Gladstone’s great-grandson attends Bulgaria’s National Day reception in London

Bulgaria’s National Day, 3 March, was marked with a special reception at the Bulgarian Embassy in London. The celebration opened with the Bulgarian national anthem performed by the talented Bulgarian singer Maria Georgieva, whose voice and stage presence moved the audience, according to BG BEN, the only Bulgarian newspaper published in England.

A special guest at the event was Francis Gladstone, great-grandson of the renowned British statesman William Gladstone, who championed the Bulgarian cause in 1876. Among those attending the reception were James Asser, Member of Parliament for the Labour Party, and Lord Smith of Hindhead of the Conservative Party. Both are members of the All-Party Parliamentary Group working to promote and strengthen bilateral relations and cooperation between Bulgaria and the United Kingdom, support the Bulgarian diaspora in Britain, and raise awareness of Bulgarian culture.

Bulgaria’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Tihomir Stoychev, addressed members of the Bulgarian community in Britain. He noted that 2026 is a special year, as April will mark the 150th anniversary of the April Uprising.

In 1876–1877, William Gladstone was the most influential figure in Britain and one of the leading voices in Europe drawing attention to the situation in Bulgaria. Public outrage over the brutal suppression of the April Uprising sparked a movement in Britain in support of the Bulgarian people, with Gladstone emerging as its political leader. He defended the Bulgarian cause in parliamentary debates, speeches and pamphlets, including The Bulgarian Horrors and the Question of the East (1876), in which he condemned the atrocities committed by the Ottoman Empire against the Bulgarians.

Editor: Miglena Ivanova