Romania's Royal Family

Last week Queen Anne of Romania passed away at the age of 92. As Romania prepares for the historic royal funeral and period of mourning, I wanted to share a bit of information about Romania's royal family, which began 150 years ago

King Carol I

Carol I (r. 1966-1914)
In 1866, Karl von Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, a German prince, was invited to become prince of Romania. It was hoped that a foreign prince would bring the fledgling new country both internal stability and international support. At this time Romania was still under Turkish suzerainty. In 1877, under Prince Carol (the Romanian version of "Karl"), Romania gained independence from the Ottoman Empire. In 1881, Romania became a kingdom and Carol became its first king.

Carol I's reign was the longest of any of the succeeding monarchs of Romania, and it marks a stable time in Romania's history when the new country was developing its cultural identity.

Carol I died in 1914 on the eve of the first world war. King Carol and his wife Queen Elizabeth's sole daughter died in childhood. He was succeeded as king by his nephew Ferdinand.

Carol I built Peleș Castle in the Carpathian Mountains

King Ferdinand

Ferdinand (r. 1914-1927)

German-born Prince Ferdinand Viktor Albert Meinrad of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, became the presumptive heir to the Romanian throne when the only child of his uncle, King Carol, died in childhood. Ferdinand married British-born Marie of Edinburgh, whose paternal grandmother was Great Britain's Queen Victoria and maternal grandfather was Czar Alexander II of Russia. Queen Marie was very popular, both with the Romanian people and abroad.

Under Ferdinand, Romania fought on the side of the Allies during World War I. At the conclusion of the war, Romania doubled its size (most notably by gaining Transylvania from the dissolved Austro-Hungarian Empire). Ferdinand and Marie's coronation over "Greater Romania" was held in Alba Iulia in 1922.

Besides the royal palace in Bucharest and Peleș Castle in Sinaia, Queen Marie enjoyed spending her time at Pelișor Palace (next to Peleș Castle in Sinaia), Bran Castle and Balcic.

Pelișor Palace in Sinaia, built for Ferdinand and Marie

Carol II

King Mihai as a boy

Carol II was the son of Ferdinand and Marie and crown prince of Romania. However, much of his early life was surrounded by controversies surrounding his "playboy" image:  his annulled marriage to a Romanian general's daughter, multiple illegitimate children, and an ongoing relationship with his mistress Magda Lupescu. His unhappy arranged marriage to Princess Helen of Greece lasted long enough to produce a single heir to the throne: Mihai. In 1925, Carol II renounced his rights to the throne and moved to Paris with Lupescu.

Mihai (r. 1927-1930)

King Mihai (also known by the English variation of his name "Michael") became Romania's third king when he was only 5 years old. Since his father (Carol II) had renounced his rights to the throne, Mihai became king following the death of his grandfather (King Ferdinand) in 1927. A regency council was established to rule until he came of age.

King Carol II

Carol II (r. 1930-1940)

In 1930, at the invitation of politicians unhappy with the regency council, Carol II returned to Romania and assumed the throne. His authoritarian style of leadership led to a royal dictatorship. His continued romance with Magda Lupescu was very unpopular with the Romanian people. During the 1930s, the countries surrounding Romania demanded territory returned to them that the Allies had given to "Greater Romania" at the conclusion of World War I. King Carol II was seen as weak for giving into their demands.

Ion Antonescu, a pro-Nazi Romanian general, promised Nazi Germany Romania's support if they supported him as military dictator of Romania. With Nazi support, Antonescu forced Carol II to abdicate in 1940. He was exiled, never to see Romania again. Carol II died in 1953 and was buried in Lisbon, Portugal. His remains were returned to Romania in 2003.

The Royal Palace in Bucharest now houses
the National Art Museum

King Mihai

Mihai (r. 1940-1947)

Following his father's forced abdication and exile in 1940, Mihai again became king of Romania. However, he was forced to remain a mere figurehead, as the real power was retained by Ion Antonescu, who aligned Romania with Nazi Germany and the Axis Powers during World War II.

In 1944, with the support of pro-Allied politicians, military officers, and civilians, Mihai led a coup d'état, removed Antonescu from power, and aligned Romania with the Allies. (Click here for more. [Also here.])

Following World War II, Mihai attempted to oppose the Soviet-backed government that had gained power in Romania. However, he was forced at gunpoint to abdicate in December 1947. He was stripped of Romanian citizenship and had to leave the country. He married Princess Anne of Bourbon-Parma in 1948, and they have lived most of their lives in Switzerland. They had five daughters: Margareta, Elena, Irina, Sofia and Maria.

Queen Anne & King Michael

Following the fall of communism in 1989, Mihai's popularity alarmed President Ion Iliescu, who viewed him as a political rival. Mihai was forbidden from returning to Romania, except for short visits. Under Iliescu's successor, however, the Romanian government restored Mihai's citizenship, allowed him to visit the country, and returned property that had once belonged to the royal family. He later resumed part-time residence in Romania.

King Mihai, now aged 94, is the only surviving European monarch who was reigning during World War II. In March 2016 he was diagnosed with chronic leukemia and metastatic epidermoid carcinoma and retired from public life. He is unable to travel from Switzerland to attend Queen Anne's funeral.

Queen Anne's funeral will be the first royal funeral in Romania since Queen Marie's funeral in 1938. She will be buried in Curtea de Argeș alongside the former kings and queens of Romania.

[December 2017 Update: King Mihai passed away on December 5, 2017. The state funeral was held in Bucharest on December 16, with burial in Curtea de Argeș.]

The Church in Curtea de Argeș where the
kings and queens of Romania are buried