Royal Couple Of Albania Announce Divorce After 8 Years: ''Marriage Has...''

Leka, Crown Prince of Albania, and Crown Princess Elia have announced they are divorcing after eight years of marriage. The former couple, who got married in a lavish ceremony in 2016, announced their split in a statement shared on social media. Notably, the two met in 2008, became engaged in Paris in 2010, and were married 6 years later. 

''Hello friends and lovers,'' read a message on Crown Prince Leka's official Instagram, translated into English.

''Through this post, I officially inform you that LTM Prince Leka and Elia Zharaia have agreed to end their marriage. Since marriage has lost its function, they have decided to resolve it with mutual consent by starting the necessary legal procedures,'' the statement added.

The statement stressed that the well-being of their 3-year-old daughter Princess Geraldine will "remain at the center of their attention, dedicated to ensuring a happy and safe life."

Their daughter, born in October 2020, was named after her great-grandmother, the late Queen Geraldine.

"Regardless of the commitment to the institution of the family, LTM Leka believes that the values ​​of mutual respect and understanding will form the basis of the relationship in its continuity, which will have as its motive the growth and education of LSM Princess Geraldine!" the post concluded. 

Prince Leka II, 41, is the grandson of former King Zog I, who was exiled to Italy with his family in April 1939 when Mussolini invaded Albania. He became the heir to the Albanian Crown following the death of his father, King Leka I, in 2011. He has worked as an advisor within the Albanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Interior, and the Albanian President's Office. Princess Elia, 40, was born Elia Zharaia and is an actress and singer. She works at the Albanian National Theater.

Albania, which has a population of around 2.8 million people, is located to the east of Italy on the southeastern part of Europe's Balkan Peninsula.