HRH Crown Princess Katherine was very pleased to give a thorough interview to Politika daily newspapers, in which she spoke about receiving the Order of the Star of Karadjordje, various aspects of Her Royal Highness’ humanitarian works, its beginnings, plans for upcoming period, and her message for all the ladies in Serbia and worldwide, as the interview was published on International Women’s Day.
The text, which was published in the printed edition of Politika newspapers on 8 March 2024 is also available below. We thank the journalist, Mrs. Katarina Djordjević for her great professionalism and the realization of this interview. The article is also available on the website of Politika on LINK
INTERVIEW: Crown Princess KATHERINE KARADJORDJEVIC
Receiving the Order of the Karadjordje’s Star of is the greatest honor for me
My humanitarian work began more than 30 years ago, with Princess Irene of Greece and her foundation
By: Katherine Djordjevic
Among the many deserving institutions and individuals that President Aleksandar Vucic honored this year on the occasion of Statehood Day was Crown Princess Katherine Karadjordjevic, who received the Karadjordje’ Star first class for her merits in the field of humanitarian work and her contribution to our nation and country.
Helping the vulnerable in Serbia has been the main focus of Crown Princess Katherine’s activities for more than 30 years, and in an interview with Politika, she reveals her impressions of the award she received, talks about plans and activities in the future, and sends a message to the ladies on International Women’s Day, which today we celebrate. And when asked what the Order of the Karadjordje’s Star first class means to her, Crown Princess Katherine Karadjordjevic says:
“It was really a great honor for me to receive this high recognition and I am very grateful to President Vucic for recognizing my efforts, as well as to everyone who nominated me”
I have to say that this is not only a recognition of my work, but also of all the effort and support of all those wonderful people who have been supporting my desire to help everyone in need for years and who understand my need to help. Without their generosity and selfless help, it would not be possible to reach all those whose lives have been touched and changed for the better. All sympathizers gathered in the five offices of the “Lifeline” humanitarian organization, who have contributed so much to our common cause all these decades, employees of my Foundation in Belgrade, our friends from the diaspora and all our dear friends from abroad, who recognized the needs of the people of Serbia and Republika Srpska and generously helped, the members of the Royal Medical Board, the Royal Nurses Board… they all helped and contributed so much, and to all of them goes a part of this recognition. Without them and their support, it would not have been possible, but also of course, without my dear husband, Crown Prince Alexander, whose love for our people and our country inspired me and gave me the opportunity to change the lives of people in Serbia. Thanks to him, Serbia became my homeland and the people of our country have a special place in my heart. Receiving the Order of the Karadjordje’s Star is the greatest honor for me. I shall continue my mission, because there is no greater achievement than knowing that you have brought a change for the better in the country you love and in someone’s life”, says Crown Princess Katherine.
You have been dedicated to humanitarian work for several decades, how did it start and who first supported you?
My parents, who were great benefactors, took me on this wonderful journey and I am very grateful to them because they taught me that there is no greater joy in life than the joy of giving. What is especially important is that they did it by their own example. When you want a child to learn something, it’s not enough just to tell them, you also need to show them. So I followed their example, and I want everyone else to do the same. We should teach our children to give, not to take. Mothers and fathers have an obligation to set an example and establish a tradition of giving to those in need. My humanitarian work began more than 30 years ago, when together with Princess Irene of Greece and her foundation, I delivered cows to India so that the children there would have fresh milk; I also worked to bring fresh water to Myanmar, starting a project to dig clean water wells. Unfortunately, then the nineties came and it became absolutely necessary to help the people of Serbia and Republika Srpska, because the terrible war had begun. At that time, my husband was still considered an enemy of the state, we lived abroad and could not come to Serbia, but we desperately wanted to help our people. We saw the same desire in the Serbian diaspora, everyone was willing and ready to help. However, there was a problem because they did not know how to send help, it was not easy because of the sanctions. Therefore, in order to unite all those who wanted to help, I opened the first office of the “Lifeline” Humanitarian Organization of Chicago and continued to open others in New York, Toronto, London and Athens. It wasn’t easy at first, but I remember how excited we all were when the first medical equipment we sent to Serbia in 1993 arrived at the Children’s Clinic in Tirsova Street.
The work of your Foundation and “Lifeline” is, as you often point out, aimed at helping everyone who needs help. Are there any categories of the vulnerable that you help more?
If help is needed, we will do our best to provide it, we do not separate, all people are important to us. Of course, it is impossible to help everyone, when you start humanitarian work, you see how many people need your help. You have to make some adjustments, see what is urgent to do now and what can wait a little. Donations to even the smallest school or clinic in a remote village make a difference. It’s not just the size of the donation that matters, but how much good it brings, and what lets people know they’re not forgotten. Together with the “Lifeline” offices, we have facilitated the renovation of many hospitals, homes for children, schools and other institutions, as well as the delivery of necessary medical equipment, we support children’s education by providing computer equipment for IT teaching, benches, chairs and blackboards for classrooms, equipping school libraries with books and providing school supplies…
What projects are you particularly proud of?
It is very difficult to single out only some of the projects, since there are so many of them, but let’s start with the newest ones. Among the various medical equipment, such as mammographs, ultrasound devices, incubators, etc., the most significant was the digital mobile mammograph donated in June 2009 to the Nis Clinical Center, thanks to the generosity of the “Stavros Niarchos” Foundation. From then until May 2022, more than 160,000 women were examined throughout Serbia, and thanks to early detection, many lives were saved. Thanks to the generosity of our dear friend Richard Jankov and his non-profit organization “Upward Bound Youth”, in November of last year we managed to donate a new mobile mammograph to UCC Niš and thus replace the old one, and as the Minister of Health, Professor Danice Grujicic recently pointed out, with this new one around 2,500 to 3,000 women have already been examined. With the help of the “Stavros Niarchos” Foundation, in December 2023, we opened a new delivery room at the “Narodni Front” Clinic in Belgrade.
We also have a very successful Serbian Diaspora Medical Conference, which this year will take place from 6 to 8 June, for the fourteenth time in a row. Medicine is a science that acquires new knowledge and new achievements every day, and the exchange of knowledge and experience in every area of healthcare is of great importance for doctors and, most importantly, the well-being of their patients. This conference, which every year is joined by more and more doctors from all over the world, enables our doctors to exchange valuable knowledge, but also to create friendships.
In your humanitarian work, you encountered a wide variety of events and learned about the fates of many people. Can you share any of those stories with us?
I remember that in 2008 I received a call from one of the doctors that there was a girl from Kosovo at the Children’s Clinic who had a very severe form of acute leukemia and was in a very difficult situation, because bone marrow transplants were not performed in Serbia at that time. I called my friends in Greece and arranged for the girl to be transported to the Hagia Sophia hospital in Athens. Because her bone marrow was specific, they couldn’t find a donor and she was on treatment for two years. When a donor was finally found, her disease returned in its worst form. The situation was very dramatic, but I couldn’t let that little angel die when she was so close to be saved and withstood all the struggles. My friends from the USA said that there was a new drug that has just started to be used in America. I went there, called the director of the company that produces that medicine and told him: “Help us, I want this medicine, we have a child who is dying!” He was surprised and told me that it is not possible, the medicine is not yet registered in Europe, and I told him “I will sleep in front of your office until you give me the medicine!” We managed to get it and a doctor who would deal with it, I organized the transport to Athens, the treatment was successful, thank God, the transplantation was also performed, and that girl is today a beautiful young woman, who graduated from university in Greece.
What plans do you have for the next period?
We have several projects that will soon be successfully completed, such as the renovation of the children’s homes and the preparation of the upcoming Easter reception… My husband and I have just returned from London, where a very successful charity ball was held, in aid of children’s hospitals in Serbia, but also marking 30 years since the establishment of “Lifeline” in Great Britain. As every year, we will organize a traditional bazaar of handicrafts, made by refugees and socially vulnerable women, in order to help them support their families.
Ladies’ Lunch
Every year on the occasion of 8 March, you organize a Ladies’ Lunch at the White Palace. Who do you most often invite to this lunch and what is the purpose of such a gathering?
“Ladies’ lunch” in honor of International Women’s Day is a traditional event that I started years ago, when we came to Serbia, which is dedicated to marking the contribution of women to society and creating strong bonds and friendships between prominent ladies in Serbia. Every year we gather ladies high officials from Serbian state bodies, wives of high Serbian officials, lady ambassadors, ambassadors’ wives, representatives of international organizations in Serbia and other distinguished ladies. At the end of the event, my husband, like a true gentleman, presents each of our dear guests with a beautiful rose.
What would you say to our readers and women in Serbia this year?
We should always remember how important a role women play in society. We are responsible as women to make the world a better place for everyone, for our children. We contribute to the world with joy, energy and new ideas, but also by supporting each other in achieving common goals. I am proud of the women in Serbia who are leading our society forward. It is important to work together, to make all our wishes come true. We should always follow our desires and dreams, because with our own strength we can achieve everything. My dear ladies, grandmothers, mothers, daughters, please take care of yourself and your loved ones, be healthy, love life, be humane and continue to be the strongest pillar of our world. Don’t forget that you are an example to your children for their future. Help them learn from an early age.
