The website of the Court of King Zog Research Society

Early Years

Muharrem Gjoka joined the Albanian Army at 15 years old (he lied about his age) and fought in the north of Albania against the Serbs who where trying to control this part of the country. He progressed in his army career and eventually became Lieutenant and served for the then Interior Minister, Ahmet Zogu, later, King.
Muharrem's village, Dom, Komsi (part of Burrel) in rural northern Albania is a neighbourng village to where King Zog was born.
His cousin Bajram Neli also served as a bodyguard to the King.

At the time of exile in 1939, Muharrem asked his Albanian wife, Xharije to join him but she refused and he had to leave her and his three young daughters Dife, Hatie and Dushe behind. They never saw him again.

Communism soon fell upon Albania, and having a Royalist connection, Muharrem and the other bodyguards were never able to see their Albanian families again. The risk was too great; Muharrem carried a small pistol all his life to protect himself from the Communists. He was afraid to contact his Albanian family in case he put them in jeopardy. This said, the three daughters grew up, married and all remember the terrible treatment they received from the Communists because of their 'connection'. Instead Muharrem wrote letters to them and never posted them.

Although he met and lived happily with an English nurse in London and they had a daughter together, he never gave up the hope of one day returning to his beloved country and seeing his family again. He died in 1985, just a few days after finally seeing the Communist leader Enver Hoxha die. The newspaper article was found amongst his papers with the date clearly written alongside it...as if he had waited just to see this day. He was buried together with his cousin Bajram Neli in the same grave in Paris, France.

It took nearly fifteen years before Muharrem's grandson Ilmi came to the UK to find the truth behind his grandfather's story. The box of letters which Muharrem wrote to his family were given back to his daughters, together with many photos. The family were overwhelmed with emotions.

Wartime Exile

Cold War Exile

English Family