Simeon II of Bulgaria

Simeon Borisov Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (born 16 June 1937) is a Bulgarian politician who was the last Tsar of the Tsardom of Bulgaria as Simeon II (1943–1946) and served as prime minister of the Republic of Bulgaria as Simeon Sakskoburggotski (2001–2005).

Bulgaria joined the Axis Powers in 1941 during World War II, when Simeon was heir apparent to the throne. After the death of his father Boris III, Simeon became Tsar of Bulgaria in 1943. Since he was a minor, a regency council led by his uncle Kiril, Prince of Preslav, General Nikola Mihov and prime minister, Bogdan Filov ran the country on his behalf. Bulgaria lost the war to the Allied Powers and was occupied by the Soviet Union. Simeon was forced into exile in 1946 when the monarchy was abolished by referendum. Simeon lived in Egypt until Francoist Spain granted him asylum in 1951. The Soviet-installed People's Republic of Bulgaria would last until the fall of Communism in Bulgaria in 1990.

In 1996, Simeon returned to Bulgaria and founded the National Movement for Stability and Progress party (NDSV; the acronym can also be read to mean the National Movement Simeon II party). Simeon became Bulgarian prime minister after the NDSV won an absolute majority in the 2001 election. During his term in office, Bulgaria joined the United States' invasion of Iraq in 2003 and joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 2004. Simeon's party finished second in the 2005 election, and he led the party into a coalition government with the Bulgarian Socialist Party. The NDSV lost all of its seats in the 2009 election. Simeon retired from politics after this defeat.

As of 2026, Simeon and the 14th Dalai Lama are the only two people alive who were heads of state during World War II; both were symbolic monarchs in regent-led governments.