On Wednesday, The Republic of Moldova’s National Mail service will issue a stamp and postcard with King Michael I of Romania to commemorate one year from the sovereign’ death.
This news was announced by the Romanian royal court this week. The stamp and postcards can be purchased from all Moldovan postal offices and can be used for dispatches from the territory of the Republic of Moldova to other countries and in the mail through Moldavia’s own borders.
The stamp has a nominal value of 9,50 Moldovan lei, on which appears the portrait of King Michael, along with his royal monogram. The postage stamp is the first ever stamp issued by the Post Office of Moldova, portraying King Michael, and the first with a Sovereign of Romania. In the press release by the Romanian royal court, the royal court said: “This gesture is all the more important as it comes at the Anniversary Year of the Great Union, on which occasion the Moldavian Post office issued on November 27, 2018 a postage stamp commemorating the unification of Bessarabia with Romania.”
Romania’s King Michael, had recently been diagnosed with cancer when he died at the age of 96 in Switzerland 5 December last year, in 2017. In 2016, the former King was admitted to a clinic in Lausanne, Switzerland, where he received constant treatment after being in a severe state of physical weakness. In August 2016, his wife, Queen Anne died at the age of 92. The couple had been married for 68 years, but due to his ill health, the King was unable to travel back to Romania for her funeral.
King Michael was born at Foișor Castle and is the son of Carol II of Romania and Princess Elena of Greece. King Michael reigned in Romania from 20 July 1927 to 8 June 1930 and again from 6 September 1940 to 30 December 1947. In 1947 he was forced to abdicate by the government which at the time was controlled by the Communist Party of Romania. After the Abdication Act was passed, the Communist Romanian authorities stripped him of his Romanian citizenship in 1948. He then lived life in exile in England, before relocating to Switzerland.
In 1992, the Romanian government allowed King Michael to return to Romania for Easter celebrations, where he drew large crowds of over a million people. His popularity alarmed the government, so Michael was again banned from visiting Romania for another five years. In 1997, the Romanian government restored Michael’s citizenship and again allowed him to visit the country. He continued to live in Switzerland, with residence in Romania, until his death.
