitler. Since Simeon was only six years old, his uncle Prince Kiril, Prime Minister Bogdan Filov, and Lt. General Nikola Mihov of the Bulgarian Army were appointed regents.

Under his father, Bulgaria joined the Axis powers in World War II but managed to preserve diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union. Still, on 5 September 1944 Stalin declared war on Bulgaria and three days later, the Red Army entered the country without encountering resistance. On the next day, 9 September 1944, Prince Kyril and the other regents were deposed by a Soviet-backed coup and arrested. The three regents, all members of the last three governments, Parliament deputies, heads of the army and eminent journalists were executed by the Communists in February 1947.

The royal family — Queen Giovanna, Simeon, and his sister Maria-Louisa — remained at Vrana Palace, near Sofia, while three new regents were appointed, all Communists (Todor Pavlov, Venelin Ganev and Tsvetko Boboshevski). On 15 September 1946, a referendum was held in the presence of the Soviet army. It proposed abolishing the monarchy and declaring a republic. Official figures showed a 95.6% approval for ending 68 years of monarchy. This referendum actually violated the Tarnovo Constitution, which held that any change in the form of the state could only be implemented by a Grand National Assembly convened by the tsar.

On 16 September 1946, the royal family was exiled from Bulgaria while given a way to take out large amount of movable property. They first went to Alexandria, Egypt, where Queen Giovanna's father, Victor Emmanuel III, the former king of Italy, lived in exile. There, in 1951, Simeon studied at Victoria College (along with Crown Prince Leka of Albania). In July 1951, General Francisco Franco's dictatorship in Spain granted asylum to the family.

In Madrid, Simeon studied at the Lycée Français. On 16 June 1955, upon turning 18, in accordance with the Tarnovo Constitution, Simeon read a proclamation to the Bulgarian people, claiming that he was Tsar of Bulgaria and confirming his will to be Tsar of all Bulgarians and to follow the principles contrary to those of the communist regime then ruling Bulgaria. In 1958, he enrolled at Valley Forge Military Academy and College in the United States, where he was known as "Cadet Rylski No. 6883", and he graduated as a second lieutenant. Once again in Spain (between 1959 and 1962), Simeon studied law and business administration.

He then became a businessman. For thirteen years, he was chairman of the Spanish subsidiary of Thomson, a French defense and electronics group. He was also an adviser in the banking, hotel, electronics, and catering sectors.

On 21 January 1962, Simeon married a Spanish aristocrat, Doña Margarita Gómez-Acebo y Cejuela. The couple have had five children – four sons (Kardam, Kiril, Kubrat and Konstantin) and a daughter, Kalina, all of whom subsequently married Spaniards. All of his sons received names of Bulgarian Tsars, his daughter has a Bulgarian name, although only four of his eleven grandchildren have Bulgarian names (Boris, Sofia, Mirko and Simeon).

• Kardam (1962–2015) married Miriam Ungría y López. They had two sons, Boris and Beltran.
• Kiril (born 1964) married María del Rosario Nadal y Fuster de Puigdórfila. They have three children: Mafalda, Olimpia and Tassilo.
• Kubrat (born 1965) married Carla María de la Soledad Royo-Villanova y Urrestarazu. They have three sons: Mirko, Lukás and Tirso.
• Konstantin-Assen (born 1967) married María García de la Rasilla y Gortázar. They have twins, Umberto and Sofia.
• Kalina (born 1972) married Antonio José "Kitín" Muñoz y Valcárcel. They have a son, Simeon Hassan Muñoz.

In 1990, just months after the fall of communism, Simeon was issued a new Bulgarian passport. In 1996, fifty years after the abolition of the monarchy, Simeon returned to Bulgaria and was met in many places by crowds of approval. He did not, at that point, make any political announcements or moves, as he had already denied in a TV interview (1990) to have any material property claims against Bulgaria. However, these social sentiments gradually disappeared after his premiership, with Simeon making moves to take back large areas or real estate property in Bulgaria that was under the monarchy's governance before 1945.

In 2001, Simeon, who had by this time taken the name Simeon Borisov Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, announced he would return to Bulgaria to form a new political party, the National Movement Simeon II (later renamed to NMSP), dedicated to "reforms and political integrity." Simeon promised that in 800 days the Bulgarian people would feel tangible positive effects of his government and would enjoy significantly higher standards of living.

Prime Minister

NMSP won a large victory in the parliamentary elections held on 17 June 2001, capturing 120 of the 240 seats in Parliament and defeating the two main pre-existing political parties. Simeon gave an oath as Prime Minister of Bulgaria on 24 July, forming a coalition with the ethnic Turkish party, Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF). He gave ministerial positions in his government mainly to technocrats and Western-educated economic specialists.

During his time in power, Bulgaria joined NATO, after he had agreed to enter into the U.S.-led coalition against Iraq. In 2002, he received the Path to Peace Award from the Path to Peace Foundation.

In the 2005 elections, Simeon's party ranked second and participated in the grand coalition government led by the Bulgarian Socialist Party and including the Movement for Rights and Freedoms. Simeon was given the unofficial ceremonial post of Chairman of the Coalition Council.

The party got just 3.01% of votes and no seats at the parliamentary elections of 2009. Shortly after, on 6 July, Simeon also resigned as NMSP leader.

Although not yet formally renouncing his claim to the Bulgarian throne, Simeon and his family take part in long orchestrated media campaigns and moves throughout Bulgarian political space. He used the title "Tsar of the Bulgarians" in his political statements during his exile. Since his return to Bulgaria, however, Simeon has consistently avoided revealing his views on the restoration of the Bulgarian monarchy, notwithstanding the original name of his party.

Simeon wrote an autobiography in French under the title Simeon II de Bulgarie, un destin singulier that was released in Bulgaria on 28 October 2014. It was first presented at the headquarters of the UNESCO in Paris on 22 October 2014.

 

• 16 June 1937 – 15 September 1946: His Royal Highness The Prince of Turnovo
• 15 September 1946 – present: His Majesty Tsar Simeon II of the Bulgarians (title of pretense and by courtesy)
• 24 July 2001 – present: Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha

In a statement published on its website on 1 May 2015, the Bulgarian Patriarchate announced that Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha will be referred to as Tsar of Bulgaria in all public and private services held in the dioceses of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.

Dynastic honours

•   House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha-Koháry: Knight and Grand Master of the Order of Saints Cyril and Methodius
•   House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha-Koháry: Grand Master of the Royal Order of Saint Alexander
•   House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha-Koháry: Grand Master of the Royal Order of Bravery
•   House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha-Koháry: Grand Master of the Royal Order of Civil Merit
•   House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha-Koháry: Grand Master of the Royal Order of Military Merit
•   House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha-Koháry: Recipient of the Coming of age Medal of Tsar Simeon II

National state honours

•   Bulgaria: Grand Cross of the Order of Stara Planina
•   Bulgarian Ministry of Defence: Collar of the Order of Justice

Foreign state and dynastic honours

•   Belgium: Grand Cross of the Order of Leopold II
•   France: Grand Cross of the Order of the Legion of Honour
  •   Orléans-French royal family: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Lazarus
•   Greek royal family: Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Order of the Redeemer
•   Italian royal family: Knight of the Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation
•   Vatican: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre
•   Sovereign Military Order of Malta: Bailiff Knight Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta
•   Two Sicilian royal family:
  • Knight of the Royal Order of Saint Januarius
  • Bailiff Knight Grand Cross of the Two Sicilian Royal Sacred Military Order of Saint George
•   Jordan: Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Renaissance
•   Jordan: Grand Cordon of the Order of Independence
•   Palestine: Grand Collar of the Order of Palestine
•   Portuguese royal family: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa
•   Russian imperial family: Knight of the Imperial Order of Saint Andrew
•   Spain:
  • Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III
  • Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece

National awards

•   Bulgaria: Honorary degree of the National Guards Unit of Bulgaria
•   Bulgaria: Jubilee badge of honour of the Bulgarian Chitalishte community

Foreign awards

•   European Union: Paneuropean Union integration award
•   Romania: Honorary degree of the University of Bucharest
•   Spain: Adoptive Son of Madrid

Arms

Arms of the Sovereign of Bulgaria (1943–1946)

Personal arms of Simeon

Patronages

National patronages

•   Bulgaria: Patron of the National day of Bulgaria

• The Boy Who Was a King, a 2011 Bulgarian documentary by Andrey Paounov.
• House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha