Zog I of Albania had Albanian origins. As King, he was honoured by the governments of Italy, Luxembourg, Egypt, Yugoslavia, France, Romania, Greece, Belgium, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Austria. Zog had been engaged to the daughter of Shefqet Bey Verlaci before he became king. Soon after he became king, however, he broke off the engagement. According to traditional customs of blood vengeance prevalent in Albania at the time, Verlaci had the right to kill Zog. The king frequently surrounded himself with a personal guard and avoided public appearances. He also feared that he might be poisoned, so the Mother of the King assumed
Coronation of the Thai monarch returned to Switzerland, not to return until 1950. During his absence, political crises gripped the country, precipitating a coup d'état in 1947, when the military seized power from the civilian government. Despite entreaties for the King to return to Bangkok, he refused several times. In October 1948 the King was seriously injured in a car accident near Lausanne. In early 1950 he eventually returned for the cremation ceremony of his brother, King Rama VIII. Afterwards, the King celebrated his wedding to Sirikit Kitiyakara, and the date of his coronation was set for 5 May 1950. As the first Thai monarch