Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, also known as Simeon II of Bulgaria, is the last reigning king of the Kingdom of Bulgaria. Born into the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Koháry two years before the onset of the Second World War, he acceded the throne at the age of six, reigning for two years under a Regency Council. Thereafter, as the communist government backed by Soviet Russia sized power, he was first put under house arrest and then sent into exile along with his mother and sister. On being told to leave, the royal family first moved to Egypt for five years, and then to Spain where Simeon II lived for the next 50 years. During this period, he ran several successful business ventures and also tried unsuccessfully to set up a government in exile. Finally, 44 years after living in exile, he was issued a new Bulgarian passport, enabling him to visit his homeland at the age of 59. Eventually, he returned to Bulgaria to form a political party, which swept the elections, making him the Prime Minister of Bulgaria. He now leads a retired life in Vrana Palace, his childhood home near Sofia.