Category Archives: Romanian Royals

Monastery of Curtea de Argeș in Curtea de Argeș, Romania

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

The 16th-century Cathedral of Curtea de Argeș; Credit – By Alexandru Baboş Albabos – Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10304987

The Monastery of Curtea de Argeș is a Romanian Orthodox monastery in Curtea de Argeș, Romania built between 1515 – 1517, during the reign of Neagoe Basarab V, Prince of Wallachia. On the grounds of the monastery is the 16th-century Cathedral of Curtea de Argeș. The cathedral served as a burial site for Neagoe Basarab V and his family and as the seat for the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese of Argeș and Muscel. During the reign (1881 – 1914) of Carol I, King of Romania, a burial site for the Royal Family of Romania was established at the cathedral.

The 21st-century New Archbishopric and Royal Cathedral in Curtea de Argeș; Credit – By Rereader1996 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=84735309

The New Archbishopric and Royal Cathedral in Curtea de Argeș was built on the monastery grounds from 2009 – 2018. It serves as the seat of the Archdiocese of Argeș and Muscel and as a new burial site for members of the Royal Family of Romania

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The Cathedral of Curtea de Argeș

Credit – By Florin – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0 ro, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28662047

The 16th-century cathedral was built during the reign of Neagoe Basarab V, Prince of Wallachia. Wallachia, a historical and geographical region of Romania, was founded as a principality in the early 14th century. One of the earlier Princes of Wallachia was Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia, commonly known as Vlad the Impaler (Romanian: Vlad Țepeș) or Vlad Dracula (reigned 1428 – 1431 and 1476 – 1477). Neagoe Basarab made major donations to Orthodox churches and monasteries in Wallachia and throughout what is known today as Eastern Europe and also in the Ottoman Empire and the Holy Land. He used the religious and political traditions from the defunct Byzantine Empire in his style of ruling. Neagoe Basarab also established diplomatic contacts with the Pope, taking steps to resolve the conflict between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church. On July 8, 2008, the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church canonized Neagoe Basarab as a saint. His feast day is celebrated on September 26.

Part of the ceiling; Credit – By Pudelek – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=64976936

Neagoe Basarab had direct involvement in the planning and building of the Cathedral of Curtea de Argeș. The cathedral was consecrated on August 15, 1517, and was dedicated to the Dormition of the Mother of God, the Orthodox feast celebrated on August 15, of the “falling asleep” (death) of Mary the Theotokos (Mother of God, literally translated as God-Bearer), and her being taken bodily up into heaven (Assumption of Mary in the Roman Catholic religion).

View from the back showing the annex; Credit – By Daria Virbanescu – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=72885130

The oblong cathedral, in the Byzantine style with Moorish arabesques, sits upon a raised platform above the ground with a many-sided annex at the back. The two smaller cupolas sit in front of the central dome and another dome is above the annex. Atop each dome is the triple cross, representing the Trinity.

The iconostasis – the wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in an Orthodox church; Credit – Wikipedia By Pudelek – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=64976937

In the narthex of the cathedral, a lobby area typical of early Christian and Byzantine churches, are the tombs of the cathedral’s founder Neagoe Basarab V, Prince of Wallachia, his wife Milița Despina, and several other family members. Also in the narthex, members of the recent Royal Family of Romania were buried although several have been re-interred at the New Archbishopric and Royal Cathedral.

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The New Archbishopric and Royal Cathedral in Curtea de Argeş

By Rereader1996 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=84735313

The New Archbishopric and Royal Cathedral was a joint project of the Archdiocese of Argeș and Muscel and the Royal House of Romania. The Romanian royal family wanted a new burial site because the 16th-century Cathedral of Curtea de Argeș had no more room for burials while the new cathedral would serve the Archdiocese of Argeş and Muscel as the seat of the archdiocese. The expenses for the construction were shared by the Royal House of Romania and the Archdiocese of Argeş and Muscel.

Dr. Augustin Ioan, a Romanian architect, writer, and professor at the Ion Mincu University of Architecture and Urban Planning in Bucharest, Romania was chosen to design the new cathedral. In 2008, the first discussion took place between architect Dr. Augustin Ioan and Princess Margareta of Romania, the eldest of the five daughters of former King Mihai of Romania (also known as Michael, reigned 1927 – 1930 and 1940 – 1947 when the monarchy was abolished), known as the Custodian of the Crown of Romania since her father’s death in 2017, and her husband Prince Radu of Romania. Princess Margareta expressed the wish of her father King Mihai to be buried with his ancestors and to bring them all together to be buried in the same place. On May 10, 2009, the foundation stone was laid in the presence of Princess Margareta and her husband Prince Radu.

The new cathedral was designed in the style of Byzantine architecture as a tribute to the 16th-century cathedral. The interior was decorated with mosaics, in the style of the old cathedral. Likewise, the stone exterior of the new cathedral makes a connection to the old cathedral.

Graves in the new burial site; Credit – By Rereader1996 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=84733946

The royal burial site of the new cathedral is located on the right after the entrance. Because the sixteen gravesites could not all be aligned to the east as is the tradition, architect Augustin Ioan came up with a solution. He designed the royal burial site as a circular arcaded portico with the altar in the middle, explaining “The holy altar table represents the mystical east of the church. At the liturgy, the living and the dead await together the conversion of wine and bread into the blood and flesh of Christ, but also the Resurrection.” When entering the burial site, visitors have a figurative and a literal threshold of light to cross because the entrance is a structural glass bridge with light below.

The child martyr Saint Filofteia carrying her food basket with the axe that killed her on the ground

The New Archbishopric and Royal Cathedral in Curtea de Argeş was consecrated on December 7, 2018, and dedicated to Archangel Michael and Archangel Gabriel and the child martyr Saint Filofteia (1206 – 1218) who lived in what is now Bulgaria. Filofteia was a loving, generous and kind little girl whose father and stepmother often beat her. While bringing a basket of food to her father working in the fields, Filofteia would often give some of the food to her less fortunate neighbors. When her father found out where the food was going, he became so angry that he hit her with an ax in the leg and she bled to death. According to the story, Filofteia’s body remained on the ground for days because no one could lift it, as if an otherworldly force was holding it to the ground. The surrounding area glowed with a bright and persistent light and people flocked to the area to pray.

Filofteia’s relics; Credit – De la Țetcu Mircea Rareș – Operă proprie, CC BY-SA 3.0 ro, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28263365

Finally, Filofteia’s remains were properly cared for and were considered a miraculous relic. Eventually, the relics were then given to Mircea the Elder, Prince of Wallachia (reigned 1386 – 1418) who placed them in the Princely Church of Saint Nicholas in Curtea de Argeș which was built in the beginning of the 14th-century. Filofteia was considered the protector of Wallachia. The relics were eventually placed in the Cathedral of Curtea de Argeș. Filofteia’s relics have been moved to a small chapel on the left of the entrance of the New Archbishopric and Royal Cathedral, across from the new royal burial site.

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Buried at the Cathedral of Curtea de Argeș

Family of Neagoe Basarab V, Prince of Wallachia, the builder of the Cathedral of Curtea de Argeș

Neagoe Basarab of Wallachia and his family with the Cathedral of Curtea de Argeș in the middle: on the left, Neagoe Basarab and his three sons: Teodosie, Petru, and Ioan; on the right his wife Milica Despina and their daughters: Stana, Ruxandra, and Angelina; Credit – https://mappingeasterneurope.princeton.edu/item/neagoe-basarab-of-wallachia-and-his-family.html

The grave of Radu of Afumați, Prince of Wallachia, son-in-law of Neagoe Basarab V: Credit – Țetcu Mircea Rareș Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0 ro, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28263363

The Recent Royal Family of Romania

King Carol I in the center with his nephew the future King Ferdinand I on the right and his great-nephew the future King Carol II on the right; Credit – Wikipedia

Because of political unrest in what was then called the Romanian United Principalities, the Ruling Prince, Alexander Ioan Cuza, was forced to abdicate in February 1866. Due largely to the familial relationship with the French Emperor Napoleon III and the Prussian monarchs, Prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen was elected by the Romanian government to become the new Ruling Prince. Karl arrived in Romania on May 10, 1866, and declared his allegiance to his new country, taking on the more Romanian spelling of his name, Carol. In 1881, the Romanian parliament declared Romania a kingdom, and Prince Carol became King Carol I. Romania remained a monarchy until 1947 when King Mihai I was forced to sign a document of abdication by the Communist regime. A year later, he publicly announced that his abdication was invalid, as it had been forced upon him, and that he remained the rightful King of Romania.

It would be 43 years before Mihai set foot on Romanian soil again. In December 1990, Mihai was given permission for a 24-hour visit. However, this ended up being cut short and he was forced to leave early. He visited Romania in again 1992 but the mass outpouring of crowds and supporters concerned the current government and he was banned again for several years. Finally, in 1997, the Romanian government restored Mihai’s citizenship and in the following years, several properties were returned to the royal family.

Buried at the Cathedral of Curtea de Argeș

The grave of Elisabeth of Wied, Queen of Romania; Credit – By Țetcu Mircea Rareș – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0 ro, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28263366

Possibly sometime in the future, some or all of the following could be moved from the Cathedral of Curtea de Argeș to the New Archbishopric and Royal Cathedral.

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Buried at the New Archbishopric and Royal Cathedral in Curtea de Argeş

The mausoleum at the New Archbishopric and Royal Cathedral; Credit – By Rereader1996  Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=84739150

  • Anne of Bourbon-Parma, Queen of Romania (titular) (1923 – 2016), wife of Mihai I
  • Mihai I (Michael), King of Romania (1921 – 2017), son of Carol II
  • Carol II, King of Romania (1893 – 1953), son of Ferdinand I, died in exile in Portugal, first buried at the Royal Pantheon of the House of Braganza at the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, Portugal, in 2003 his remains were returned to Romania and buried in a chapel outside the Curtea de Argeş Cathedral, reinterred at the New Archbishopric and Royal Cathedral in Curtea de Argeș on March 8, 2019
  • Helen of Greece and Denmark, Queen Mother of Romania (1896 – 1982), second of the three wives of Carol II (divorced), mother of Mihai I, first buried at the Bois-de-Vaux Cemetery in Lausanne, Switzerland, reinterred at the New Archbishopric and Royal Cathedral at Curtea de Argeș on October 19, 2019.
  • Prince Mircea of Romania (1913 – 1916), the three-year-old son of Ferdinand I, died of typhoid fever on November 2, 1916. As the family was fleeing enemy forces approaching Bucharest during World War I, he was quickly buried in the grounds of Cotroceni Palace. In 1941, his remains were moved to the chapel at Bran Castle. In 2019, his remains found their final resting place at the New Archbishopric and Royal Cathedral at Curtea de Argeş.

Graves of King Mihai I and Queen Anne; Credit – www.findagrave.com

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Act Media. 2019. Queen Mother reburied at Curtea de Argeş. [online] Available at: <https://actmedia.eu/daily/mother-queen-helen-reburied-in-curtea-de-arges/83231> [Accessed 15 March 2022].
  • Agerpres.ro. 2019. DOCUMENTAR: Noua catedrală arhiepiscopală şi regală de la Curtea de Argeş. [online] Available at: <https://www.agerpres.ro/documentare/2019/10/19/documentar-noua-catedrala-arhiepiscopala-si-regala-de-la-curtea-de-arges–388039> [Accessed 15 March 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Curtea de Argeș Cathedral – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtea_de_Arge%C8%99_Cathedral> [Accessed 15 March 2022].
  • Hu.wikipedia.org. 2022. Curtea de Argeș-i kolostor – Wikipédia. [online] Available at: <https://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtea_de_Arge%C8%99-i_kolostor> [Accessed 15 March 2022].
  • Ionescu, Sinziana, 2016. Secretele Catedralei din Curtea de Argeş în care va fi înmormântată Regina Ana. A fost proiectată de un arhitect dobrogean. [online] adevarul.ro. Available at: <https://adevarul.ro/locale/constanta/secretele-catedralei-curtea-arges-inmormantata-regina-ana-fost-proiectata-arhitect-dobrogean-1_57a87f1b5ab6550cb893f12a/index.html> [Accessed 15 March 2022].
  • Radioromaniacultural.ro. 2018. Născut în România – Un loc de odihnă pentru toţi Regii României; Noua Necropolă Regală de la Curtea de Argeş invitat- arh. Augustin Ioan – Radio România Cultural. [online] Available at: <https://www.radioromaniacultural.ro/nascut-in-romania-un-loc-de-odihna-pentru-toti-regii-romaniei-noua-necropola-regala-de-la-curtea-de-arges-invitat-arh-augustin-ioan/> [Accessed 15 March 2022].
  • Ro.wikipedia.org. 2022. Mănăstirea Curtea de Argeș – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C4%83n%C4%83stirea_Curtea_de_Arge%C8%99> [Accessed 15 March 2022].
  • Ro.wikipedia.org. 2022. Noua Catedrală Arhiepiscopală din Curtea de Argeș – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noua_Catedral%C4%83_Arhiepiscopal%C4%83_din_Curtea_de_Arge%C8%99> [Accessed 15 March 2022].
  • Ro.wikipedia.org. 2022. Sfânta Muceniță Filofteia de la Argeș – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sf%C3%A2nta_Muceni%C8%9B%C4%83_Filofteia_de_la_Arge%C8%99> [Accessed 15 March 2022].
  • Sullivan, Alice Isabella, 2022. Neagoe Basarab of Wallachia and His Family. [online] Mappingeasterneurope.princeton.edu. Available at: <https://mappingeasterneurope.princeton.edu/item/neagoe-basarab-of-wallachia-and-his-family.html> [Accessed 15 March 2022].
  • Tour-romania.com. 2022. Curtea arges Monastery Romania. [online] Available at: <http://www.tour-romania.com/highlight/curtea_arges.html> [Accessed 15 March 2022].
  • Travel Notes & Beyond. 2022. Curtea de Arges Cathedral – From Myth to History and Back. [online] Available at: <https://travelnotesandbeyond.com/curtea-de-arges-cathedral/> [Accessed 15 March 2022].
  • Welcometoromania.eu. 2022. Arges Monastery, the Episcopal Church, Curtea de Argeș·. [online] Available at: <https://www.welcometoromania.eu/Curtea_de_Arges/Curtea_de_Arges_Manastirea_Arges_e.htm> [Accessed 15 March 2022].

Magda Lupescu, third wife of King Carol II of Romania

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Magda Lupescu was the mistress, and then third wife of King Carol II of Romania. The couple was married several years after Carol abdicated the Romanian throne.

King Carol II of Romania and Magda Lupescu; Credit – Wikipedia

Elena “Magda” Lupescu was born in Iaşi, Romania on September 15, 1899, to Nicolae Lupsecu and Elise Falk. Her father was born Jewish but he converted to Orthodoxy and changed his surname to Lupescu. Her mother was also born Jewish but converted to Roman Catholicism before her marriage. Magda had one younger brother Constantin. Raised Catholic, Magda attended a Catholic boarding school in Bucharest.

On February 17, 1919, Magda married Ion Tâmpeanu, an officer in the Romanian Royal Army. They had no children and were divorced by 1923. Sometime in 1923, Magda met Crown Prince Carol, and by early 1925 a relationship had developed. By this time, Carol had already been married twice, first to Zizi Lambrino, a marriage that had been annulled, and was currently married to Princes Helen of Greece with whom he had one son, the future King Mihai of Romania. Once again, his romantic involvement caused a great scandal in Romania. Unhappy in his marriage to Helen, Carol wanted to divorce her and marry Magda. However, the Romanian constitution forbade him from marrying a Romanian citizen. Unable to overcome that restriction, Carol formally renounced his rights to the Romanian throne in December 1925, and was removed from the Royal House by his father King Ferdinand. Carol and Magda were forced to leave Romania, settling in Paris, France.

In June 1930, Carol returned to Romania. Following a coup, his previous renunciation to succession rights was invalidated and he was proclaimed King of Romania on June 8, 1930. Soon after, Magda also returned, taking up residence in a villa, Aleea Vulpache in Bucharest, where she hosted the highest of Romanian society. Despite the public acknowledgment of their relationship, Magda had no official titles or styles, nor did she accompany King Carol at official functions.

After ten years on the throne, Carol was forced to abdicate in September 1940, with his young son Mihai returning to the throne. Once again forced to leave the country, Carol and Magda traveled to Spain and Portugal before settling in Mexico for several years.

After moving to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1944, Magda and Carol were finally married in a Brazilian hotel room during the summer of 1947. Magda became known as Princess Elena of Romania, however, this was simply by courtesy, as there was never a formal grant of such a title or style.

Magda” Lupescu source: The Times

Magda and Carol soon moved again, settling in Estoril, Portugal, where they would live the rest of their lives. The former King Carol died suddenly of a heart attack in 1953, and his coffin was placed in the Pantheon of the House of Brangza at the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, Portugal.

Magda survived her husband by 24 years, dying in Estoril, Portugal on June 29, 1977. Her coffin was placed beside her husband’s. In 2003, the coffins of both Magda and Carol were returned to Romania and interred at the Curtea de Argeş Monastery, the traditional burial site of the Romanian royal family in Curtea de Argeș, Romania. While Carol’s coffin was placed in the Royal Chapel, Magda’s was interred in the surrounding cemetery.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Zizi Lambrino, First Wife of King Carol II of Romania

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Zizi with then-Prince Carol, c1918. source: Wikipedia

Zizi Lambrino was the first wife of the future King Carol II of Romania. The couple married in 1918, but by the following year, the Romanian government had deemed the marriage unconstitutional and it was annulled. Joanna Marie Valentina “Zizi” Lambrino was born October 3, 1898, in Romania, the daughter of Colonel Constantin Lambrino and Euphrosine Alcaz. She was educated in a Catholic school in France before returning to her native Romania.

Zizi met the then-Crown Prince Carol in 1918, and the two quickly began a romance. Despite the opposition of the Royal Family, Carol insisted on pursuing Zizi and made clear his intentions to marry her. On August 18, 1918, Carol and Zizi crossed the border into Ukraine and were married in the Orthodox Cathedral of Odesa. When his father King Ferdinand found out he ordered that Carol be confined in the Bistrita Monastery for 75 days. Carol threatened to renounce his right to the throne if his marriage was not allowed to remain intact. In August 1919, when the Supreme Court ruled that it was unconstitutional and had the marriage annulled, Carol formally renounced his rights to the throne.

On August 8, 1920, in Bucharest, Zizi gave birth to the couple’s only child, a son named Mircea Gregor Carol Lambrino. As Zizi and Carol’s marriage had been legally annulled, the child was considered illegitimate and was given his mother’s surname.

Soon after the birth, Carol ended his relationship with Zizi, choosing instead to remain in line for the Romanian throne. Zizi and her son were forced to leave the country and were financially supported by the Romanian government. A villa was purchased for her in Neuilly-sur-Seine, just outside of Paris, and Zizi was granted an annual pension of 110,000 Francs.

Zizi with her son. photo: De la Sursa, Utilizare cinstită, https://ro.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=792858

Carol Lambrino later claimed he was entitled to some of his father’s estate, and pursued legal action. In 1955, a Portuguese court decreed that he was King Carol II’s legitimate son and he was permitted to take Hohenzollern as his surname. Two years later, a similar ruling in France allowed young Carol to claim his inheritance rights to his father’s French properties. King Mihai I of Romania, his half-brother, unsuccessfully appealed the ruling. Finally, in 1995, a Romanian court ruled that Carol was the former king’s legitimate son. King Mihai once again appealed several times, each time unsuccessfully.

Carol Lambrino. photo: By Prince Paul of Romania – Flickr: HRH Prince Carol Mircea/ ASR Printul Carol Mircea al Romaniei, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18516938

Young Carol was married three times and had two sons. His elder son Paul-Philippe Hohenzollern (born 1948) claims he is the rightful head of the Royal House.

Having lived a relatively quiet life in France for over 30 years, Zizi Lambrino died in near poverty on March 11, 1953, in Neuilly-sur-Seine, just three weeks before the death of her former husband, Carol II.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Princess Helen of Greece, Queen Mother of Romania

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

Princess Helen of Greece, Queen Mother of Romania source: Wikipedia

Princess Helen of Greece and Denmark, Queen Mother of Romania, was the second wife of King Carol II of Romania, the eldest son of King Ferdinand of Romania and Princess Marie of Edinburgh. She was born on May 2, 1896, in Athens, Greece the third of six children of King Constantine I of the Hellenes and Princess Sophie of Prussia. Her siblings were:

Helen (left) with her brothers and sister Irene (seated), 1904. source: Wikipedia

Helen was educated at home by tutors and governesses and was particularly close to her brother, Alexander. Their family life was often disrupted by the political tension in Greece, and the family spent several years in exile. Following her grandfather’s assassination in 1913, Helen’s father became King of the Hellenes. However, he would be forced from the throne in 1917. The family settled in Switzerland, while Helen’s brother Alexander was chosen to replace his father.

Helen and Carol, 1921. source: Wikipedia

In 1920, while the Greek royal family was in exile, Queen Marie of Romania and her daughters visited them. This resulted in the engagement of Helen’s brother, the future King George II of the Hellenes, and Princess Elisabeta of Romania. The group was soon joined by the future King Carol II of Romania who was returning from a trip around the world, intended to separate him from his first (and former) wife, Zizi Lambrino. After traveling together to Romania for the engagement announcement, Helen and Carol returned together to Switzerland and became closer on the journey. After returning, Carol asked Helen’s father for her hand in marriage, and their engagement was announced in November 1920. They married on March 10, 1921, at the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation in Athens, Greece, and following a honeymoon, returned to Romania.

The couple had one son:

The couple had apartments at Cotroceni Palace but lived at the Château de Foisor on the grounds of Peleș Castle, and later moved to a house in Bucharest. The marriage was not a happy one. Helen was very proper and aristocratic, while Carol preferred spending his time partying with his friends, and in the company of other women. Within a few years, Carol began an affair with Magda Lupescu, and in 1925 he renounced his rights to the throne and left the country. Helen was given the title Princess of Romania.

In July 1927, King Ferdinand died, and Helen’s son Mihai ascended the throne at just five years old. Despite being the mother of the King, Helen had no official position, nor was she a member of the Regency Council. At the end of that year, Carol asked Helen for a divorce, which she initially refused. However, she later gave in to the advice of the government, and the couple was formally divorced on June 21, 1928.

In June 1930, Carol returned to Romania following a coup organized by Prime Minister Iuliu Maniu. The parliament voided his previous renunciation of the throne, and he was proclaimed King. Helen remained at their home in Bucharest with her son, while there was a significant discussion, both publicly and within the government, about annulling the couple’s divorce. Helen was told that since the 1926 renunciation was voided, she had technically become Queen of Romania when her father-in-law died in 1927. However, when presented with a decree from the government to confirm Helen as Her Majesty The Queen of Romania, Carol refused, insisting that she should be styled Her Majesty Helen.

Helen and her son, Mihai, in London, 1932. source: Wikipedia

While Helen considered the annulment of their marriage, Carol was adamantly against it. Faced with harsh treatment from Carol – guards placed around her home, visitors harassed – Helen left Romania and traveled to her mother’s home in Italy. After she returned in 1932, King Carol began a media campaign to damage her reputation. The government finally interceded, announcing that she would be permitted to live in Romania for six months each year and take her son abroad for one month. They also confirmed her civil list payment. Despite all of this, she was expected to remain abroad. She purchased a home in Italy and in 1934 moved into Villa Sparta – her mother’s former home – along with her brother Paul and two sisters. She remained there for ten years, only seeing her son for a month or two each year.

Villa Sparta. photo by By I, Sailko, source: Wikipedia

In 1940, Carol was forced to abdicate and Mihai returned to the throne. Helen was called back to Romania and given the formal title Her Majesty the Queen Mother of Romania. Helen served as a close advisor to her son and encouraged him to stand up to Prime Minister Ion Antonescu who had established himself as dictator.

During World War II, she devoted herself to caring for the wounded, and in 1942 she played a major role in stopping Antonescu’s plans to deport the Jews. For this, she was later awarded the status Righteous Among the Nations (in 1993, nearly eleven years after her death). By 1947, Romania was under Communist control, and Helen and King Mihai were treated very harshly. When they traveled to London for the wedding of Helen’s cousin Philip Mountbatten to Princess Elizabeth of the United Kingdom, many in the Romanian government hoped that they would not return. Despite being urged to remain in London, the two returned to Romania on December 21, 1947. Within days, King Mihai was forced to relinquish the throne, with threats of mass executions if he did not agree to abdicate. The country was proclaimed a republic and Mihai and Helen left Romania on January 3, 1948.

They settled in Switzerland, where they found themselves in poor financial circumstances. They had most of their assets and properties seized by the Romanian government and had been stripped of their citizenship. Helen’s biggest concern was the upcoming marriage of her son to Princess Anne of Bourbon-Parma. Due to Anne’s Catholicism, most of her family refused to attend as the Pope would not sanction the marriage. Instead, Helen’s brother, King George II of the Hellenes, arranged for the couple to marry in Athens in June 1948.

Helen then returned to Villa Sparta in Italy, often hosting her son and his growing family, as well as her sister Irene and her son. She often traveled to England and Greece to visit family and participated in the Cruise of the Kings in 1954, hosted by her brother, King Paul of the Hellenes, and sister-in-law, Princess Frederica of Hanover. Helen also indulged her love of Renaissance painting and architecture, spending much time visiting museums and exhibits. Her love of gardening also led to a romance with the twice-widowed King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden, who reportedly proposed marriage but Helen declined. Always struggling financially, Helen was forced to sell off many of her remaining assets and eventually had to give up Villa Sparta.

First Grave of Queen Mother Helen of Romania. Photo by krischnig, source: Wikipedia

In 1979, now facing the effects of age and financial difficulties, Helen left Italy and settled in a small apartment in Lausanne, Switzerland. She later moved in with her son and his family. On November 28, 1982, Princess Helen of Greece, Queen Mother of Romania, died in Lausanne. She was initially buried at the Bois-de-Vaux Cemetery in Lausanne. Helen was reburied at the new Archdiocesan and Royal Cathedral at Curtea de Argeș on October 19, 2019.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Romania Resources at Unofficial Royalty

King Carol II of Romania

by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2016

King Carol II of Romania; Credit – Wikipedia

King Carol II of Romania was born at Peleş Castle in Sinaia, Romania, on October 15, 1893, the eldest son of the future King Ferdinand I of Romania and Princess Marie of Edinburgh. He had five younger siblings:

Carol (right) with his mother and sister, Elisabeta, 1895. source: Wikipedia

King Carol II was the first King of Romania to be born in Romania, and the first member of the Romanian royal family to be brought up in the Orthodox faith. His predecessors were both born in Germany and had been permitted to remain members of the Roman Catholic church.

Carol with his great-uncle, King Carol I. source: Wikipedia

From a very early age, Carol was raised primarily by his great-uncle and great-aunt, King Carol I of Romania and Queen Elisabeth. The King felt that Carol’s parents were unable to raise their son properly. Ferdinand and Marie were young, and Marie had already had several affairs which contrasted with the strict moral attitudes of King Carol I. The result was a virtual tug-of-war between Carol’s parents and the King and Queen, which left him, according to one historian, “both spoiled and deprived of love.”

Despite King Carol I’s efforts to raise Carol in his own militaristic image, the young prince soon found that he preferred to spend his time chasing women and partying with his friends. By the time he was 19, he had already fathered two illegitimate children. In 1913, King Carol I had him commissioned in the Prussian Guards, hoping to curb his hedonistic lifestyle. He later took his seat in the Romanian Senate upon reaching his maturity.

Carol and Zizi Lambrino, c1919. source: Wikipedia

On August 31, 1918, Carol married Joanna “Zizi” Lambrino, the daughter of a Romanian general, at the Cathedral Church of Odesa, Ukraine, Russia. The marriage was not sanctioned by King Carol I and was unwelcome by the Romanian people. Seven months later, the marriage was annulled but the couple continued to live together. The following year, in January 1920, they had a son Mircea Gregor Carol Lambrino, later known as Prince Mircea Grigore Carol of Romania.

Carol and Helen, 1921. source: Wikipedia

The following year, on March 10, 1921, Carol married his second cousin, Princess Helen of Greece, the daughter of King Constantine I of the Hellenes and Princess Sophie of Prussia. They had one son:

The marriage, arranged to form an alliance between Romania and Greece, was never a happy one, and Carol and Helen were horribly mismatched. Helen was very aristocratic and refined, while Carol continued his partying ways and indulged in numerous affairs. In 1925, he began a relationship with Elena “Magda” Lupescu. She was the daughter of Jewish parents but had been raised Roman Catholic, as her mother had converted in her youth. Her father had converted to Orthodoxy. Magda had married a Romanian army officer in 1919 but was later divorced. It is speculated that she was still married when she first met Carol in 1923, but this is uncertain. Other sources state her divorce took place in 1920.

Carol made no efforts to hide his affair, and it quickly caused great controversy in Romania. Knowing that the Romanian constitution barred him from marrying her, on December 28, 1925, Carol renounced his rights to the Romanian throne. Once ratified by the parliament, this left his young son Mihai as heir-apparent.

On July 20, 1927, King Ferdinand died, and Mihai became King of Romania at just six years old. Several months later, Carol asked Helen for a divorce. After initially refusing, she was later advised to agree and their marriage was formally dissolved on June 21, 1928.

In early June 1930, Carol quietly returned to Romania to negotiate with the Prime Minister for his return to the throne. On June 7th, following a coup, Carol’s early renunciation was voided, and he was restored as King of Romania, replacing his young son. Despite taking an oath to uphold the 1923 Constitution, King Carol had no intention of doing so. From the beginning, he attempted to increase his powers, intending to establish a dictatorship. In a reign riddled with political in-fighting, Carol often pitted the political parties against each other, for his own gains.

After discovering a plan to bring the anti-Semitic party into power, King Carol suspended the constitution on February 10, 1938, proclaiming martial law and suspending civil liberties. He dismissed the Prime Minister and appointed the head of the Romanian Orthodox Church as his replacement. With the fear of impending war, King Carol tried to play both sides of the fence. He appealed to Britain for help, offering to place Romania under their economic influence, while also visiting Hitler in Germany, attempting to improve relations between the two countries. At the onset of war, Carol declared neutrality, violating both the 1921 treaty with Poland and the 1926 treaty with France. It wasn’t until May 1940, seeing that France was losing the battle, that Carol aligned with the Axis powers.

The following month, he was forced to cede several regions to the Soviet Union, knowing that the Romanian forces were no match for the Red Army. Further land was lost in August 1940 due to the Second Vienna Award. With no support from the Romanian people, and the Romanian forces refusing to follow his orders, King Carol II was forced to abdicate on September 6, 1940, in favor of his son, Mihai.

Carol went into exile, settling in Mexico with Magda Lupescu. They bought a home in Mexico City, where he attempted to organize a movement to overthrow General Antonescu. Several attempts to regain the throne failed, as he had no political support.

Carol and Magda Lupesco. source: Wikipedia

Carol and Magda moved to Brazil in 1944, where they married on June 3, 1947. They soon moved to Estoril, Portugal, where he would live in exile for the remainder of his life. The former King Carol II died suddenly of a heart attack on April 4, 1953, in Estoril, Portugal. His remains were placed in the Royal Pantheon of the House of Braganza at the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, Portugal. His wife Magda was also buried there when she died 24 years later. In 2003, their remains were brought back to Romania and buried in a chapel outside the Curtea de Argeş Monastery in Argeş, Romania. His son, the former King Mihai who had not seen his father since 1940, did not attend.

Romania Resources at Unofficial Royalty

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Elisabeth of Wied, Queen of Romania

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2016

source: Wikipedia

Princess Elisabeth of Wied, Queen of Romania

Queen Elisabeth of Romania was the wife of Romania’s first king, Carol I. She was born Princess Pauline Elisabeth Ottilie Luise of Wied on December 29, 1843, at Schloss Monrepos in Neuwied, Principality of Wied, now in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Her parents were Hermann, Prince of Wied and Princess Marie of Nassau, and she had two younger brothers:

Through her mother, Elisabeth’s first cousins included Grand Duke Guillaume IV of Luxembourg, Queen Emma of the Netherlands, Princess Helena, Duchess of Albany, and King Gustaf V of Sweden.

As a child, Elisabeth was educated at home by tutors, including German linguist Georg Sauerwein and famed pianist Clara Schumann. Elisabeth was an avid student, and for some time wanted to become a teacher. Her love of music and the arts – particularly writing – would shape the woman she would become as an adult. It was even during her early years studying with Sauerwein that her pseudonym ‘Carmen Sylva’ was born.

Carol and Elisabeth, circa 1870s; Credit – Wikipedia

In the late 1850s, Elisabeth was considered as a prospective bride of the future King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, but he was not interested. In 1861, she first met her future husband, Prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. Several years later, he was later elected Ruling Prince of the United Principalities of Romania, taking the name Prince Carol I. After meeting again in 1869 when Carol was touring Europe in search of a bride, the couple was married in Neuwied on November 15, 1869. They had one daughter – Maria – born in September 1870. Maria died of scarlet fever in 1874, and Elisabeth never fully recovered from the loss of her only child.

Elisabeth with her husband and daughter, 1873. source: Wikipedia

Soon the country was embroiled in the Russo-Turkish War, and Elisabeth worked tirelessly to care for the wounded, arranging for hospitals, ambulance services, and medicine. She later went on to establish the Queen Elisabeth Society which provided free medical care for the needy, and the Queen Elisabeth Blind Asylum in 1909, for the visually impaired. In addition, she became an ambassador of sorts, promoting Romanian culture and arts throughout the country and Europe. At a time when traditional Romanian costume was often considered ‘peasants garments’, Elisabeth and her ladies-in-waiting often dressed in the outfits for public appearances. She arranged for exhibits of Romanian crafts at the Universal Exhibitions in Paris in 1867,1889 and 1900, as well as holding an exhibit – Women in the Arts and Crafts – in Berlin in 1912. When Romania was not quite part of the normal ‘tourist circuit’, Elisabeth promoted the country and would even receive travelers on the Orient Express when they would stop in Sinaia.

A relentless patron of the arts, she often hosted writers, composers, and musicians, and helped promote their works. In later years, she had a concert hall built near Peleș Castle specifically for George Enescu, the famed Romanian musician. But her true passion was writing. Under the pseudonym Carmen Sylva, she wrote hundreds of poems, plays, novels, short stories and essays, and thanks to her fluency in several languages, published numerous translations of other works.

Shortly after becoming Queen of Romania in 1881, Elisabeth was embroiled in controversy. Having no children, King Carol had adopted his nephew, the future King Ferdinand, as his heir. Ferdinand soon became involved with one of Elisabeth’s ladies-in-waiting, Elena Văcărescu. The Queen encouraged the relationship, despite the fact that a marriage would be forbidden under the Romanian constitution which stated that the heir was not permitted to marry a Romanian citizen. The scandal resulted in Elena, Ferdinand, and Queen Elisabeth all being sent out of the country. The Queen returned for some time to Neuwied, while Ferdinand was sent on a tour of Europe to find an appropriate wife.

Dowager Queen Elisabeth, 1915. source: Wikipedia

In her later years, Elisabeth continued to support and promote the arts and continued with her writing. She died on March 2, 1916, and is buried beside her husband at the Cathedral of the Curtea de Argeş Monastery.

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Romania Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Princess Elisabeta of Romania, Queen of the Hellenes

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

Princess Elisabeta of Romania, Queen of the Hellenes; Credit: Wikipedia

Princess Elisabeta of Romania was the wife of King George II of the Hellenes from 1921 until 1935. She was born Elisabeta Charlotte Josephine Alexandra Victoria on October 12, 1894, at Peleş Castle in Romania, the eldest daughter of King Ferdinand I of Romania and Princess Marie of Edinburgh. Elisabeta had five siblings:

Elisabeta on her mother’s lap with her brother Carol, c1895. source: Wikipedia

Elisabeta was raised by her great-aunt (and namesake) Queen Elisabeth, the wife of King Carol I of Romania. As a child, she learned to play the piano and violin and quickly developed a talent for drawing and painting. Educated privately at home, she spoke several languages and furthered her skills in music and art. She also began her charitable work at a young age. Along with her sisters, Elisabeta often joined their mother in her nursing work during World War I. After the war, she spent a year studying art and music in Paris.

Queen Marie, Princess Elisabeta, and Princess Maria in Paris, 1919. source: Wikipedia

Elisabeta first met her future husband in 1911, when the Greek Royal Family had been invited to visit the Romanian Royal Family. Prince George (later King George II) was the son of King Constantine I of the Hellenes and Princess Sophie of Prussia. George and Elisabeta were second cousins through their mothers. During the visit, George proposed but Elisabeta declined. He proposed again in 1914 after the Balkan Wars but she again turned him down. The two maintained contact and George’s luck would soon improve. In early 1920, while traveling from France with her mother and sisters, they stopped in Switzerland where the Greek Royal Family was living in exile. George proposed again, and this time, Elisabeta accepted. The engagement was announced in October 1920 and they married on February 27, 1921, in Bucharest, Romania. By the time of the wedding, George’s father had been restored to the Greek throne. Elisabeta became the Crown Princess of Greece and the Duchess of Sparta. A week after their return to Greece, a second wedding took place in Athens. Elisabeta’s brother, Carol, married George’s sister, Princess Helen of Greece. Neither marriage would prove to be a happy one.

Elisabeta and George, 1921. source: Wikipedia

The Crown Princess found her new life in Greece to be very difficult. She did not speak the language and often felt snubbed by many in her husband’s family. The couple did not have their own home but lived with King Constantine and Queen Sophia. Trying to make the best of the situation, Elisabeta quickly set out to redecorate their apartments but soon found that there was little money to do so. The Greek Royal Family did not have the same financial resources to which she was accustomed, and her dowry was not much help.

Elisabeta began working with the Red Cross and indulging in her love of painting and gardening. She also worked hard to learn Greek hoping it would help her relationships with her new family. Soon she found herself pregnant, but suffered a miscarriage and then fell ill with typhoid. Having recovered, she returned to Romania in the fall of 1922 to attend her parents’ coronation. While there, Elisabeta learned that her father-in-law had abdicated in favor of her husband. She was now Queen of the Hellenes.

Days after her parents’ coronation, Elisabeta returned to Greece. However, she shunned the typical duties expected of a consort, preferring to spend time at Tatoi Palace where she could paint, play the piano, and spend hours working in the gardens she had designed there. Soon, it became likely that the Greek monarchy would be eliminated in favor of a Republic. Under the guise of an official visit to Romania, Elisabeta and her husband went into exile on December 19, 1923. They settled briefly at Cotroceni Palace before taking the lease on a small villa in Bucharest. Just months later, on March 25, 1924, King George II was formally deposed.

Soon, the couple began to grow apart. Elisabeta was happy to be back in her homeland, while George felt stifled at the Romanian court. He spent more time abroad, and by the early 1930s, was living permanently in London. Both had begun affairs and in 1935, Elisabeta filed for divorce in Bucharest, citing desertion as the grounds for divorce. The divorce was issued on July 6, 1935, and her former husband found out when he read about it in the newspaper. He had never been made aware of the proceedings.

 

Elisabeta then petitioned to have her Romanian citizenship restored (she had relinquished it upon her marriage). Through shrewd investments and the booming Romanian economy, she became financially well-off. In March of that year, she had purchased Banloc – a commune in western Romania made up of several villages where she lived at Banloc Castle. In Bucharest, the Elisabeta Palace was built for her in the mid-1390s. She also had a home in the village of Copăceni, outside of Bucharest. Elisabeta devoted much of her time to charity, working with many organizations to help children and those who were ill. At her own expense, she established a hospital and children’s home in Bucharest.

By 1944, Elisabeta had given up the Elisabeta Palace to her nephew King Mihai who moved his court there following the bombing of the Royal Palace in Bucharest. She spent her time at Banloc and Copăceni. It was there, on December 30, 1947, that King Mihai was forced to abdicate. Just days later, on January 4, 1948, the royal train carrying King Mihai, Queen Mother Helen, and Princess Ileana left Bucharest and traveled to Banloc, where Elisabeta joined them on their journey out of Romania. After staying briefly in Sigmaringen, Germany, and in Zurich, she eventually settled in Cannes, France where she leased an apartment and later taught piano lessons.

Princess Elisabeta of Romania, Queen of Greece, died in Cannes, France on November 15, 1956. She is buried at the Hedinger Church in Sigmaringen, Germany.

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Greece Resources at Unofficial Royalty

King Ferdinand of Romania

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

King Ferdinand of Romania – source: Wikipedia

King Ferdinand of Romania was born Prince Ferdinand Viktor Albert Meinrad of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, a Roman Catholic branch of the House of Hohenzollern. He was born on August 24, 1865, in Sigmaringen, Kingdom of Prussia, now in southern Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, the second of three sons of Prince Leopold of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen and Infanta Antonia of Portugal.

Ferdinand had two brothers:

Following his primary and secondary studies in Dusseldorf, he attended the Military School in Kassel, graduating in 1887 with the rank of Lieutenant. He then attended the University of Leipzig and the School of Political Science and Economics in Tübingen until early 1889. During his schooling, he shows exceptional skill as a linguist, becoming fluent in French, English, and Russian. Through a tutor sent by his uncle, he also learned Romanian and studied the literature, history, and geography of his future homeland.

Ferdinand (left) with his uncle, King Carol I, and his son, the future Carol II. source: Wikipedia

In 1866, his uncle Prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen had been elected Ruling Prince of the Romanian United Principalities, and in 1881 was proclaimed King Carol I of Romania. King Carol and his wife Princess Elisabeth of Wied had only one daughter who died at the age of three. With no sons to inherit the throne, the succession passed to his younger brother Leopold, Ferdinand’s father. Leopold renounced his rights in 1880, as did his eldest son in 1886. Ferdinand became heir-presumptive to the Romanian throne. He was formally recognized as Crown Prince by the Romanian government in 1889. As part of the agreement, he was permitted to retain his Catholic faith but agreed that any children would be raised in the Orthodox church.

After arriving in Romania in 1889, Ferdinand (‘Nando’ as he was known in the family) became involved with the Romanian writer and friend of Queen Elisabeth, Elena Văcărescu. This caused a scandal because of her unequal rank and because the Romanian constitution banned Ferdinand from marrying a Romanian. In 1891, the relationship ended, the young woman was exiled to France, and Queen Elisabeth, who had encouraged the romance, was sent away for several years. King Carol I then sent Ferdinand on a tour of Europe to find a suitable bride.

 

On January 10, 1893, at Sigmaringen Castle in Sigmaringen, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, Ferdinand married his third cousin, Princess Marie of Edinburgh, daughter of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh (and later Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha) and Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia and a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. Following the civil ceremony held at the castle, a Catholic ceremony was held in the city’s cathedral, and then an Anglican ceremony was held at the palace. The couple officially had six children.  The two youngest children are believed to have been fathered by Marie’s lover but were formally acknowledged by Ferdinand as his own:

Ferdinand and Marie overseeing the crossing of the Tisza River, August 1919. source: Wikipedia

On October 10, 1914, Ferdinand became King of Romania upon the death of his uncle. Already in the early stages of World War I, Ferdinand maintained Romania’s neutrality until finally entering the war, on the side of the Allied Powers, in August 1916. During the war, Ferdinand and his wife traveled extensively to support the troops and boost morale among the Romanian people. By the end of the war, through Ferdinand’s leadership, the Kingdom of Romania had grown to include the regions of Bessarabia, Bukovina, and Transylvania.

Following World War I and the Hungarian-Romanian War of 1919, King Ferdinand and Queen Marie were finally crowned in an elaborate ceremony held in Alba Iulia, in Transylvania, on October 15, 1922. The following years were focused on rebuilding the country and returning it to the once-flourishing region it had been.

 

King Ferdinand died of intestinal cancer on July 20, 1927, at Peleș Castle, in Sinaia, Romania. He is buried at the Monastery of Curtea de Argeș in Curtea de Argeș, Romania. As his elder son Carol had renounced his rights to the throne, Ferdinand was succeeded by his five-year-old grandson King Mihai.

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Romania Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Princess Marie of Edinburgh, Queen of Romania

by Scott Mehl    © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Marie of Edinburgh, Queen of Romania – source: Wikipedia

Queen Marie of Romania was a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, and perhaps one of the most polarizing royals of her time. Called Missy in the family, she was born Princess Marie Alexandra Victoria of Edinburgh on October 29, 1875, at Eastwell Park in Kent, England. Her parents were Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh (later Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha), and Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia. Through her mother, she was also a granddaughter of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia.

Marie had four siblings:

Missy, as she was known in the family, was christened on December 15, 1875, in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle, with the following godparents:

Marie grew up primarily at Eastwell Park in Kent, England and Clarence House in London, England, The family also lived in Malta where her father was stationed several times during his career in the British Royal Navy. Later, the family took up residence in Coburg, where Marie’s father had become heir-presumptive to his childless uncle, Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Marie’s mother quickly worked to make her daughters more ‘German’ than ‘British’, and had them confirmed in the Lutheran Church instead of the Anglican church in which they had been raised.

Marie had always been very close with her cousin, the future King George V. He had been a frequent guest while the family lived in Malta, and the two considered marriage. While Queen Victoria and both of their fathers were very supportive of the match, their mothers were not. The Princess of Wales disliked everything German, still reeling over the Schleswig-Holstein Question. The Duchess of Edinburgh disliked all things British. She did not want her daughter to remain British and was also against the marriage of first cousins, which was forbidden in her Russian Orthodox faith. When George did propose, Marie was obliged to refuse. The two remained devoted to each other for the rest of their lives.

 

Instead, Marie was soon engaged to the Crown Prince of Romania. Born Prince Ferdinand of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, he was the heir-presumptive to his uncle, King Carol I of Romania. After gaining the approval of Queen Victoria, Marie and Ferdinand were married on January 10, 1893, at Sigmaringen Castle in Sigmaringen, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Following the civil ceremony, both Catholic and Protestant ceremonies were held due to their different religions.

The couple officially had six children. The two youngest children are believed to have been fathered by Marie’s lover but were formally acknowledged by Ferdinand as his own:

Marie found her new life quite challenging. Being very free-spirited, she found the strict Romanian court to be stifling. Her husband’s uncle King Carol I controlled every aspect of the couple’s lives. Her relationship with Ferdinand was also a struggle, as the two tried to settle into a content relationship. She later wrote to her husband that “it is such a shame that we had to waste so many years of our youth just to learn how to live together!”

With a growing family and a stifled existence in the Romanian court, Marie is alleged to have embarked on several affairs, possibly even giving birth to a child by one of her reported lovers. It is also speculated that several of her younger children were from another man.

Just after World War I started, King Carol I died and Marie’s husband Ferdinand ascended the Romanian throne. Drawn quickly into the war, Queen Marie threw herself into her charitable work, rallying support for the war effort, and serving tirelessly as a nurse. In 1919, after the end of World War I, she represented Romania at the Paris Peace Conference, replacing the Romanian delegation which had left due to extreme conflict with the French prime minister. Marie is credited with smoothing the situation and helping to bring about Romania’s huge gains at the end of the conference.

In 1922, Ferdinand and Marie were crowned King and Queen of Romania in Alba Iulia. A Romanian Orthodox cathedral, the Coronation Cathedral, was built there and the two were crowned in an elaborate ceremony full of pomp and pageantry. A few years later, Marie converted to the Orthodox faith, which further endeared her to the Romanian people.

 

The next years saw Marie travel extensively. Visits to Britain and the United States brought huge crowds out to see the famous Queen of Romania, and she did not disappoint them. While in the United States in 1926 with two of her children, Queen Marie met with President Calvin Coolidge and his wife. She also traveled to Washington State, where she presided at the dedication of The Maryhill Art Museum in Maryhill, Washington State, being opened by her friend, Samuel Hill. Marie later donated many possessions to the museum, which are still displayed today. (Read more about Queen Marie and The Maryhill Museum HERE.)

Soon after her return to Romania, King Ferdinand died on July 20, 1927. As their son Carol had previously renounced his right to the throne, Marie’s grandson Mihai succeeded King Ferdinand. Mihai was just five years old, and a Regency Council was established, led by Marie’s younger son Prince Nicholas. Three years later, Carol returned to Romania and reclaimed the throne. He would abdicate in 1940, returning Mihai to the throne.

In January 1928, after several months in seclusion following her husband’s death, Queen Marie returned to public life. Following her son Carol reclaiming the throne in 1930, Queen Marie found herself more on the fringes of the Romanian monarchy. She spent her remaining years enjoying the company of her grandchildren and her homes at Bran Castle and Balchik Palace. Throughout the years, shewrote her memoirs which were published in several volumes.

portrait of Queen Marie by Philip de László, 1936. source: Wikipedia

Queen Marie of Romania died on July 18, 1938, at Pelişor Castle in Sinaia, Romania, in the presence of her son Carol, daughter Elisabeth, and grandson Mihai. Her body lay in state for three days at Cotroceni Palace before she was buried at the Curtea de Argeş Cathedral, Curtea de Argeş, Romania. At her request, her heart was interred in the Stella Maris chapel at her beloved Balchik Palace. After Balchik became part of Bulgaria, Queen Marie’s heart was moved to a chapel at Bran Castle by her daughter Ileana. After the chapel at Bran Castle was desecrated by the Communists, Marie’s heart was moved to the National History Museum. Finally, in 2015, Queen Marie’s heart was brought to its final resting place, at Pelişor Castle, where it was placed on display in the room where Marie died.

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Romania Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Prince Radu of Romania

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Prince Radu of Romania; Credit – By Nuță Lucian from Cluj-Napoca, Romania – Transylvania Open 2024 finalists ceremony, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=147897589

Radu Duda is the husband of Margareta, Custodian of the Crown of Romania, the eldest of the five daughters of the late former King Michael I of Romania who abdicated in 1947 when Romania ceased to be a monarchy. King Michael named his eldest daughter as the heir to the throne with the title of Crown Princess of Romania with the caveat that if the monarchy is ever restored in Romania, the Salic Law forbidding female succession should be abolished. King Michael has bestowed upon his eldest daughter’s husband the style and title His Royal Highness Prince of Romania. Following her father’s death in December 2017, Margareta became Head of the House of Romania and is formally styled as Her Majesty Margareta, Custodian of the Romanian Crown.

Radu was born on June 7, 1960,  in Iaşi, Romania to Rene Duda and Gabriela Duda née Constandache. He graduated from the University of Drama and Film in Bucharest, Romania in 1984. Radu worked with abandoned children in an orphanage using art therapy. That was where, in 1994, he met Margareta who was visiting the art therapy program, supported by the Princess Margareta of Romania Foundation.  On September 21, 1996, in Lausanne, Switzerland, Radu married Margareta. The couple does not have any children.

Crown Princess and Prince Radu of Romania wedding 1996 (5)

Photo source: ProAlba

Prince Radu has helped organize and plan official tours undertaken by King Michael, played a role in integrating Romania into NATO, and is a special representative of the Romanian government for integration, cooperation, and sustainable development. He has written several books on the culture and history of Romania. Radu lectures and speaks on Romania’s integration into the Euro-Atlantic structures, defense, security, geopolitics, diplomacy, culture, economics, and education. He is particularly interested in the issue of ethnic minorities, especially the Romani (or Romany) minority known to English-speaking people as “Gypsies” (or Gipsies)

Margareta and Radu live at the Elisabeta Palace in Bucharest, Romania, and undertake public engagements in Romania and in other countries that help contribute to the successful modernization of Romania, reconcile with the past, and link Romania to other countries.

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