After the WWII, the exiled King Peter II Karageorgevich retained all four royal orders of merit as the orders of the Crown.
The new Yugoslav government considered decorations of the former regime incompatible with the new state ideology and instead adopted a Soviet-style system of decorations and social awards as early as 1943. The royal orders and medals were abolished and their wearing outlawed. The exempt, in a way, were the First World War veterans who were awarded the Orders of the Star of Karageorge with Swords and of the White Eagle with Swords(both the division "with swords", as well as the recipients of some WWI military medals who could even claim financial compensation.
State or Dynastic Orders?
While the Order of the Star of Karageorge had without doubt a dynastic character, the other three orders were indeed merely state decorations. The non-dynastical character of the Order of White Eagle and of St. Sava was best demonstrated in 1903/4 when the new king (from Karageorgevich dynasty) took them over with minor design but none statute changes, although they were founded by the rival (Obrenovich) dynasty. The state character of the Order of Yugoslav Crown is inherent in its name.
All four orders have been defined in the legal acts regulating their foudation and use as intended to award the services to the King, His house and the State and people's unity, which formally endorsed them with both dynastic and state character. Thus, it wold not be wrong to consider them extant as House orders of the former Serbian and Yugoslav Royal House of Karageorgevich, headed by HRH Crown Prince Alexander Karageorgevich, son and heir of the late King Peter II of Yugoslavia. To this contributes the absence of interest of the government of the Republic of Serbia to challenge the former Royal House and its prerogatives in this area, which - although currently unlikely - may change in the future.
Bestowals of the royal Orders after the WWII
Except all male members of the House of Karageorgevich, who receive Grand Cross of the Order of the Star of Karageorge at birth by virtue of its Statutes, and the King (or the Head of the House) and the Heir-Apparent (albeit after attaining his majority) who are ex officio entitled to the Order of St. Prince Lazar, the current membership of the Serbian/Yugoslav royal orders of merit is very scarce.
King Peter II awarded Yugoslav orders very rarely from assuming the full regal powers (27th March 1941), during the WWII and later in exile. Although living in financially reduced circumstances, the King did not choose compromise the integrity of the Royal Orders he could rightfully give by bestowing them for material benefit.
His son and heir, HRH Crown Prince Alexander, continues this restrictive practice. Apart from bestowing Grand Crosses of the Orders of the Star of Karageorge and of the White Eagle on a few prominent figures such are Frà Andrew Bertie, Grand Master of the SMOM (and his predecessor, Frà Angelo de Mojana di Cologna), HRH the Infante Don Carlos of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duke of Calabria, HRH Dom Duarte Pio, Duke of Bragança and HH Patriarch Pavle of the Serbian Orthodox Church, he made only a few bestowals of the members of his advisory bodies.
Members of the advisory bodies of Crown Prince Alexander decorated on 18th February 2007
HRH Crown Prince Alexander II bestowed posthumously the Grand Cross of the Order of the White Eagle the late Mr. Borislav Pekić, member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts; the late Mr. Branko Pešić, former Chief architect of the Temple of St. Sava, Belgrade; the late Mr. Miodrag Popović, architect, member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts; the late Branko Popović, member of the member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts; the late Mr. Milorad Ilić; the late Mr. Borislav Mihajlović; the late Prof. Dr. Slobodan Vitanović; and the late Prof.-Dr. Ivan Antić, architect, member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts.
The Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Sava was bestowed posthumously on the late Mr. Stepan Dragojlović.
The Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts was bestowed with the Grand Cross of te Order of the White Eagle.
Prof.-Dr. Nikola Tasić, archeologist, General Secretary of Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of the Yugoslav Crown.
The Grand Cross of the Order of the White Eagle was bestowed to Mr. Dragomir Acović, Mr. Dušan Babac, Mr. Matija Bećković, Prof. Dr. Dušan T. Bataković, academician Mr. Živojin Bumbaširević, academician Mr. Dragomir Vitorović, academician Mrs. Svetlana Velmar-Janković, academician Mr. Miroslav Gašić, academician Mr. Aleksa Dragnić, Prof. Dr. Dragoljub Kavran, academician Mr. Dušan Kovačević, Mr. Predrag Marković, prof. Dr. Nikola Moravčević, Prof. Dr. Pavle Nikolić, Mr. Djordje Novaković, academician Mr. Milorad Pavić, academician Mr. Predrag Palavestra, Dr. Milan Parivodić, academician Mr. Slobodan Perović, academician Mr. Mladen Srbinović, Mr. Branko Terzić, Prof. Dr. Bogoljub Šijaković and Mrs. Dušanka Trbojević.
