Leka, Crown Prince of Albania
The towering, exiled king who never was, spending a lifetime claiming a throne that had vanished before he could rule.
1939–2011 (age 72)·Crown Prince of Albania from 1961 to 2011·Birthday: April 5·The Silent Generation
Biography
Leka Zogu's life was a long, strange echo of a monarchy that lasted barely a decade. Born Crown Prince of Albania just days before Mussolini's invasion forced his family into exile, he grew up in a surreal world of titles without territory. After his father, King Zog, died in 1961, the 22-year-old Leka assumed the mantle of pretender, a role he filled with imposing physical presence—standing nearly six feet ten inches tall. He lived a peripatetic life, from England to Rhodesia to Spain, often surrounded by intrigue and controversy, including an alleged coup attempt and a bizarre, self-declared 'royal wedding' in a Johannesburg hotel. He finally returned to a post-communist Albania in the 1990s, where a referendum confirmed the republic, closing the book on his royal claim, though he remained a symbolic figure for some until his death.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Leka, was born in 1939, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Leka, Was Born
The biggest hits of 1939
#1 Movie
Gone with the Wind
Best Picture
Gone with the Wind
Leka,'s Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1939Born
World War II begins; The Wizard of Oz premieres
Gas: $0.19/galMin wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Over the Rainbow" — Judy GarlandBest Picture: Gone with the Wind
1944Started school
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
1952Became a teenager
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1955Could drive
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1957Could vote
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1960Turned 21
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1969Turned 30
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1979Turned 40
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1989Turned 50
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 60
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 70
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2011Died at 72
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
Key Achievements
- Formally proclaimed himself King of the Albanians upon his father's death in 1961, maintaining the royal claim in exile.
- Established a government-in-exile and a royal guard, engaging in political activism against the communist regime in Albania.
- Successfully returned to Albania in 1993 after the fall of communism, though he lived there only intermittently.
- Served as an advisor on foreign affairs to the president of Albania from 2002 until his death.
Did You Know?
He was exceptionally tall, reportedly standing 2.03 meters (6 ft 8 in) or more.
He was born in the Royal Palace of Tirana and spent his first two days of life in a bread oven for protection during an aerial attack.
He worked as a commodities broker and a military instructor during his exile.
In 1975, he married Susan Cullen-Ward in a ceremony at the Biarritz Hotel in Johannesburg; it was not recognized by the South African government.
“My duty is to the Albanian people and their right to self-determination.”
