In 1943, a six-year-old boy woke up to a world he could never have imagined. His father Boris III, the Tsar of the Kingdom of Bulgaria from 1918 to 1943, passed away on August 28, 1943. As the throne was empty, the country needed a king.

The boy was Simeon Borisov Saxe-Coburg-Gotha or Simeon II (b. June 16, 1937) of Bulgaria. He did not understand politics or war and barely understood loss when his father left this world. And yet, he suddenly wore a crown. The child was forced to lead a nation while Europe burned around him. History had stolen his childhood.

Three years later, everything was taken from him. In 1946, the communists seized power and abolished the monarchy. When soldiers emptied the Royal Palace, young Simeon was sent into exile. He was just nine years old at that time. All of a sudden, he barely began to live only with memories of a royal life as he had no crown, no country and no home.

Simeon II grew up in Spain, quietly studying, working and building a life far from the throne he once wore. For more than 50 years, he lived as a forgotten king. Most would have accepted it. Simeon II did not. When Bulgaria opened its doors again after communism, he returned, not with an Army and force, but with hope and patience. He asked for trust, and not loyalty.

Through elections, the boy, who had lost everything, became the Prime Minister of Bulgaria on July 24, 2001 and ruled the country till August 17, 2005. No revenge. No bloodshed. Just choice, courage and resilience. Simeon II became the only man in modern history to lose a crown and regain leadership through the will of the people of Bulgaria.

A king at six. An exile at nine. A leader at 64. His story is a reminder that even the deepest loss can lead to the greatest comeback.

Collected from the Facebook post of Mysterious Mystery.

Meanwhile,

Boundless Ocean of Politics on Facebook

Boundless Ocean of Politics on Twitter

Boundless Ocean of Politics on Linkedin

Contact us: kousdas@gmail.com

Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das