Zog and his clan were actually representatives of the Sultan in Albania, before the "liberation". Sons went to schools with Ottoman princes at the academies in Istanbul and Zog himself kept up a loyal relationship with the Sublime Porte. After the Ottoman abolition, they were not impoverished, not any other than the Caliph and before that the Sultan were actually exiled- comfortably. Many stayed in Istanbul. Ottoman Bank, still going, comes to mind.
Zogs problem with his sisters was that they simply were considered non-royals. Not at all equal to any Moslem reigning family. Also, they were useless. They were so dependent on their brother, they started falling apart when he died. Zog had built a large estate on Long Island, with gardens, fountains, a grand palatial style house. Staffed it with servants from Albanian exiles. But there is some mystery if he ever occupied it. The intent was to house his court in exile but it seems nothing ever came of it. The sisters could have occupied it but by this time, after Zog the money was running out.
The estate is very near my good friend's home but he never knew what it was until I told him about it. He checked it out and amazingly it was still there- in a way. The gardens in weeds and overfrown. The house itself derelict and vandalised. There was some question about who actually owned it as taxes were always paid but the place was a ruin. The last we heard, the county was going to declare it abandoned and derelict, tear it down. In the age of tear downs and larger mansions, that would not be surprising.
