Her Majesty Margareta, Custodian of the Romanian Crown is this week on a four-day long visit to the United Kingdoms with her husband Prince Radu of Romania. The two Romanian royals have, among other things, participated in a private lunch with Queen Elizabeth at Windsor Castle.
On the second day of their visit to England, the couple took part in a poignant event. They unveiled a bronze bust of Margareta’s father, King Michael of Romania, on the occasion of the centenary of his birth. The new statue is at the Romanian Embassy to the UK in London.
The statue was made by the Romanian sculptor Valentin Tanase and was unveiled by Custodian of the Romanian Crown and the Romanian Ambassador to London, Laura Popescu. Several personalities were present during the ceremony, including the President of the Romanian Royal Council, several Member of the Romanian Royal Council, the President of the British Paralympic Association, director of the London Red Cross and the commander of the British Royal Defence College. Following the unveiling ceremony of the bust of King Michael, the participants took part in a reception in the halls of the Romanian Embassy, at the invitation of the ambassador.
Also during second day of the visit, Her Majesty Margareta, Custodian of the Romanian Crown and Prince Radu had a meeting with the Romanian ambassador, in which projects for 2022 were discussed, with a focus on the support of the Romanian community in the United Kingdom and the promotion of Romanian companies on the British market.
King Michael I was the last King of Romania, reigning from 20 July 1927 to 8 June 1930 and again from 6 September 1940. In November 1947, Michael attended the wedding of his cousins, the future Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark in London. Shortly thereafter, on the morning of 30 December 1947, King Michael was forced into exile, his properties confiscated, and his citizenship stripped. In 1948, he married Princess Anne of Bourbon, with whom he had five daughters, and the couple eventually settled in Switzerland.
Nicolae Ceaușescu’s communist dictatorship was overthrown in 1989 and the following year Michael attempted to return to Romania, only to be arrested and forced to leave upon arrival. In 1992, Michael was allowed to visit Romania. In 1997, King Michael’s citizenship was restored and he was allowed to visit Romania again. Several confiscated properties, such as Peleș Castle and Săvârșin Castle, were eventually returned to his family. Today most of the former Romanian royal family lives in Romania and has a prominent role in the society.
