Crown Prince Leka II of Albania has claimed that he was viciously attacked by his estranged wife, Princess Elia, and her father just weeks after announcing their divorce.
The royal, who announced that he was splitting from his wife after seven years of marriage in January, is seeking police involvement following the alleged domestic attack.
According to video footage circulating on social media this week, Leka, 41, was allegedly involved in a physical bust-up with Elia, 41, and her father, Gjergj Polikron Zaharia, 73.
The alleged altercation took place just two months after the couple, who share 3-year-old daughter Princess Geraldine, announced the end of their union.
The Albanian palace has since issued an official statement in response to the viral clip of the heated exchange, claiming the Crown Prince was “physically attacked with strong objects.”
The statement claims that his ex-wife and her father were behind the attack.
Princess Elia has since broken her silence over the alleged attack, telling Albanian Daily News that she was merely trying to break up the “terrible” fight that unfolded in front of her.
“It is a very difficult situation for me and my family, as it is not easy to return home and find Leka trying to violate my 73-year-old father,” she told the local outlet.
“The conflict has nothing to do with me, except that I tried to stop it. I am following the judicial path for everything.”
In response, the Albanian royal court issued a statement about the altercation on social media, accusing local police of leaking the footage online.
“Prince Leka on the afternoon of March 5 was physically attacked with strong objects by his ex-wife and ex-father-in-law and the videos of this moment have been made public on social networks,” the statement read.
“The videos have been submitted only to the police station by Prince Leka ll Zogu, as material evidence for violence inflicted on him. But despite being considered a secret, these materials, together with the statement, circulated widely on social networks and in the media transmitting unpleasant images and with violent content.”
“The Royal Court deeply expresses disappointment with law enforcement institutions that we suspect have violated the right to anonymity by distributing third-party videos,” the statement went on, adding that the court is seeking police intervention to remove the footage from social media.
The Post has reached out to the Albanian royal family for comment.
In January, the pair announced they were heading for divorce, saying that their marriage had “lost its function.”
Leka, the head of the Albanian royal family, married actress and singer Elia in the capital city of Tirana in October 2016.
Four years after tying the knot, the couple welcomed their daughter, whom they lovingly named after the prince’s late grandmother, Queen Geraldine.
Crown Prince Leka II became the heir to the Albanian crown following the death of his father, King Leka I, in 2011.
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