Meeting the Royal Family - Simeon II

His Majesty Tsar Simeon II was born on June 16, 1937 in Sofia to Tsar Boris III of the

Bulgarians and Tsaritsa Joanna of Savoy. To mark the birth of the heir apparent, cannon salutes and church bells resounded through the capital city. The joy nevertheless lasted only for a couple of years. On August 28, 1943 Tsar Boris III suddenly died and the only six year old Simeon of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha occupied the throne. Because of the new Tsar's young age the country was ruled in his name by a council of regents. After the communist coup d'état of 1944 Simeon remained head of state until 1946 when he left the country together with his sister Marie Louise and Tsaritsa Joanna, while the regents, including his uncle Prince Cyril of Preslav, were executed.

In 1951 the family found refuge in Spain where Simeon II finished the French Lycée, studied law and political science.

In 1962 Tsar Simeon II married the Spanish noblewoman Margarita Gómez-Acebo y Cejuela, with whom he has five children - four sons and one daughter.

Outside of Bulgaria the Tsar worked actively with the Bulgarian diaspora around the planet, maintained close international contacts in the economic circles, conducted a diverse range of activities which often involved travelling to different parts of the world. He returned to his homeland only in 1996 and showed great willingness to participate in the development of Bulgaria and its European integration in the eve of the new century.

On July 24, 2001 Tsar Simeon II was sworn in as Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria after the decisive electoral victory of his political party NDSV (National Movement "Simeon II"). Under the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha administration the nation saw its biggest economic growth from the fall of communism until 2004, a surge in foreign investments (30% of the investments in the whole of Southeastern Europe) and the achievement of numerous strategic goals such as its entry into NATO and the signing of the treaty for its membership in the EU.

Today, His Majesty is an international representative of Bulgaria who shows to the world the traditions of Bulgarian monarchy, how to maintain remarkably good relations with two Christian denominations and what place a "former" monarch can have in the social and politiocal life of modern Europe.

The Tsar has been awarded with over 30 orders and distinctions, including: 1st degree of the Bulgarian Order of the Balkan Mountain, highest degree of the Spanish Order of Charles III, the French Grand Légion d'Honneur and the Islamic Grand Cross of Independence of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, among others. He is fluent in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish and has some knowledge of Arabic and Portuguese.