Romanian royal family

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from House of Romania)
House of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (Romanian branch)
House of Hohenzollern-Romania
House of Romania
Parent houseHohenzollern
CountryRomania
Founded10 May 1866
FounderCarol I
Current headMargareta of Romania
Final rulerMichael I
TitlesPrince (Domnitor, or Principe) (1866–1881),
King (Rege) (1881–1947)
Deposition30 December 1947

The Romanian royal family (Romanian: Familia regală a României) was the ruling dynasty of the Kingdom of Romania, a constitutional monarchy in Central-Eastern Europe. The kingdom existed from 1881, when Carol I of Romania was proclaimed king, until 1947, when the last king, Michael I of Romania, was forced to abdicate and the Parliament proclaimed Romania a republic. Soon after, upon the establishment of the constitution of 13 April 1948, Romania became a people's republic, a state that lasted until 1989.

Current members of the former royal family include the daughters of the late, former King Michael of Romania. Some descendants have adopted the surname "of Romania". There are also descendants of Michael's older half-brother Carol Lambrino (also known as "Carol Hohenzollern" and "Carol Mircea Grigore of Romania" or, in Romanian, al României, on his amended, Romanian birth certificate[1]), whose legitimacy was disputed and who were not recognised as royal during the reigns of Ferdinand, Carol II and Michael.

King Michael publicly renounced for himself, the former queen, and their five daughters any claim to the titles of "Prince/Princess of Hohenzollern", styles which were in any case not recognised under German laws since 1919 but had been attributed, along with the Romanian royal titles, to members of the Romanian dynasty in such subsequently published sources as the Almanach de Gotha and Burke's Guide to the Royal Family.[2]

Descendants of King Michael[edit]

The list below includes members of the Romanian royal family, Descendants of King Michael I.

  • King Michael I (1921–2017)
    • Margareta, Custodian of the Romanian Crown (b. 1949)
      m. (1996) Radu Duda, assumed the title Prince Radu of Romania (b. 1960)
    • Princess Elena (b. 1950)
      div. (1983–1991) Leslie Robin Medforth-Mills (1942–2002)
      m. (1998) Alexander Philips Nixon (McAteer) (b. 1964)
      • Nicholas Michael de Roumanie Medforth-Mills (b. 1985)
        m. (2017) Alina Maria Binder (b. 1988)
        • Maria Alexandra de Roumanie Medforth-Mills (b. 2020)
        • Michael de Roumanie Medforth-Mills (b. 2022)
      • Elisabeta Karina de Roumanie Medforth-Mills (b. 1989)
    • Princess Irina (b. 1953)
      div. (1983–2003) John Kreuger (b. 1945)
      wid. (2007–2024) John Wesley Walker (1945–2024)
      • Michael Torsten de Roumanie Kreuger (b. 1985)
        m. (2011) Tara Marie Littlefield (b. 1982)
        • Kohen Kreuger (b. 2012)
      • Angelica Margareta Bianca de Roumanie Kreuger (b. 1986)
        m. (2009) Richard Robert Knight (b. 1984)
        • Courtney Bianca Knight (b. 2007)
        • Diana Knight (b. 2011)
    • Princess Sophie (b. 1957)
      div. (1998–2002) Alain Michel Léonce Biarneix (de Laufenborg) (b. 1957)
      • Elisabeta Maria Bianca Elena de Roumanie Biarneix (b. 1998)
    • Princess Maria (b. 1964)
      div. (1995–2003) Kazimierz Wiesław Mystkowski (b. 1958)

Daughters of Romania's kings, such as Margareta, Elena, Irina and Sophie, as well as their descendants, had no rights of succession to the Romanian throne during the monarchy's existence, in accordance with the Salic law enshrined in both the defunct royal Romanian Constitution of 1938 and the Statute of the Romanian royal house, dated 1884. On 30 December 2007 in a private ceremony,[3][4] King Michael issued a declaration in the form of a statute,[5] an act of symbolic significance in the absence of its approval by the Parliament,[6][7] promulgating new Fundamental Rules of the Royal Family of Romania.[8]

Michael decided to add his daughters and their children to the headship of the royal house, further explicitly banning any other foreigners belonging to any other royal or princely house from succeeding. On the same occasion he asked the Romanian Parliament to abolish the Salic law, should it consider restoring the monarchy.[9] By the same act, Michael designated his grandson Nicholas de Roumanie Medforth-Mills as a future member of the deposed royal family and future "Prince of Romania" with the style of "Royal Highness," effective either on his 25th birthday, 1 April 2010, or upon Michael's death, whichever might occur sooner. On 1 August 2015, however, King Michael issued a declaration retracting the style "Royal Highness" and "of Romania" previously conferred upon Nicholas, also excluding him from the line of succession to the headship of the dynasty, noting that his successors in that capacity should be persons of "principled modesty and morality."[10] Children and consorts of the members of the family who do not bear a royal title are not recognised as members of the former royal family, according to the new rules.

Line of succession[edit]

According to the succession provisions of the Romanian kingdom's last democratically approved monarchical constitution of 1923, upon the death of King Michael without sons, the claim to the Crown devolves once again upon the Hohenzollern family. However, on 30 December 2007, on the 60th anniversary of his abdication, King Michael signed the Fundamental Rules of the Royal Family of Romania, by which he designated Princess Margareta as his heir.[8][11] The document has no legal standing, as it regulates an institution that is no longer extant.[12][13]

However the Fundamental Rules designated Margareta as heir presumptive to the defunct throne. On the same occasion, Michael also requested that, should the Romanian Parliament consider restoring the monarchy, the Salic law of succession not be reinstated, allowing female succession. According to the new statute of the Romanian Royal House as declared by Michael, no illegitimate descendants or collateral lines may claim dynastic privileges, titles or rank and any such are excluded from the Royal House of Romania and from the line of succession to the throne.[14]

On 10 May 2011, on a background of lawsuits in Germany brought against his family by Michael’s German relatives regarding the former name Hohenzollern-Veringen of his son-in-law, Radu, and of fears[15] expressed by some that the German Hohenzollerns may claim succession to the headship of the Romanian royal house, Michael severed all of the dynastic and historical ties with the princely house of Hohenzollern, changed the name of his family to "of Romania", and gave up all princely titles conferred upon him and his family by the German Hohenzollerns.[16][17]

On 1 August 2015, Michael signed a document removing the title Prince of Romania and the qualification of Royal Highness from his grandson, Nicholas Medforth-Mills, who was also removed from the line of succession. The former king took the decision "with an eye on Romania's future after the reign and life of his eldest daughter, Margareta". The former king hoped that "Nicholas will find in future years a suitable way to serve the ideals and use the qualities that God gave him". Nicholas's mother, Princess Elena, received notification of the former king's decision in a personal letter.[18]

Line of succession according to the Fundamental Rules:

  • Michael I of Romania
    • Princess Margareta, the current Custodian of the Crown of Romania
    • (1) Princess Elena
      • Nicholas Medforth-Mills (Removed from line of succession in 2015)
        • Maria Alexandra de Roumanie Medforth-Mills
        • Michael de Roumanie Medforth-Mills
      • (2) Elisabeta Karina de Roumanie Medforth-Mills
    • Princess Irina (Removed from line of succession in 2014)
      • Michael Torsten de Roumanie Kreuger (Removed from line of succession in 2014)
        • Kohen Kreuger (Removed from line of succession in 2014)
      • Angelica Margareta Bianca de Roumanie Kreuger (Removed from line of succession in 2014)
        • Courtney Bianca Knight (Not in the line of succession as she was born out of wedlock)
        • Diana Knight (Removed from line of succession in 2014)
    • (3) Princess Sophie
      • (4) Elisabeta Maria Bianca Elena de Roumanie Biarneix
    • (5) Princess Maria

Family of Carol Mircea Hohenzollern[edit]

  • Paul-Philippe of Romania (born 1948), son of Carol Mircea Lambrino
    wed Lia-Georgia Hohenzollern (née Triff) (born 1949), with issue:
    • Carol Ferdinand al României (born 2010)
  • Alexander Hohenzollern (born 1961), son of Carol Mircea Lambrino, unmarried.

Past members of the royal family[edit]

Family tree[edit]

Family tree

Karl Anton
b.1811 – d.1885

Prince of
Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen

r.1848–1849

Prince of Hohenzollern
r.1869–1885
Josephine
of Baden


b.1813 –
d.1900
Antónia
of Portugal


b.1845 – d.1913
Leopold

b.1835 – d.1905
Stephanie

b.1837 – d.1859

Carol I
b.1839 – d.1914

Domnitor of the
United Principalities

r.1866–1881
King of Romania
r.1881–1914
Elisabeth of Wied
b.1843 – d.1916

Queen consort
of Romania
1869–1914
Anton
b.1841 –
d.1866
Friedrich
b.1843 –
d.1904
Maria
Luise

b.1845 – d.1912
William
b.1864 – d.1927
Prince of
Hohenzollern
r.1905–1927

Ferdinand
b.1865 – d.1927

King of Romania
1914–1927
Marie of Edinburgh
b.1875 – d.1938

Queen consort
of Romania
1914–1927
Karl Anton

b.1868 – d.1919
Maria

b.1870 – d.1874
Zizi Lambrino
b.1898 – d.1953

Carol II
b.1893 – d.1953

King of Romania
1930–1940

Helen of Greece
b.1896 – d.1982

Queen Mother of Romania
1928–1982
Magda Lupescu
b.1895 – d.1977
Elisabeth
b.1894 – d.1956

Queen consort of Greece
1922–1924
Maria
b.1900 – d.1961

Queen consort
of Yugoslavia
1922–1934
Nicholas
b.1903 – d.1978

Member of the Regency
1927–1930
Ileana
b.1909 – d.1991

Archduchess Anton of Austria 1931–1954
Mrs Stefan Issarescu 1956–1965
Mother Alexandra 1967–1991
Mircea

b.1913 – d.1916
Carol Lambrino
b.1920 –
d.2006

Michael I
b.1921 –
d.2017


King of Romania
1927–1930; 1940–1947

Anne of
Bourbon-Parma


b.1923 – d.2016
Paul
b.1948
Alexander
b.1961

Margareta
b.1949
Custodian of the Crown of Romania
2017–present
Elena
b.1950
Irina
b.1953
Sophie
b.1957
Maria
b.1964
Carol
Ferdinand
Nicholas
b.1985
Elisabeta-Karina
b.1989
Michael
b.1985
Angelica-Margareta
b.1986
Elisabeta-Maria
b.1998
Kohen b.2012Courtney b.2007Diana b. 2011

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "General"[permanent dead link] Evenimentul Zilei
  2. ^ Montgomery-Massingberd, Hugh (editor). Burke's Guide to the Royal Family, Burke's Peerage, London, 1973, p. 295-296. ISBN 0-220-66222-3
  3. ^ (in Romanian) "Princess Margarita, heiress to the throne of Romania," Evenimentul Zilei, December 30, 2007
  4. ^ (in Romanian) Communique, December 30, 2007 – The Press Bureau of His Majesty King Michael I, Elisabeta Palace, The Romanian Royal Family website as of December 30, 2007
  5. ^ (in Romanian) "A Dynastical Constitution," Archived 2008-01-10 at the Wayback Machine Romania libera, January 9, 2008
  6. ^ (in Romanian) "The King and Margarita – On The "Day of the Republic" The King Designated His Successor" Archived 2016-10-07 at the Wayback Machine, Jurnalul National daily
  7. ^ (in Romanian) "The Actor Duda in The Role of A Lifetime: Prince Consort of Romania," Cotidianul, January 3, 2008
  8. ^ a b Fundamental Rules of the Royal Family of Romania Archived 2008-02-27 at the Wayback Machine, The Romanian royal family website, as retrieved on January 13, 2008
  9. ^ See "Line of succession to the Romanian throne"
  10. ^ "Romania prince stripped of title by former king for lacking 'modest moral principles'". The Daily Telegraph. 11 August 2015. Retrieved 2023-01-01.
  11. ^ (in Romanian) "Princess Margarita, heiress to the throne of Romania," Evenimentul Zilei, 30 December 2007
  12. ^ (in Romanian) "The King and Margareta – On The 'Day of the Republic' The King Designated His Successor" Archived 7 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine, Jurnalul National, 2 January 2008
  13. ^ (in Romanian) "The Actor Duda in The Role of A Lifetime: Prince Consort of Romania," Cotidianul, 3 January 2008
  14. ^ "Principesa Margareta, mostenitoarea tronului Romaniei – Esential". HotNews.ro. 23 August 1944. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
  15. ^ (in Romanian) Filip-Lucian Iorga : "The Royal House of Romania does not have to remain tied to the shady side of the Hohenzollern family", Hotnews.ro. Retrieved 14 May 2011
  16. ^ (in Romanian) King Michael I announces the severance of all historical and dynastic ties to the House of Hohenzollern, Adevarul, 11 May 2011
  17. ^ (in Romanian) "The history of the conflicts between the Royal House of Romania and the Princely House of Hohenzollern", Adevarul, 11 May 2011
  18. ^ "Comunicatul Biroului de Presă al Majestății Sale, 10 August 2015". Archived from the original on August 13, 2015.

External links[edit]