Romania's former King Michael I dies at age of 96

**Mingle** · 12-06-2017, 05:31 PM

Romania's former King Michael I has died in Switzerland at the age of 96, a year after being diagnosed with cancer.

King Michael ruled Romania twice, from 1927 to 1930 and then from 1940 to 1947, before the communist government ended the monarchy.

He was one of the last surviving World War Two leaders, but lived much of his life in exile.

He is best remembered for his role in making Romania change sides, from the Nazis to the Allies, in August 1944.

The death of King Michael - a cousin of Queen Elizabeth II - was announced by his family at his home on the shore of Lake Geneva on Tuesday.

He had been ill for some time and was unable to attend the funeral of his wife Queen Anne, in Romania last year.

Michael was just five when he ascended to the throne for the first time in 1927. His father Carol had renounced his rights to the throne and left Romania several years earlier amid a scandal over a love affair.

His father returned in 1930, and replaced King Michael as monarch.

But King Carol II was ousted in 1940 by a military government led by the fascist Ion Antonescu and his son once again took the throne.

In 1944, the 22-year-old King Michael became involved in a coup against Antonescu and sided Romania with the Allies.

After World War Two, Michael was forced to abdicate by the country's communists, who ruled until the revolution of 1989.

The communist leaders threatened to carry out mass executions if he refused to go. In a BBC interview, he described how the authorities had blackmailed him.

"If you don't sign this thing now, we're going to have to shoot or kill 1,000 people that are already in prison."

He went into exile until the 1990s when he returned to Romania after the fall of the country's communist leader, Nicolae Ceausescu.

The Romanian royal family settled near Geneva in Switzerland, and the former king had to find work.

He said one of his favourite jobs was as a test pilot on private aeroplanes in Europe and the United States.

In 1948, he married Anne of Bourbon-Parma, whom he had met at the wedding of the future Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh in London in 1947.

King Michael's Romanian citizenship was restored in 1997.

-------------------------

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-42234880

**Mingle** · 12-06-2017, 05:32 PM

Princess Margareta, the oldest daughter of the late King Michael of Romania, will get the title of Queen Margareta after her father’s death, according to the Royal House of Romania’s status.

King Michael I, Romania’s last sovereign, died on December 5, 2017, at his private residence in Switzerland. He was 96.

Michael I was king of Romania from 1927 until 1930 and then from 1940 until December 1947, when the communist regime forced him to abdicate and leave the country. Monarchy was abolished in Romania, which has been a republic since then.

The Royal House of Romania thus has no official role in ruling the country. However, some still hope that monarchy will one day be reinstated in Romania.

The current status of the Royal House of Romania was adopted by King Michael on December 30, 2007, 60 years after his abdication. He then decided to break the ties to the Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen dynasty and named his daughter Margareta first in the succession line of the Royal House of Romania.

“Immediately after the death of the Head of the Royal House of Romania, without any ulterior proclamation, the Evident or Presumptive Heir will receive the title of King or Queen, regardless of the Family’s position as ruling or non-ruling Dynasty,” reads the Royal House’s status.

The Royal House only has a symbolical role in Romania today. However, the Parliament is currently discussing a bill granting the head of the Royal House the same status as former heads of state. The Royal House will also be granted the use of the Elisabeta Palace in Bucharest and a series of other benefits.

------------------------------

https://www.romania-insider.com/prin...ichaels-death/

**Mingle** · 12-06-2017, 05:34 PM

This was from November before their king died.

-------------------------------

Romania’s Royal Family presented its line of succession on Thursday, November 9, just a few days after announcing that King Michael’s health has worsened.

According to the Organic Rules of the Royal House of Romania, His Majesty King Michael I is the current head of the Royal House. King Michael’s was Romania’s last monarch and was forced to abdicate by the communists in December 1947, when Romania became a republic. However, a draft bill recently submitted to the Parliament grants the head of the Royal Family a status similar to that of Romania’s former presidents.

Her Royal Highness Margareta, Princess of Romania, is next in line for the position of head of the Royal House. She is and will remain the Custodian of the Crown of Romania after King Michael’s death. Her husband Radu is Prince of Romania.

The members of the Royal House of Romania are Princesses Elena, Sofia, and Maria, all of whom are King Michael’s and Queen Anne’s daughters. Their husbands and children don’t have personal titles, the Royal House said in the statement.

“The Order of Succession to the Throne and the Head of the Royal House of Romania is based on the principle of primogenity with male preference, the Organic Rules thus repealing the principle of absolute masculine primogenity, with the exclusion of women and their descendants,” reads the press release.

At present, the succession is the following: HRH Princess Margareta of Romania, Custodian of the Crown of Romania; HRH Princess Elena of Romania; Elisabeta Karina de Roumanie (Princess Elena’s daughter); Princess Sofia of Romania; Elisabeta Maria Biarneix (princess Sofia’s daughter); Princess Maria of Romania.

Changes may be made by decision of the head of the Royal House of Romania.

The Royal House of Romania is going through a difficult period. Not only that the King’s health has seriously worsened in the last few days, but a scandal also broke out when Nicolae Medforth-Mills, the disinherited grandson of King Michael I, allegedly tried to force his way into his grandfather’s home in Switzerland. The Royal House also said in an official statement that it has filed a complaint with the Swiss police following this incident.

Nicolae, who is Princess Elena’s son, was third in the succession line to Romania’s throne, but King Michael decided to withdraw his royal title as Prince of Romania in August 2015. Another disinherited member of the Royal House is Irina Walker, King Michael’s third daughter. She was stripped of her princess title following involvement with illegal cockfighting at Irrigon, Oregon in 2013.

King Michael withdrew from public life in 2016 after being diagnosed with cancer. He passed the responsibility of representing the Romanian Royal House on to Princess Margareta.

---------------------------------

https://www.romania-insider.com/orde...amily-romania/