On May 19th, 2017, which marks 119 years from the passing away of British Prime Minister William E. Gladstone, the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in London held a wreath laying ceremony in his honour. The ceremony took place at the Gladstone statue in Westminster. Diplomats, British friends of Bulgaria and representatives of the Bulgarian diaspora, as well as the Bulgarian Orthodox priest in London, the Rev. Simeon Iliev, attended the event, commemorating one of Bulgaria’s greatest British supporters. 

 

In his speech honouring the Rt Hon W. E. Gladstone, Ambassador Konstantin Dimitrov highlighted Gladstone’s great contribution to raising awareness about the Bulgarian plight during the critical months following the April Uprising. The Ambassador spoke about Gladstone’s role in generating support for our country’s liberation and the restoration of Bulgarian statehood. He also named the Victorian statesman as a political figure who showed that politics ought to be determined not only by national interests, but also by the principles of morality and humanism.

 

The prominent British barrister, John Brisby QC, president of the charity “Friends of Bulgaria”, whose genealogy is intertwined both with the Gladstones and with renowned Bulgarian families, also spoke about Gladstone’s merits to the Bulgarian cause.