Albania Crown Prince Leka II, Crown Princess Elia divorce after 7 years

Crown Prince Leka II and Crown Princess Elia of Albania have announced that they are headed for divorce.

The former couple, who tied the knot in a lavish ceremony in 2016, announced their shock split in a statement shared on social media Monday.

“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 that the pair’s 3-year-old daughter, Princess Geraldine, remains “at the center of their dedicated attention to ensure a happy and safe life.”

“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.

Leka, the head of the Albanian Royal Family, married actress and singer, Elia, in the capital city of Tirana in October 2016.

According to Hello! magazine, Elia, 40, released her own statement on the split, which has since been deleted from the platform.

“Friends and well-wishers, I need to inform you that today we started the legal procedures for the settlement of marriage, as we jointly decided to seek a divorce,” she reportedly wrote on Instagram.

“This is not at all a reality that makes me happy, as I believe in family values as the most precious thing! I would never have chosen for my daughter to grow up with separate parents, but sometimes separation is the only option.”

“What matters most, is that my baby girl experiences this moment as easily as possible. Thank you very much to all of you who wrote to me and gave me courage,” she went on, according to the outlet.

“Despite these difficult months I’ve gone through, your kindness has given me strength. I wish you health and happiness in your families.”

Four years after tying the knot in 2016, the couple became parents when they welcomed their daughter, whom they lovingly named after the prince’s late grandmother, Queen Geraldine.

Leka prides himself in being a “custodian of the Monarchy’s legacy” and maintains a balanced position in Albanian politics as a “symbol of Albanian unity,” according to the royal family’s official website.

Crown Prince Leka II became the heir to the Albanian Crown following the death of his father, King Leka I, in 2011.