Albanian royal Prince Leka has shocked his nation after stepping out with a new girlfriend just months after announcing a divorce from his wife and mother of his child, Crown Princess Elia.

The 42-year-old went to the Carpathia West Ball, which he hosted in honour of The Queen Geraldine Foundation, with new girlfriend Blerta Celibashi in tow.

Blerta is a photographer and has been credited as the person behind the camera in sweet snaps of Prince Leka and his daughter Geraldine shared on Instagram.

The Prince used his Instagram account to make the relationship official, sharing an image of himself and Blerta holding hands.

He captioned the photo, saying: “An evening dedicated to strengthening ties between Albanian and American entrepreneurs, promoting cooperation and support for charitable causes.”

“Gratitude to Anton Konstantin and David Alexander Jenkins for hosting and organizing a wonderful gala dinner at Carpathia West Estate.”

The dad-of-one, who is the head of the Albanian Royal Family, shares Geraldine with ex-wife Elia whom he married in 2016 in Tirana.

Princess Elia, who is also a singer and actress, hasn’t made many public appearances recently and has a private Instagram account.

Prince Leka has been more vocal and announced the seperation from Elia on Instagram, letting fans know it was a mutual decision.

The statement read: “Hello friends and well-wishers.Through this post, I officially inform you that LTM Princ Leka and Elia Zaharia have agreed to end their marriage.

“Since the marriage has lost its function, they have seen the way to resolve it by mutual consent by starting the necessary legal procedures.”

But the pair are committed to doing what’s best for Princess Geraldine. The statement added: “Despite the trust in the institution of the family, LTM Prince Leka II believes that the values of mutual respect and understanding will form the basis of the relationship in its continuity, which will have as its motive the growth and education of LSM Princess Geraldine!!!”