Bulgaria's ex-king Simeon Saxe-Coburg and his sister, who seek to regain ownership on the Krichim former royal residence, are likely to hear the decision of the court on the issue within a month.

Whether this is a realistic expectation will become clear later on Tuesday, June 16, when for former king and current leader of the centrist National Movement for Stability and Prosperity celebrates his 72nd birthday.

The District Court in Plovdiv will convene on Tuesday to hear three expertises dealing with the renovations of the buildings on the territory of the residence, which may prove vital for the outcome of the case.

It is likely that on the day when the former king celebrates his birthday, the court will rule that the debate has been settled. This will mean that the court will deliver its final decision within a month.

The civil case is the first legal trial for the restitution of royal property, which was launched after regional governor Todor Petkov refused to restore the Krichim residence to Simeon-Saxe Coburg and Maria Luisa. The governor claimed that the papers they provided to prove rightful ownership of the land do not coincide with the data in the municipal archives.

The former king, who was forced to flee in 1946 after the communist takeover, returned to Bulgaria in the late 1990s, when the family property was handed back.

He then won the parliamentary polls in 2001 on the strength of his name alone in his first foray into politics, making some audacious promises in the process.

He spent four years as prime minister, failing to deliver on most of them, but his party still managed to win enough votes to become an important force in the current legislature and part of the ruling coalition.

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