Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine: Three Decades of Humanitarian Service to Serbia
The Lifeline Humanitarian Organization was founded in 1993 by Crown Princess Katherine of Serbia as part of an international effort to address the tragic situation in the former Yugoslavia, a region afflicted by conflict and sanctions. The goal of Lifeline is to reduce and relieve the suffering of physically and mentally disabled children, orphans, and the elderly, while also improving medical facilities throughout the country. Impact Wealth speaks with Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine, who have devoted their lives to improving the quality of life for their people, and in the process, transformed Serbia’s image on the world stage through their numerous royal humanitarian projects.
What are some of the charities you are involved in?
Crown Prince Alexander: The motto of the Royal Family of Serbia is From the people, for the people, and it is the duty of every member of the Karadjordjevic family to serve the people of Serbia and the Republic of Srpska, offering help and support wherever it is needed. This is an important tradition, established by my ancestors, my great grandfather King Peter I, my grandparents King Alexander I and Queen Maria, and my father King Peter II. Even today, decades later, their endowments still stand and continue serving the people. They set the path for us, and we continue following in their footsteps.
My wife devoted her life to helping our people, and with the kind support of many great benefactors from our diaspora, as well as many foreign friends, she has managed to provide significant help to our nation. Readers may not know that after World War Two, a non-democratic communist regime seized power in Yugoslavia, confiscated my family’s entire private property along with that of others, and stripped us of our citizenship. I was not even two years old when I was declared enemy of the state number two, since my father was, of course, enemy number one. I was quite a dangerous baby, one might say. It became impossible for us to live in our own country, but my wife remained determined to help, even from abroad.
The first Lifeline office was established by my wife in Chicago in 1993. The Crown Princess wanted to provide aid to those suffering from the conflict in the former Yugoslavia, and she recognized a strong willingness among the Serbian diaspora to help their homeland. Almost immediately after the first Lifeline office opened, donors, friends, and supporters proved they had not forgotten our people, and necessary aid was distributed where it was most needed.
After the democratic changes in Yugoslavia, it finally became possible for us to return in 2001, and shortly after, my wife established the Crown Princess Katherine Foundation in Belgrade, Serbia. Its mission is to help those in need, regardless of religion or ethnic origin, with a goal of improving the lives of vulnerable populations throughout Serbia and the Republic of Srpska. In the more than twenty years since its founding, the Foundation has worked tirelessly to support healthcare, social welfare, and education across the country.
A Legacy Built on Tangible Impact
Together with the Lifeline Humanitarian Organization’s offices in Chicago, New York, Toronto, London, and Athens, my wife and her Foundation have made it possible for numerous hospitals, children’s homes, schools, and other institutions to be renovated, along with the delivery of essential medical equipment, computer equipment for IT classes, desks, chairs, whiteboards for classrooms, fully equipped school libraries, and school supplies for students. Annual events are also organized for several vulnerable groups, including children without parental care, children with disabilities, adolescents facing hardship, refugees, the elderly, and individuals with intellectual development challenges, providing assistance tailored to their specific needs. Considerable effort has also gone into the medical education of doctors across Serbia, connecting them with top rated medical professionals and institutions around the world, all in service of ensuring the people of Serbia have access to the best possible healthcare.
How would you like your legacy to be remembered?
Crown Princess Katherine: We would like to be remembered for having made a genuine difference, a positive step forward in the lives of our people. There is no greater reward than knowing you have made a positive impact on someone’s life, and seeing an honest smile on the face of someone you have helped.
This has been a lifelong journey for me, one set in motion by my parents, who were dedicated humanitarians and philanthropists in Greece. From an early age, they taught me that there is no greater joy in life than the joy of giving, and I learned that lesson by their own example. I am deeply grateful to them, and I wish every parent could set such an example for their children. I could see clearly that my parents were happiest when doing something for those in need, and I can say with certainty that there is no greater pleasure than knowing you have changed someone’s life for the better.
I found even more inspiration when I met and married my husband, Crown Prince Alexander. He is my King as well, and I respect and admire him tremendously. Meeting him felt like an answer to my prayers. Witnessing the great love he holds for his nation inspired me to focus my energy on humanitarian work, on the very people I came to admire and respect, and the same nation I fell in love with almost immediately. I am grateful to him for giving me the opportunity to help our people. As my husband has already said, it is our duty to always be there for the people of Serbia and the Republic of Srpska. And our people know how deeply we feel for them, returning that love in kind.
I must also say that this legacy does not belong to us alone, but to all the wonderful people who have so generously supported us along the way in our mission to assist those in need. Only through the great help and devotion of the supporters of the Lifeline Humanitarian Organization and my Foundation in Belgrade has this work been possible.
I believe it is still too early to speak of legacy, since there remain so many people who need our help and support, and our work cannot and does not stop. Our people need us.
What are some of your biggest achievements for the country?
Crown Prince Alexander: I would like to say that I hope we have contributed meaningfully to the good name and image of the people of Serbia within the international community. For me, Serbia is the most beautiful place in the world, home to so many talented people with enormous potential. Our people have contributed a great deal to the entire world, often without the credit they deserve. Negative propaganda has played its part as well. For far too long we were painted as the bad boys, the usual suspects for anything negative, and that is something that upsets me deeply. That is why we have used, and continue to use, every possible opportunity to speak with international media and with our many friends abroad to spread positive word about the people of Serbia and our homeland. The world deserves to know the truth, and I believe we have helped break down stereotypes and show the world how remarkable our homeland truly is. Thanks in part to our connections, several important international companies have come to Serbia, creating much needed jobs for our people.
Crown Princess Katherine: Even the smallest donation, whether to a small school or an ambulance in a distant village, makes a genuine difference. It is not the size of the donation that matters most, but how much good it brings.
Among the various pieces of medical equipment we have provided, including mammography machines, ultrasound units, and gene sequencers for cancer testing, the most significant was a digital mobile mammography unit donated thirteen years ago to Clinical Center Niš, made possible through the generosity of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, valued at $700,000. In the years since, more than 160,000 women have been examined through this mobile unit. I want to share one story that illustrates just how important this machine has been. Several years ago, a woman visited the Palace as part of a group touring the grounds. I welcomed her and asked whether she had enjoyed the tour, and she told me she had already toured the Palace several times before, but this visit was simply to see me and thank me personally. The mobile mammography unit I had donated had come to her village, she went for an examination, and doctors discovered she had breast cancer. It was caught in time, and she is now a healthy woman because of it. She told me I had saved her life, and she embraced me to express her gratitude. Moments like that are priceless. They remind us that the effort is always worth it.
I am also very proud that we opened the first center for palliative care in Serbia, made possible through the generous support of our friend Dr. Elaine Laycock from the United Kingdom. We helped initiate that effort, and palliative care in Serbia has since improved significantly compared to a decade ago. As soon as the COVID-19 pandemic began, we redirected our projects to support the doctors and nurses risking their lives to save others, providing necessary protective equipment, ambulances, and other essential medical devices.
We also host a highly successful Serbian Diaspora Medical Conference, held in Belgrade for the twelfth time this year. Medicine is a field that produces new findings and breakthroughs every day, and the exchange of knowledge and experience across every area of healthcare remains vitally important, both for doctors and, most importantly, for the wellbeing of their patients. Each year, more doctors from around the world join this conference, allowing our physicians to exchange valuable knowledge while also building lasting friendships.
I would also like to mention a beautiful tradition my husband established. As we often say, every form of support for young people is always welcome and deeply needed. That is why he founded his Foundation for Education and Culture after our return to Serbia, both to preserve the tradition of his ancestors and to pursue his own personal vision of providing quality education for Serbia’s youth, helping them achieve personal growth, successful careers, and genuine fulfillment. The Foundation connects Serbian educational institutions with reputable international institutions, with the goal of shaping highly educated, well trained young professionals and linking Serbian youth to both the business community and the wider world. Ultimately, the goal is to provide young people with the best possible education so they can return to Serbia and serve our country and our people using their knowledge.
One of the Foundation’s main events is an annual reception honoring the top high school graduates from six hundred high schools across Serbia and the Republic of Srpska, held each year at the White Palace, where students receive certificates recognizing their academic achievement, accompanied by their proud parents. In 2021, we celebrated the twentieth anniversary of this event. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, we were unable to gather students at the Palace that year and instead held the event online, sending gifts to each student, just as we had done the year before. We hope that conditions will allow my husband and me to once again welcome these wonderful young people in person and present their gifts ourselves. Their commitment and enthusiasm are truly inspiring and continue to motivate us to keep supporting them.
What projects are you currently working on?
Crown Princess Katherine: When the war in Ukraine began, we redirected part of our efforts toward helping women and children refugees from the country. Together with our dear friends Mr. Edward Wayne and his wife Tatjana Trickovic, and their humanitarian organization The Bridge of Life, we have managed to deliver ambulances, food, incubators, wheelchairs, and much more directly to those affected by this terrible war. We continue working on future projects to help those still suffering in Ukraine.
What are some of the humanitarian projects that Lifeline has championed?
Crown Princess Katherine: A great deal has already been said, but I would also like to mention our project Children Helping Children, which was created to teach children from an early age the importance of providing for those in need and less fortunate than themselves. By learning the value of helping others through their own example, children carry that generosity into adulthood. We are teaching children to be kind and caring, and by setting them on the path of charity while they are young, we hope to help create a better future for the entire world.
What are some of the goals you have set forth in Serbia that you are working toward?
Crown Prince Alexander: Our goal is for the people of Serbia to have the best possible conditions for themselves and their families to reach their full potential. We are a nation of great hearts and great wisdom, home to countless talented people with enormous potential. Our people have contributed a great deal to the entire world. Everyone has heard of Nikola Tesla, Milutin Milanković, and Mihajlo Pupin. Let us not forget Mileva Marić Einstein, whose contribution to Albert Einstein’s work was deeply significant. It would take days to name every remarkable Serbian figure who has given so much to the world, and there remain countless more jewels like them among our people, full of great ideas, great intelligence, and enormous potential for the world.
A Shared Vision for the Future
Our hope is also that our people, with everything they have to offer, will work toward the good of our country as well. We remain united in our commitment to building a better Serbia for all future generations.
