Villa Olga, a house that once belonged to my grandmother HRH Princess Olga of Greece wife of my grandfather HRH Prince Paul of Yugoslavia has been returned to my family by the Republic of Serbia. In 1941 the Karageorgevic Royal family was asked to leave rather unceremoniously and sent into exile beginning with 10 years of house arrest in Africa. The diaspora of the family have been rootless nomads ever since, some settling in America others in England and yet more in France. I grew up being told our family would never be welcome back in Serbia and if we ever dared step foot in the country we would be killed. I don’t really know how true this threat was but that was what my cousins and I were told, so I hope we can be forgiven for our lack of enthusiasm to return, or even to learn the language.

After communism crumbled gradually the official policy toward my family was adjusted and one by one, starting with my mother, they trickled back to see, to feel, and to learn.

The purpose of my first visit to Serbia was to support my mother and to celebrate her achievement with the return of property. This was the first, and while the family hopes it will not be the last, either way this was a significant turn for us to acknowledge.

This week I have seen a country I have only heard of and read about, I met cousins some of whom I have never even heard of, and we all rousingly toasted a beautiful moment.

A great friend sent me a perfectly elegant white dress, made by J. Mendel which had me feeling like a princess! Thank you my darling friend, you know who you are!

The evening began with a ceremony with priests to cleanse the house of bad spirits. Guests began to pour in bearing gifts of flowers and with hugs and smiles.

There was no denying my emotional connection to this land, perhaps entirely romanticized, but nonetheless felt deeply in my heart.

My Serbian friend Rasko Aksentijevic, a natural historian, marched me all over Belgrade, introducing me to the history of buildings and statues and museums, and an ancient Fort overlooking the meeting point of the rivers Sava and Danube.

My cousin HRH Crown Prince Alexander arranged for me to visit the palace where my mother was born, the experience was deeply moving.

I was born in New York City and I was raised in England and I have mostly felt like an outsider everywhere. I’ve moved a million times because I never belonged anywhere. I have only ever moved forward, though perhaps it was sideways.

The last thing I did was to visit my friend Zeljka Milanovic, in Topola, coincidently the same town where the history of my family began 200 or so years ago. I didn’t want to leave. I wanted to take a walk in the forest. And I will, I’ll be back soon.