The Boy Who Was a King

Directed by Andrey Paounov, this documentary offers a captivating and nuanced portrait of the unique life of Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, the last child-monarch of Bulgaria. Crowned at the age of six following the sudden death of his father King Boris III, Simeon was forced into exile by the communist regime after World War II, spending over fifty years living in Spain. The narrative charts his life in exile, his royal heritage, and the unprecedented turn of events in 2001, when he returned to his homeland, formed a political movement, and was democratically elected Prime Minister of the republic. Rich in rare archival footage and intimate interviews, the film captures the paradoxes of history, political expectation, and the personal identity of a man caught between royal duty and modern democracy.