Albanian Crown Prince Leka claims his estranged wife Princess Elia and her father, 73, attacked him with ‘strong objects’ – while video of the trio fighting has been leaked on social media amid the couple’s divorce

Crown Prince Leka II has requested police intervention following an alleged incident of domestic violence involving his ex-wife and ex-father-in-law.

On Tuesday, a video emerged online of Leka, 41, allegedly involved in a physical altercation with Princess Elia, 41, and her father, Gjergj Polikron Zaharia, 73.

It comes two months after the couple, who share a three-year-old daughter, Princess Geraldine, announced the end of their marriage, saying the union had “lost its function”.

The palace issued a statement after a clip of the fight surfaced online, claiming Leka was “physically attacked with strong objects by his ex-wife and ex-father-in-law” and handed over the video to police as evidence.

Elia broke her silence on the “terrible” conflict on Wednesday, claiming that its involvement in the fighting was merely an attempt to stop it, according to Albanian daily news.

The glamorous mother-of-one claimed she returned home to discover Prince Leka had a fight with her 73-year-old father.

“It is a very difficult situation for me and my family because it is not easy to return home and see Leka trying to abuse my 73-year-old father,” she wrote.

“The conflict has nothing to do with me, except that I tried to stop it. I will follow the judicial path before anything else,” she added.

The Albanian Royal Court similarly issued a statement on the conflict via social media channels, accusing the police of leaking the images.

The statement read: “Prince Leka was physically attacked with strong objects by his ex-wife and ex-father-in-law on the afternoon of March 5 and the videos of this moment have been made public on social networks.

“The videos were only sent to the police station by Prince Leka ll Zogu as material evidence of the violence inflicted on him. But despite being considered secret, these materials, along with the statement, circulated widely on social networks and in the media, broadcasting unpleasant images and violent content.

“The Royal Court expresses its deep disappointment with law enforcement agencies who we suspect have violated the right to anonymity by disseminating third-party videos.

‘The Royal Court also requests the intervention of the police and relevant institutions to remove these images from social networks and media.’

MailOnline has contacted the Albanian royal court for comment.

It comes after the former couple, who married in 2016, declared their separation through an official statement shared on Instagram.

Despite laying claim to a now-defunct throne after the dissolution of the Albanian monarchy in 1943, the prince and his glamorous wife had captured the hearts of the public from the moment they tied the knot eight years ago.

The lavish ceremony was attended by more than twenty royal families from around the world, including Prince Michael of Kent, King Charles’s great-nephew.

In a translation statement, a spokesperson claimed Princess Geraldine remained the center of her parents’ attention, while also pleading with “well-wishers” to respect the family’s privacy.

The message read: ‘Hello friends and well-wishers, through this message I officially inform you that Prince Leka and Elia Zaharia have agreed to end their marriage.

“Since marriage has lost its function, they saw a way to resolve it by mutual consent by initiating the necessary legal procedures.

‘Despite the confidence in the institution of the family, Prince 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 driving force the growth and education of Princess Geraldine!!!

‘[Her] The girl’s spiritual and physical well-being will remain the focus of their attention, committed to ensuring a happy and safe life for Geraldine.”

The statement also said the prince would make no further comment at this time – and asked that his ‘right to privacy in this matter would be respected’.

The couple, who married in 2016 in the European nation’s second ever royal wedding and the first since the end of communism, welcomed their daughter in 2020 at the Queen Geraldine Maternity Hospital in Tirana.

They named their daughter Geraldine – a meaningful tribute to her paternal great-grandmother, Queen Geraldine, who died on October 22, 2002, 18 years before her namesake’s birth.

Queen Geraldine was married to King Zog I, Albania’s first monarch after it gained independence from the Ottoman Empire, but fled his homeland in 1939 when Italian fascists occupied the Balkan state.

Despite the monarchy being dissolved, Zog’s son, King Leka I, remained head of the House of Zogu and claimed the throne until his death in 2011 and was succeeded by his only son, Leka II.

The crown prince, who attended the Royal Military College Sandhurst and has worked as an adviser to the Albanian president, took over from his father as head of the House of Zogu and titular king of the Albanians.

Since Leka II currently has no sons, his current heir presumptive is Skënder Zogu, his first cousin once removed.

Leka II and Elia, who were engaged in Paris in 2010, also chaired the Queen Geraldine Foundation.

The prince has also worked as an advisor at the Albanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Interior and the Albanian President’s Office, while the princess works at the Albanian National Theater.

Albania’s royal family was expelled from the country in 1939 after it was invaded by Italian fascists.

After World War II, when the communists took over the country, King Zog and his family were considered traitors and completely stripped of power and erased from the history books.

After their exile, the Albanian royal family spent time in Greece and Turkey before settling in England, where they briefly lived at The Ritz in London.

King Zog and his family then moved to Egypt before the monarch spent the rest of his life in France.