VNIK su bili zatečeni ponašanjem buntov- nog princa, između ostalog i jurcanjem automobilom, tada jedinim u državi. Narod su čudili i njegovo noćno jaha- nje po Topčideru, prelaženje zaleđe- ne Save na konju, druženje s ribarima, u čije je društvo ušao preko matema- tičara Mihajla Petrovića Alasa, čove- ka koji mu je bio nerazdvojni prijatelj do smrti. I buran emotivni život Đor- đa Karađorđevića intrigirao je onovre- menu beogradsku čaršiju, a njegovu sudbinu obeležila je jedna tajna lju- bav, za mnoge neprihvatljiva. – Princ Đorđe imao je nekoliko
iour of this rebellious prince – by, among other things, his driving of a car, then the only one in the country. The people were also astonished by his late-night horse rid- ing excursions around Topčider, traversing the frozen River Sava on horseback, his so- cialising with shermen – whose company he’d joined through his acquaintances with Mathematician Mihajlo‘Alas’Petrović, insep- arable friend of the prince until his death. George’s emotional life also intrigued the Belgrade folk, and his fate was marked by a secret love that was unacceptable to many. “Prince George had several emotional relationships that gradually became ever less acceptable to the court and his father. Among tolerated relationships was one love a air with a then prominent actress of the capital city’s National Theatre. However, his most enduring love has remained hidden from the curiosity of the gossiping public to this day. As such, it is appropriate to stay so,” emphasises Ristić. The specic temperament of the young prince concerned conspirators opposed to him, who weren’t sure what they could ex- pect when he came to power. The breaking point in George’s life came with the death of court servant Stevan Kolaković in 1909. George hit Kolaković in the stomach dur- ing an outburst of rage, after which he end- ed up in hospital, where – having already been very ill – he succumbed to his inju- ries and died. This incident initiated an or- chestrated action of the opponents of the heir to the throne. Years later, in his autobiography, George reected on this event that he con- sidered as being an unfortunate accident. He recalled how Kolaković had justied not submitting a letter to him because he didn’t nd him in the crown-prince’s room, which led him to “feelings of insecurity in the room in which he was born, under his own roof”. Faced with pressure, it was on 27th March 1909 that Đorđe Karađorđević formally abdicated in favour of his young- er brother, Aleksandar.
TRAGIC REBEL OF THE SERBIAN COURT SRPSKOG DVORA
Fate determined that Prince George would not rise to the throne despite being born to rule. Emotional and exclusive, he was unsuitable for the throne. Conspirators merely awaited the opportune moment - and in the end it came. Following accusations that he murdered his servant, George abdicated to the advantage of his younger brother, Alexander
I t’s absurd from today’s perspective to consider whether the course of Prince George’s life should have been di erent, whether the actions of those in his envi- ronment were necessary or harsh, wheth- er they were done out of a lust for power or compulsion... However, more and more his- torians view with benevolence the person- ality of this man, who was proud-spirited and short-tempered, but at the same time righteous, sensitive and honest to the core. “Destiny determined that Prince George would not rise to the throne, despite having been born to rule. There are multiple reasons for this, and they mostly relate to his charac- ter, tendencies and certain moves that were di cult for Serbian society to accept,” says historian Dejan Ristić.
emotivnih veza koje su postajale sve manje prihvatljive za dvor i njegovog oca. U tolerisane je spadala i jedna lju- bavna afera s tada istaknutom glumi- com Narodnog pozorišta. Ipak, jedna od njegovih najdugovečnijih ljubavi u potpunosti je ostala sačuvana od zna- tiželje javnosti. Stoga je primereno da tako i ostane – naglašava Ristić. Specifična narav mladog princa brinula je zaverenike, koji nisu bili si- gurni šta da očekuju ako dođe na vlast. Prelomna tačka u Đorđevom životu bi- la je smrt dvorskog poslužitelja Steva- na Kolakovića 1909. Naime, Đorđe je u izlivu besa snažno udario Kolako- vića u stomak, nakon čega je ovaj za- vršio u bolnici, te ionako veoma bole- stan podlegao povredama i preminuo. Ovaj incident inicirao je akciju pre- stolonaslednikovih neistomišljenika. Đorđe se kasnije u autobiografi- ji osvrnuo na taj događaj koji je sma- trao nesrećnim slučajem. Prisetio se kako se Kolaković pravdao da pismo nije mogao da preda jer ga nije ni na- šao u prestolonaslednikovoj sobi, što
CONFINED TO HOSPITAL
Princ Đorđe Karađorđević preminuo je 1972. godine u Beogradu, a sahranjen je u Crkvi Svetog Đorđa na Oplencu Prince George Karađorđević passed away in Belgrade in 1972 and is buried at the Church of St. George in Oplenac near Topola
The outbreak of the Balkan War in 1912, followed two years later by World War I, brought fully to light another character- istic of Prince George – his crazy courage, which is di cult to describe other than to say that “he knew no fear”. Following the end of World War I and King Peter’s death in 1921, George raised political tensions by demanding that his ap- panage and status at the court be resolved. Aleksandar ignored him, and their mutual intolerance was almost palpable. George
A TURBULENT EMOTIONAL LIFE
Prince George Karađorđević was the rstborn son of King Peter, and he was named after his great-grandfather, the wide- ly-renowned Karađorđe (Black George). He was impetuous, emotional, sometimes irra- tional and unpredictable, and the citizens of Belgrade were caught up in the behav-
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