Patriarch Irinej served the memorial service to Queen Maria

His Holiness Irinej, Serbian Patriarch served today the memorial service at the Royal Palace Chapel of St Andrew the First Called on the occasion of 50 years since the death of Queen Maria. The memorial service was attended by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Alexander II, Princess Katherine and Prince Philip Karadjordjevic. 

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the death of Queen Maria today is opened the exhibition at the White Palace entitled "50 years since the death of Her Majesty Queen Maria of Yugoslavia". 

The exhibition will be open for public from Wednesday, 22 June to Tuesday, 5 July during the working week at 12.30pm. Everyone interested should call the Office of HRH Crown Prince Alexander on 011/ 306 4075 at least one day in advance.

The Yugoslav Queen, Queen Marija Karadjordjevic, was born in 1900 in the German City of Gotha in the castle of Duke Alfred of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and Edinburgh, as the third child of the Romanian Crown Prince Ferdinand and Maria Hohenzollern. In 1922, when she was married His Majesty King Alexander I, the Romanian Princess became the Queen of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, and later in 1929 she became the Queen of Yugoslavia. In 1923, she gave birth to the heir to the throne, Crown Prince Peter; in 1925 Prince Tomislav, and in 1928 Prince Andrej Karadjordjevic. Queen Maria dedicated most of her life to humanitarian work, and as such is remembered fondly by our nation and people. In the memory of the Yugoslavian people, she is remembered as a kind, generous, modest and emancipated woman - a true Queen.