For Public Release
THE NJEGOSKIJ FUND
Chancellery of the Chairman
Office of the Spokesperson
August 9, 2008 04:52pm
N° 2008/406/TNjF/M-AdH

In a press comment [1] published today, this August 9, 2008, on the website of Le Courrier des Balkans — the France-based association of which Crown Prince Nicolas of Montenegro is the President — His Royal Highness has wished to make publicly known, in order to correct what has been erroneously reported in Montenegrin medias:
1.— that the funeral ceremony of Her Royal Highness Crown Princess France will not have any religious character; and
2.— that the Royal Family has never prohibited at all the attendance of Montenegrin State Officials at the funeral ceremony, just expressing the wish that it keeps a closest family character in order that the Royal Family can mourn in private, and move on with the life with sadness because a part of them has gone forever.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of Montenegro also recalls that a public homage ceremony will be organised later in Montenegro:

I would be very grateful to all those of my compatriots who want to honour the memory of my Dear Wife departed, and it is also the deep will of my daughter Altinaï and my son Boris, that the sorrow affecting our Family be not diverted for political purposes.
In this very painful moment for us, I convey to you, my friends and compatriots, the sincere desire that we always had my Dear France and I, for a unity of all the citizens of Montenegro, whether you are Orthodox, Catholic, Muslim, Jewish or from any other faith. Thank you all.

The exact location and date will be announced at a later time.

As for it, The Njegoskij Fund finds extremely “strange” the readiness, without concern for the pain of the Royal Family, showed by orderofdanilo.org — the official communication website managed by H.E. Mr. John Kennedy, Grand Chancellor of the Royal House Orders of Montenegro — to translate and publish online press articles from several Montenegrin medias, containing notable information PERFECTLY known to be SCANDALOUSLY ERRONEOUS by those who manage the official communication of the Royal House of Montenegro, especially:
1.— that the late Crown Princess would be buried according to the Jewish rite, when in the same time orderofdanilo.org published a death announcement with a cross in heading, a Christian symbol...; and
2.— that the Royal Family would not allowed the attendance of Montenegrin State Officials due to alleged “bad relationships with authorities” [2], when still recently, Her Royal Highness Princess Altinaï joined the 21 May celebrations in Paris organised by Madam Ambassador of Montenegro in France, H.E. Prof. Dr. Milica Pejanović-Đurišić; when in 2007 [3] and 2008, Crown Prince Nikola organised various events between the French town of Metz (57) and Cetinje notably involving both the Montenegrin Deputy Minister of Tourism and H.E. Ambassador Pejanović-Đurišić; and when the Crown Prince is accompanied since 2007 by an Ambassador of Montenegro in most of his foreign visits, also decorating personally two of them, T.E. Messrs. Antun Sbutega and Nebojša Kaluđerović, with the Grand Cross in the Order of Danilo I. Among other major older events, it can also be cited the patronage on June 4, 2005 by the President of Montenegro, H.E. Mr. Filip Vujanović, of the first gala ceremony of the Order of Danilo I in Montenegro since 90 years; an event during which Crown Prince Nicolas invested the President of the Republic with the insignia of Knight Grand Cross.

In addition to deeply embarrassing a family into mourning, these erroneous information relayed by orderofdanilo.org caused a great trouble in France and in the entire English-speaking community to all those who carry in their heart the prestigious name of Petrovitch Njegosh, cherish their Royal Family and have been totally broken down by the news of the Crown Princess’ death.

The Njegoskij Fund is highly interrogative about the origins of the informations on which are based these press articles, about obvious short-cuts made in them to distort the facts, about the sinister purpose of this organised (?) disinformation campaign and why orderofdanilo.org translated and published them promptly, immediately accrediting their content by the official character of this website, while precisely the role of an official communication organ is to react publicly to incorrect informations and to protect the Royal Family against such kind of obvious manipulations, particularly in that moment, in mourning period.

Face to that, His Royal Highness, in a moment of deepest sadness for him of his family, has been forced to personally react from Paris by mean of the above reported press release [1].

Pierre Olivier LEROY