Paul of Yugoslavia: Britain's Maligned Friend

by Neil Balfour, Sally Mackay

Prince Paul was an intimate friend of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, a trusted and much loved brother-in-law of the Duke and Duchess of Kent and a Knight of the Garter (one of the highest honors of the British Crown can confer). George VI, as Duke of York, had been his best man at his wedding in Belgrade in 1923. He had been educated at Oxford and his closest friends and outlook on life were British. From 1934 on, when he became Prince Regent of Yugoslavia until 1941, he sought to steer the best course for Yugoslavia, which would also be consistent with his own pro-British sympathies. Throughout this period he earned their friendship and admiration. Yet the British orchestrated and then acclaimed the 27th March Coup d'Etat in Belgrade which overthrew Prince Paul's Regency as an act of "liberation". For the remainder of the war, British propaganda portrayed the 1941 Conspirators as national heroes and Prince Paul as a traitor and quisling. He was kept, with his family, under house arrest by the British in Africa for the remainder of the war while defamatory speeches in the House of Commons and in newspaper articles were, st best, allowed to go unanswered and, at worst, encouraged by the British authorities. A major reassessment of Prince Paul's place in the annals of European history is long overdue. He was true European, steeped in the literature, culture, traditions and civilization of his European world, yet he was a life-long supporter of Anglo-Saxon world - a believer in the values and achievements of the British Empire and an admirer of the confidence and drive of the United States Based on painstaking and scrupulous research, this book not only makes a valuable addition to the process of dispelling the unreasoning odium to which Prince Paul was exposed in Britain at the time of the Belgrade Coup d'Etat of March 1941, but also places the achievements of his seven years of Regency of Yugoslavia in their true perspective.

348 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[♥Milica♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

[Luka · Rating 2 out of 5]

„Енглези су обични трговци људским месом и да нема Немаца, Енглези би били најгори народ на свету.” Драгољуб Дража Михаиловић

[Tim Horvat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Izjemna zgodba kneza namestnika Pavla, ki nikoli ni hotel biti kralj, a je moral namesto mladoletnega nečaka voditi državo v prelomnem desetletju (1934-1941), na koncu pa je moral izbirati med svojo ljubeznijo do Anglije in koristjo svoje države.

[Alistair Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prince Paul is perhaps a lesser known figure in C20th European history, Regent of Yugoslavia until a coup in 1941 he was an Anglophile and art lover. The Prince`s name was blackened and pilloried in Britain after Yugoslavia acceded to the Tripartate pact with the Axis in 1941, as this book argues he had little choice, Britain couldn`t provide aid and his cabinet in particular the Croats and Slovenes were in favour, Paul delayed and prevaricated for as long as he could but ultimately was left with no option. Churchill and Eden do not come out of this account well, Churchill apparently expected "Serbia" to go down in a blaze of glory by allying without prospect of support , with the allies whereas Paul not unreasonably saw his duty as preserving Yugoslavia of which Serbia was only one part.
There are references to Pauls supporters in Britain principally the Duke of Kent and "Chips" Channon of diary fame.
The author isn`t exactly neutral, he is Pauls former son in law (he was married to Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia) and the focus of this book is on 1941 and the war years, but as a view of a neglected aspect of WW2 and the byzantine nature of Balkan politics it is worth a read.

[Milos Djurkovic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting and very good book about one of the most prominent and controversial people in Yugoslav, Serbian and European history. Ruler who did not want to be ruler, Yugoslav patriot who tried to chose best option for his country. More than all of this, he was a man who has a sense for the fine art.