Simeon II of Bulgaria

At a glance

Source: Wikipedia: Simeon II¹

Early life and exile

Simeon was born in 1937 to Boris III of Bulgaria and Giovanna of Italy. He became Tsar on 28 August 1943, aged six, after his father died. A regency council governed on his behalf. Following a Soviet-backed coup in September 1944, the regents were removed and arrested; they were executed in February 1945.¹

A referendum in September 1946 supported abolishing the monarchy, and the royal family was exiled. Simeon and his family went first to Alexandria, Egypt, then received asylum in Spain in 1951. He studied at Victoria College in Alexandria, the Lycée Français in Madrid, and Valley Forge Military Academy and College in the United States. He later studied law and business administration in Spain.¹

Business and return

Simeon became a businessman after his education. For thirteen years, he chaired the Spanish subsidiary of Thomson, a French defence and electronics group. He also worked as an adviser in banking, hotels, electronics and catering. In 1962, he married Spanish aristocrat Margarita Gómez-Acebo y Cejuela. They had five children.¹

Simeon returned to Bulgaria in 1996, fifty years after the monarchy’s abolition. In 2001, he announced the formation of the National Movement Simeon II, later renamed NMSP, and promised reforms and improved living standards. The party won 120 of the 240 parliamentary seats in the June 2001 election.¹

Political career

Simeon became prime minister on 24 July 2001, leading a coalition with the Movement for Rights and Freedoms. During his term, Bulgaria joined NATO and joined the US-led coalition against Iraq. In the 2005 election, his party finished second and entered a coalition led by the Bulgarian Socialist Party. Simeon held the coalition council’s unofficial ceremonial chairmanship.¹

In the 2009 election, NMSP received 3.01 per cent of the vote and won no parliamentary seats. Simeon resigned as party leader that July and retired from politics. He has not formally renounced his claim to the Bulgarian throne, but has avoided stating his position on restoring the monarchy. As of 2026, he is one of two living men who were heads of state during the Second World War.¹

As of 2026, Simeon II is one of two living people who were heads of state during the Second World War.¹