Beli Dvor (White Palace), Belgrade

The White Palace (Beli Dvor) is the official residence of the former Yugoslav royal family, the Royal House of Karageorgevich. Located in the Dedinje neighborhood of Belgrade, it stands within the Royal Compound. The palace was designed by architect Aleksandar Đorđević in a neo-Palladian style, drawing inspiration from 18th-century English country houses like Ditchley Park.

Commissioned by King Alexander I for his three sons, construction began in the same year as his assassination during a state visit to Marseille, France. The project was then supervised by Prince Regent Paul until its completion in 1937. Although Queen Maria and her sons, including the young King Peter II, continued to reside in the Royal Palace, Prince Paul was the only royal to live in the White Palace before the outbreak of World War II and the invasion of Yugoslavia.

The palace's interior boasts a rich array of English Georgian and 19th-century Russian antiques, curated by the French design firm Maison Jansen, famous for later decorating the White House during John F. Kennedy's administration. Notable interior features include a large hall, several drawing rooms styled in Louis XV and Louis XVI decor, a formal Chippendale dining room, and a library housing around 35,000 books.

Externally, the palace's white plastered walls and stone decorations lend it its name. The main façade features a flat central structure with protruding side masses, an atrium preceded by a Doric-style portico, and three entrance doors with glass panes. The second floor is adorned with three central windows topped by a triangular molding and flanked by ionic pilasters supporting the gable, with additional distinctive window designs on the first and third floors.

Today, the palace remains a significant cultural and historical site, offering a glimpse into the legacy of the Yugoslav royal family and the architectural grandeur of the period.