Serbia’s Prince Alexander II and Princess Katherine are currently vacationing in Bermuda.

Prince Alexander told local media that he loved visiting the Island because of its beauty, as well as his relationship with close friends like Lady Lully Gibbons, the wife of the late Sir David Gibbons, and Peter Green, the head of the Green Family.

“We have this incredible friendship [with them] and many other Bermudians,” His Majesty said. “We always like coming here, visiting them and also I like diving here. I haven’t done any diving this time, but Bermuda has been so hospitable to both of us.”

Prince Alexander said he discovered the Island thanks to Sir David and Lady Gibbons, whom he met many years ago.

“They said ‘You have to come and visit Bermuda’, so we came here as a guest and we fell in love with Bermuda,” he said.

The couple are staying at the Green Family’s hotel Fairmont Hamilton Princess. In addition to dining at the hotel’s 1609 restaurant, the couple have enjoyed spending time with residents, including Premier Michael Dunkley.

When asked Prince Alexander described Serbia as a country in transition.

“It used to be part of the former Yugoslavia. My father was the last king, King Peter II, and the Nazi’s invaded the country and my father moved his Government to Palestine, Egypt and then to London.

“I was born in London. And the communists took over.

“I was made, at the ripe age of two, enemy of the state and we returned to Serbia to live there 13 years ago.”

He said Serbia had since been through a lot of reform. It is now a democratic country and its aim is to become a member of the European Union.

“We have seen a lot of progress [and] we have had our ups and downs.

“It’s not been easy. We are missing many reforms to finally become a member of the EU, but we are able to live where my father and grandfather lived in the Royal Compound, which is two palaces and they are a great responsibility because they have a lot of art and a lot of leaks.”

The couple’s four-day stay in Bermuda will be the only vacation they take this year.

Princess Katherine said they chose the Island because it has a special place in their hearts.

“There is something about Bermuda. I cannot exactly tell you what it is, but every time I come I think I will find the secret, but I can’t,” she said.

“There is something about this place that gives you a good feeling. First of all the people are very hospitable, they are happy to see you and it’s a beautiful Island and the location. You know, let’s say from New York I arrive here and you think you are on another planet in another world.

“And the people who live here, whether they were born here or not, this is their country, this is their place.”