Beli Dvor

There is no logic is Serbia my dear.

It could, maybe, be interesting to say that the prince's great-grandmother is Empress Victoria

It is matter of style. Personally, I always prefer royal institutions such as Royal Railways, Royal Post, Royal Yachting Squadron or Royal Air Force over communist railways, post office or air forces.

The prefix "royal" doesn't mean "better" by default.

It's probably because you were raised in a country of cowboys and Jerry Springer that you can not get the concept of a royal family.This was not with bad intention it's just a fact and we undertsand that.If you would be an English young woman you would understand it much better. Maybe it will be interesting and probably educational for you to know also that princes Jelisaveta Karadjordjević was playing a pilow fight with Prince Charles ( yes, that prince Charls ) and that his Mother is her Godmother.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Elizabeth_of_Yugoslavia
It is good to have a royal family to 'fil tabloids' cause it says something about the history of your country. You may notice that royal families all over the world doing prety much the same thing--fill tabloids, do humanitarian work, make fondations and wigwag to their people.Here you can look and learn more http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_George_of_Yugoslavia_(b._1984)
This royal family may not know the language, wich is understandible since they were leaving somewhere else but it doesn't proof anything , actually it doesn't proove that we should give up on them besauce our history made them run away from here.But they are the proof of another one and it's a royal history of this country and they are trying to do their best probably. In case you're not familiar as you are obviously not this Princes Katarina saved life to one little girl by pooling her own strainghts and bringing the doctor from Greece and asking some other friends to give a plane cause it was matter of hours to save little girls life.You can see more of their activities here ( andI don't think they're much more different then activities of other royal families)
http://ssla.oneworld.net/article/view/120281/1/
http://www.royalfamily.org/press/press-det/stampa-964.htm
http://www.lifelineaid.org/PRESS_YU/press95.htm
etc
So as you can see dear Lucy this country has history of royal families since year 1200 http://bs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stefan_Uro%C5%A1_IV_Du%C5%A1an.
This is also the country of very rich and different history, what those bulet hols proves (comunist history) but is also the country of birth and life of one Roman Emperor who brought Christianity to the world as a religion with Milan Edict in todays Milan Chatedral in Milano , Italy on year 313.
http://sr.wikipedia.org/sr-el/%D0%A6%D0%B0%D1%80_%D0%9A%D0%BE%D0%BD%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BD
http://www.nistourism.org.yu/english.php?fld=4&str=0

I'm sure you have friends who can tranaslate this for you from Serbian and I'm also sure that you can find much more only if you try. I am also very much sure that American people doesn't know anything about not serbian history but any history beside amarican cowboys and indians and north and south war and that is understandable as well.
But then again, who needs to learn something about someone history in order to better understand those people or country when you have CNN ???

sorry for grammar mistakes but I was in a hurry

History, it seems, has little currency for Americans. I guess this is understandable, though I am interested in the commentary regarding the bullet hole in the roof of the aforementioned church - the choice to preserve it reminds me an awful lot of what one would find outside the Cleveland Museum of Art...

Irrespective of all this, however, I have one other comment: if one has trouble writing in accordance with the conventions of correct syntax and grammar, perhaps one should stop attempting to write like William Faulkner and instead try to emulate Ernest Hemingway.

Not about royal family members. They are living now, and they will go - but royal legacy in Serbia will live as long as Serbia itself. Royal Serbia is an idea of our identity and way of life, the actual aristocracy are just the side effects, dear more or less but not crucial...You may like them on not, they are not the point. You did touch big peace of Serbia Lucy, of all of us. Thanks.

Lucy's description of "Beli Dvor" is very entertaining and I really enjoyed it. The place is not the world wonder for sure, however is the place of big importance, place connecting you with the real royal nature of Serbian people. Our most glorious part of history is connected for royal and royal-like times (Petar, Aleksandar, Tito...the same Serbian royal principle is to apply).
For the most prominent anti-Serbian PR-professionals is an option of Serbian monarchy restoration a real nightmare. Out of the corner there is easy to control. And the real friends of Serbia are encouraging this Serbian royal principle - it takes nothing away, but brings something in. Reading between Lucy's lines, I think she will be on our royal side soon.

English press often writes about your recent royal family Bush. HM Queen Elizabeth is just visiting them. It would be nice if Serbian royals would have greater role in local politics due to historical need for the authority. You might be aware of the similar Spanish case of democratic transition.

This is an interesting one.

I'm tempted turn on some good royalist music and scream bloody murder about Lucy's comments...but since I'm only a royalist in my dreams of a perfect king, ruling a perfect serbia, I'll sit down, take a shot of sljiva and let my logic take over.

The Karadjordjevic Family has every right to the houses and land that their ancestors fought for, as the heirs to that family.

Leaders, all leaders, end up in one of two scenarios:

1) Self interest leads them into positions of influence, and they try their best to maintain this influence by minimally helping the average serf, while wetting their beaks to the maximum.

2) They truly want to inspire, encourage and lead their people to a better future. These ones still make sure their dinner is served first. If they eat last, they suffer from a genetic disorder which ensures a young death. That same disorder ensures that they remain humble, honest, caring and good hearted to the end.

So....I say we drop the titles. Those that wish to make king's of aristocrats do so with good intentions. But I'd make anyone of those people a king before I would do the same for the pretenders to the throne.