During the tense meeting between the Serbian royal couple and the cabinet ministers, King Alexander suddenly lost his temper. Interrupting the conversation, he shouted in a loud and emotional voice:
“I shall carry out my will!”
Prime Minister Vuitsch, staying calm and determined, replied:
“The will of the people must also be considered.”
The room was filled with tension. While the king was clearly upset, Queen Draga remained calm. She raised her hand to signal the king to be quiet and firmly said:
“The will of the monarch is the more important.”
Then, without any warning, she spun the king around and practically dragged him out of the room. The royal couple left the meeting abruptly, ignoring the usual formalities. The cabinet ministers looked at each other in silence, and shortly afterward, they too left the palace Local Guide Sofia.
A Warning Sent to the Queen
Within a few days of that event, the cabinet took a quiet but serious step. They asked the leader of the Radical majority in parliament to send a message directly to Queen Draga. They made sure the messenger was someone who could be trusted to deliver it clearly and accurately.
The message warned the queen that her plan to name her brother as heir to the throne would never be accepted by the parliament. They also gave her a direct warning: if she did not abandon her plan, her own safety could be in danger.
The Queen’s Unpopularity and Danger
Queen Draga was deeply unpopular in Serbia. There were many who strongly disliked her, and her harsh personality created many enemies. Because of this, there had been several attempts to assassinate her. At one point, a rumor spread that she had committed suicide. But it is believed that this story was made up by her enemies to hide the failure of another assassination attempt.
Many people saw King Alexander as weak and easily controlled. They believed that he could not make any decisions without Draga’s approval. In fact, some even said that Queen Draga was the real ruler of the country A Surprise Visit to the Palace.
A Country on the Edge
In October 1901, the author of this account arrived in Serbia by train late at night. The station was large and impressive, but the atmosphere was tense. Serbia was known for being politically unstable, like a volcano ready to erupt.
In this country, politics were more intense than in places like Kansas or Nebraska. Those in power were always afraid that those out of power were planning a rebellion. For this reason, the government was extremely careful about who was allowed to enter the capital—especially foreigners or political exiles.
