Elia, Princess of Albania (''

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

'' Zaharia; born 8 February 1983) is an Albanian actress, former singer and wife of Leka, Prince of Albania. They married on 8 October 2016 in

Tirana Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...

Early life and education

She was born on 8 February 1983 in

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

. She is the daughter of Gjergj Polikron Zaharia (b. 1952) and

Yllka Mujo Yllka Mujo (born 15 October 1953) is an Albanian actress, especially known for her roles in Albanian movies during the communist regime. For her acting merits she was given the title Merited Artist of Albania. Life Yllka Muji (or Mujo) comes ...

(b. 1953). Her father is from Përmet while her mother's family come from Podgorica,

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. They moved to

Shkodër Shkodër ( , ; sq-definite, Shkodra) is the fifth-most-populous city of the Republic of Albania and the seat of Shkodër County and Shkodër Municipality. The city sprawls across the Plain of Mbishkodra between the southern part of Lake Shkod ...

, a city in northern Albania, later during the monarchist period. She has a younger brother, Amos Muji Zaharia. Both her mother and brother are famous artists in Albania, her mother being a well-known actress and her brother an actor and film director. In 2002, she graduated from the National Art School Jordan Misja in Tirana in art and scenography and later moved to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

for her university studies, where she met Prince Leka. In 2005, she graduated from the National Conservatory of Bordeaux in art drama. She then attended a private French drama school in Paris,

Cours Florent The Cours Florent is a private French drama school in Paris established in 1967 by François Florent. The school is located on three nearby sites in the XIXe arrondissement, 19th Arrondissements of Paris, arrondissement of Paris, France: rue Arc ...

, and then continued her studies in scenic acting at the Paris 8 University, graduating in 2010. She is fluent in

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, and Italian.

Career

Crown Princess Elia has performed in several plays at the National theatre including: * 2011: '' The Crucible'' by Arthur Miller, Albanian National Theater * 2011: ''Bitter Love'' by Carlo Bruni, Albanian National Theater * 2012: ''Forget Love'' by Erion Kame, Albanian National Comedy Theatre * 2013: ''

Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict amon ...

'' by

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

, Albanian National Theater * 2014: '' The Sunshine Boys'' by Neil Simon, Albanian National Comedy Theater * 2016: '' Three Sisters'' by

Anton Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860 Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904 Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career ...

, Albanian National Theater Crown Princess Elia also acted in movies and performed as a singer. In 2002, she had the main role in 'Lule te kuqe, lule te zeza', while in 2008 she acted in the movie ''Honeymoon'' by

Goran Paskaljevic Goran may refer to: Ethnic groups * Gorane, or Goran, an ethnic group of northern Africa * Goran (Kurdish tribe), an ethnic group of the Middle East * Gorani (ethnic group), an ethnic group of the southeastern Europe Other uses * Göran, a Sw ...

. From 1999 until 2002, Elia took part in a musical band called “Spirit Voice”. In 2016 and 2018, Elia co-hosted

Kënga Magjike Kënga Magjike (; ) is an annual music competition organised by the Albanian television broadcaster Televizioni Klan. The music competition has been broadcasting annually since its inauguration in 1999 with the exception of 2020. The first edi ...

, a major musical event in Albania, together with Ardit Gjebrea.

Personal life

In Paris she met Prince Leka of Albania and in May 2010 they got engaged. Since then she has accompanied the Prince on all his visits and meetings with members of other royal families. She is also head of the Queen Geraldine Foundation, a non-profit founded by the Royal Court. According to its website, the "foundation aims to be close to the Albanian families who need help nd tochildren who need care." On 27 March 2016, it was announced by Prince

Skënder Zogu Skënder Zogu (born 3 June 1933) is an Albanian author and member of the House of Zogu. As the son of Prince Xhelal Zogu, he is first in the line of succession to the former Albanian throne after his first cousin once removed, Leka, Crown Prince ...

(b. 1933), a member of the Albanian Royal Family, that the couple would get married on 8 October 2016 in the

Royal Palace This is a list of royal palaces, sorted by continent. Africa * Abdin Palace, Cairo * Al-Gawhara Palace, Cairo * Koubbeh Palace, Cairo * Tahra Palace, Cairo * Menelik Palace * Jubilee Palace * Guenete Leul Palace * Imperial Palace- Massa ...

in Tirana. The ceremony was a semi-official ceremony, held in Tirana in the Royal Palace, with more than 300 members of other European noble and royal families attending. The couple's civil marriage was officiated by the Mayor of Tirana

Erion Veliaj Erion Veliaj (born December 17, 1979) is an Albanian politician, who is currently serving as the Mayor of Tirana. Stemming from a civil society activism organization as the leader of MJAFT!, Veliaj joined the ranks of the Socialist Party of Alban ...

. Among the members of the Royal families, who attended the wedding were:

Queen Sofía of Spain Sofía of Greece and Denmark ( el, Σοφία; born 2 November 1938) is a member of the Spanish royal family who was List of Spanish royal consorts, Queen of Spain from 1975 to 2014 as the wife of King Juan Carlos I. She is the first child of ...

, Empress Farah Pahlavi,

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

and

Princess Michael of Kent Princess Michael of Kent (born Baroness Marie-Christine Anna Agnes Hedwig Ida von Reibnitz, 15 January 1945) is a member of the British royal family of German, Austrian, Czech and Hungarian descent. She is married to Prince Michael of Kent, ...

, Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine of Yugoslavia, Prince Guillaume and Princess Sibilla of Luxembourg, Princess Léa of Belgium,

Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia (russian: Мария Владимировна Романова; born 23 December 1953) has been a claimant to the headship of the Imperial Family of Russia (who reigned as Emperors and Autocrats of all ...

and other members from the royal families of

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constitutional monarchy ...

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

, Georgia,

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Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

and members of other noble families. Heads of state of Albania also attended the ceremony. She gave birth to a daughter on 22 October 2020 at Queen Geraldine Maternity Hospital in Tirana, on the 18th death anniversary of Queen Geraldine, after whom she was also named.

Honours

ALB Order of Fidelity (1939) - Grand Cross BAR

Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of Fidelity The Order of Besa ( sq, Urdhëri i Besës) was established by Ahmet Zogu (later King Zog I) when he was President of Albania. Founded on 22 December 1926, it was initially awarded in four classes (1. Grand Cordon with star–''Kordon i Madh me ...

.Imperial Wedding in Russia
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References

{{Authority control 1983 births People from Tirana Living people Albanian film actresses Albanian stage actresses 21st-century Albanian women singers 21st-century Albanian actresses Paris 8 University Vincennes-Saint-Denis alumni Conservatoire de Bordeaux alumni House of Zogu Albanian royalty Members of the Albanian Orthodox Church

Early life and education

Career

Personal life

Honours

See also

References