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The Return of the King
Although not a raging controversy, the issue of the Romanian royal
family’s return to the country has been quietly simmering since
the fall of Communism in 1989.
The former King Michael I of Romania, now more officially Prince Michael of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen was born on the 25th of October 1921 and has ruled as the King of Romania twice already in his lifetime; the first time as a child-king between 1927 and 1930, and once again between 1940 and 1947 when he was deposed by the Communists.
In 1927 Michael took over as regent upon the death of his grandfather, Ferdinand; his father Carol having eloped with his Jewish lover. Carol returned, however, due to the unpopularity of the regency with the political powers and reigned until 1940 when he was ousted by the pro-German general Antonescu. Michael’s second stint as king was a turbulent one. In the beginning the taciturn eighteen-year-old was little more than a figurehead for the political parties until 1944 when he participated in a coup to imprison Antonescu and set up a pro-Allied government. It was too little too late however and once again Michael took backstage to the Soviet government that was established in the later stages of the war, and which finally abolished the monarchy in 1947.
Since his abdication under duress Michael has lived in Great Britain (he is the great-great grandson of Queen Victoria and a third cousin of Queen Elizabeth) and Switzerland, where he became a citizen after his Romanian citizenship was revoked, served as a commercial pilot and worked in a aircraft equipment factory. He visited Romania for the first time after the revolution in 1992, for the Easter holidays, but his arrival caused such a stir of popularity amongst the populace that the ex-Communist president Ion Iliescu forbid him entry until Constantinescu’s victory over Iliescu in 1997. He now visits regularly but continues to live in Switzerland.
Although Michael has made no firm political machinations towards the restoration of the monarchy, he has always let it be known that he would be willing to return, but only if specifically requested by the Romanian population. Having no male heir he has tried to alter Romanian law to allow his eldest daughter Margarita to succeed him. Even if he were to become monarch again, a 1923 law forbidding unilateral law-making would void this.
Only last year a bill was passed to pay the former King 30 million Euros in compensation for property confiscated by the Communists. There properties include the impressive Peles Castle near Sinaia, a former household of the Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen’s. Michael and his immediate family retain the right to use the castle, and also the Elizabeta Palace in Bucharest, for functions and other events.
Michael’s attitude towards his former realm has shown grace and elegance. He has succeeded in making his presence felt without the pomp and ceremony traditionally linked to royal families. He has worked to ingratiate himself with the people, without resorting to slanderous tactics, and worked hard in the nineties to promote Romania’s accession into NATO. With the leading political figures of the Romanian political arena swathed in controversy, corruption and bribery, and the upper-classes of Romania’s nouveau riche mostly incorrigible opportunists who were willing to profit from the post-Communist turmoil, the country needs some role-models who behave with dignity and decorum. Could the return of the royal family, even in a mostly ornamental role, provide such a stimulus?
What is your opinion on this issue? Should the Royal family return in some capacity? Write to the editor of My Town Bucharest and voice your opinion.
editorsdesk@mytownbucharest.com
