by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Anne of Bourbon-Parma, Queen of Romania – photo source: Romanian Royal Family Website

Princess Anne Antoinette Françoise Charlotte of Bourbon-Parma was born in Paris, France on September 18, 1923, the second child and only daughter of Prince René of Bourbon-Parma and  Princess Margrethe of Denmark. On her father’s side, she is the niece of Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma (husband of Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg) and Empress Zita of Austria. On her mother’s side, she is the great-granddaughter of King Christian IX of Denmark and therefore closely related to the royal families of Denmark, Greece, Russia, and the United Kingdom.

Anne had three brothers:

• Prince Jacques of Bourbon-Parma (1922 – 1964), married Countess Birgitte Alexandra Maria af Holstein-Ledreborg, had children
• Prince Michel of Bourbon-Parma (1926 – 2018), married (1) Princess Yolande de Broglie-Revel, five children  (2) Princess Maria Pia of Savoy, no children
• Prince André of Bourbon-Parma (1928 – 2011), married Marina Gacry, had children

Anne spent her early years in France before the family fled the Nazis in 1939. They traveled to Spain and Portugal, eventually settling in the United States. Anne attended the famed Parsons School of Design in New York City, working as a salesperson at Macy’s. She later joined as a volunteer with the French Army, serving as an ambulance driver in a number of European countries. For her service, she was awarded the French War Cross.

Attending the wedding in London of Princess Elizabeth to Philip Mountbatten in 1947, Anne first met her future husband, and second cousin once removed, King Michael of Romania. Some matchmaking was occurring, with the King’s mother trying to get the couple together. The King was also interested in meeting her. Wanting to avoid a first meeting during official events, Anne did not plan to attend the wedding but was persuaded to attend by her cousin, the future Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg. Upon arriving, she met Michael, and the two spent much time together. According to the King, a week later he proposed and the couple was engaged. Wanting to inform his government before making an official announcement, the King returned to Romania. However, just weeks later, on December 30, 1947, he was deposed and left the country a few days later.

Meanwhile, plans were underway for the wedding. The biggest obstacle was the religious differences – Anne was Roman Catholic and Michael was Orthodox. A dispensation was sought from the Pope, who insisted that Michael promise any children would be raised Catholic. The King would not, and could not, make this promise as it would go against the Romanian constitution. Therefore, the Pope refused to sanction the marriage. But the couple, with the support of most of their families, vowed to marry anyway. Years later, in 1966, the couple held a second wedding in a Roman Catholic church in Monaco.

photo source: Romanian Royal Family Website

On June 10, 1948, Anne and Michael were married in an Orthodox ceremony held in the throne room of the Royal Palace in Athens. Attendants included Michael’s cousin Sophia (later Queen Sofia of Spain) and his uncle King Paul of the Hellenes. Noticeably missing were the bride’s parents. Because of the religious differences, Anne’s uncle Prince Xavier of Bourbon-Parma had issued a statement refusing to condone a wedding that went against the wishes of the Pope. He also forbade her parents from attending. However, her maternal side of the family attended and her mother’s brother Prince Eric of Denmark gave her away. Upon the marriage, and despite Michael having lost his throne, Anne took the title of Her Majesty The Queen of Romania. The couple first lived at his mother’s home, Villa Sparta, in San Domenico, Italy before moving to Switzerland in 1949. Two years later they moved to England where they remained until returning to Switzerland in 1956.

They had five daughters:

• Margareta, Custodian of the Crown of Romania (born 1949), married Radu Duda, no children
• Princess Elena of Romania (born 1950), married  (1) Robin Medforth-Mills, had two children, divorced  (2) Alexander McAteer, no children
• Princess Irina of Romania, (born 1953), married  (1) John Kreuger, had two children, divorced  (2) John Wesley Walker, no children; In 2013, Irina was stripped of her title, styles and rights to the throne following involvement with illegal cockfighting and arrest. She was restored to her original royal style and title by her elder sister Margareta, Custodian of the Crown of Romania, in August 2020.
• Princess Sophie of Romania (born 1957), married and divorced Alain Michel Biarneix, had one daughter
• Princess Marie of Romania (born 1964), married and divorced Kazimierz Wiesław Mystkowski

It was not until 1992 that Queen Anne first set foot on Romanian soil. Her husband was banned from the country, but the Queen made several visits on his behalf. In 1997, the restrictions were lifted and some of the royal properties were returned to the Royal Family, including the Elisabeta Palace in Bucharest, which served as their primary residence when in Romania.

Queen Anne of Romania died on August 1, 2016, at a hospital in Morges, Switzerland. She was 92 years old. She is buried in the new Archdiocesan and Royal Cathedral at Curtea de Argeș.

Queen Anne and King Michael on their 60th Wedding Anniversary in 2008, with Crown Princess Margareta and her husband Prince Radu.  photo source: Romanian Royal Family Website

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