Following his premiership from 2001 to 2005, in thenext election, as leader of NDSV, Simeon entered a coalition government with theBulgarian Socialist Party, as his party finished second in the election. In 2009, after NDSV failed to win any seats in the National Assembly, he retired from politics.
As of 2026, Simeon is one of only two living men who were heads of state duringWorld War II, along with the14th Dalai Lama, although both held only mostly symbolic roles in their respective governments.
Under his father, Bulgaria joined theAxis powers inWorld War II but managed to preserve diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union. Still, on 5 September 1944 Stalin declared war on Bulgaria and three days later, the Red Army entered the country without encountering resistance. On the next day, 9 September 1944, Prince Kiril and the other regents were deposed by aSoviet-backedcoup and arrested. The three regents, all members of the last three governments, Parliament deputies, heads of the army and eminent journalists were sentenced to the death by the Communist dominated People's Court and executed in February 1945.[6]
The royal family — Queen Giovanna, Simeon, and his sisterMaria-Louisa — remained atVrana Palace, near Sofia, while three new regents were appointed (Todor Pavlov,Venelin Ganev andTsvetko Boboshevski). On 15 September 1946, areferendum was held which proposed abolishing the monarchy and declaring a republic. The referendum was supported by all then legal political parties. Official figures showed a 95.6% approval for ending 68 years of monarchy.[7] This referendum actually violated theTarnovo Constitution, which held that any change in the form of the state could only be implemented by a Grand National Assembly convened by the tsar.
On 16 September 1946, the royal family was exiled from Bulgaria while given a way to take out large amount of movable property. They first went toAlexandria, Egypt, where Simeon's grandfatherVictor Emmanuel III, the former king of Italy, lived in exile. There, in 1951, Simeon studied atVictoria College (along with Crown PrinceLeka of Albania). In July 1951,General Francisco Franco'sdictatorship in Spain granted asylum to the family.[8] He took part in the ship tour organized by KingPaul of Greece andQueen Frederica in 1954, which became known as the "Cruise of the Kings" and was attended by over 100 royals from all over Europe.
InMadrid, Simeon studied at theLycée Français. On 16 June 1955, upon turning 18, in accordance with theTarnovo Constitution, Simeon read a proclamation to the Bulgarian people, claiming that he was Tsar of Bulgaria and confirming his will to be Tsar of all Bulgarians and to follow the principles contrary to those of the communist regime then ruling Bulgaria. In 1958, he enrolled atValley Forge Military Academy and College in the United States, where he was known as "Cadet Rylski No. 6883",[6] and he graduated as a second lieutenant. Once again in Spain (between 1959 and 1962), Simeon studied law and business administration.[9]
He then became a businessman. For thirteen years, he was chairman of the Spanish subsidiary ofThomson, a French defense and electronics group. He was also an adviser in the banking, hotel, electronics, and catering sectors.
On 21 January 1962, Simeon married Spanish aristocrat,DoñaMargarita Gómez-Acebo y Cejuela. The couple had five children – four sons (Kardam, Kiril, Kubrat and Konstantin) and a daughter, Kalina, all of whom subsequently marriedSpaniards.[6] All of his sons received names of Bulgarian Tsars, his daughter has a Bulgarian name, although only four of his eleven grandchildren have Bulgarian names (Boris, Sofia, Mirko and Simeon).
In 1990, just months after thefall of communism, Simeon was issued a newBulgarian passport. In 1996, fifty years after the abolition of the monarchy, Simeon returned to Bulgaria and was met in many places by crowds of approval. He did not, at that point, make any political announcements or moves, as he had already denied in a TV interview (1990) to have any material property claims against Bulgaria.[10] However, these social sentiments gradually disappeared after his premiership, with Simeon making moves to take back large areas or real estate property in Bulgaria that was under the monarchy's governance before 1945[citation needed].
In 2001, Simeon, who had by this time taken the nameSimeon Borisov Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, announced he would return to Bulgaria to form a new political party, theNational Movement Simeon II (later renamed to NMSP), dedicated to "reforms and political integrity."[11] Simeon promised that in 800 days theBulgarian people would feel tangible positive effects of his government and would enjoy significantly higher standards of living.[12]
During his time in power, he received the Path to Peace Award from the Path to Peace Foundation in 2002.[13] Bulgaria next joinedNATO and joined the U.S.-led coalition against Iraq.
In the2005 elections, Simeon's party ranked second and participated in the grand coalition government led by theBulgarian Socialist Party and including the Movement for Rights and Freedoms. Simeon was given the unofficial ceremonial post of Chairman of the Coalition Council.[11]
In the2009 elections, the party got just 3.01% of the votes and no parliamentary seats. Shortly after, on 6 July, Simeon also resigned as NMSP leader.[14]
Although not yet formally renouncing his claim to the Bulgarian throne, Simeon and his family take part in long orchestrated media campaigns and moves throughout Bulgarian political space. He used the title "Tsar of the Bulgarians" in his political statements during his exile. Since his return to Bulgaria, however, Simeon has consistently avoided revealing his views on the restoration of the Bulgarian monarchy, notwithstanding the original name of his party.[15] Upon taking office as Prime Minister, Simeon swore to uphold the republican constitution.
Simeon wrote an autobiography in French under the titleSiméon II de Bulgarie, un destin singulier that was released in Bulgaria on 28 October 2014.[16] It was first presented at the headquarters of the UNESCO in Paris on 22 October 2014.[17][18]
16 June 1937 – 28 August 1943:His Royal Highness The Prince of Turnovo[19]
28 August 1943 – 15 September 1946:His Majesty The Tsar of the Bulgarians
15 September 1946 – present:His Majesty Tsar Simeon II of the Bulgarians[20] (title of pretense and by courtesy)
24 July 2001 – 17 August 2005:His Excellency Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha[21]
In a statement published on its website on 1 May 2015, the Bulgarian Patriarchate announced that Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha will be referred to as Tsar of Bulgaria in all public and private services held in the dioceses of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.[22]
^"Bulgarian Rule Goes to Son, 6. Reports on 5-Day Illness Conflict", United Press dispatch of 28 August 1943, in a cutting from an unknown newspaper in the collection of historian James L. Cabot, Ludington, Michigan
^Theo Aronson,Crowns in Conflict, p. 202. London: John Murray (Publishers) Ltd., 1986.ISBN0-7195-4279-0
^abcdGeoffrey Hindley,The Royal Families of Europe, p. 156. London: Lyric Books Ltd., 1979.ISBN0-07-093530-0
^Simeón II de Bulgaria (1 June 2016).Simeón II de Bulgaria. Ediciones Paraninfo, S.A.ISBN9788484597285.Archived from the original on 12 August 2016. Retrieved11 June 2016 – via Google Books.
Saxe-Coburg-Gotha's statement, 5 July 2002 concerning Bulgaria's candidacy forNATO membership: "The role of the international community should be gradually transformed from crisis response to integration. Palliative measures intended to mitigate yet another crisis cannot bring stability and prosperity. The best solution is the region's integration into the European and Euroatlantic institutions."
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