The author at Osborne House, Isle of Wight
Welcome to my weblog! My name is Diana Mandache and I am a historian by profession.I have a special interest in royal history, in particular Romanian royal history. I published several books: “Americans and Queen Marie of Romania” (Oxford-Portland, 1998), “Romania, Central Europe and the Balkans” (Pro Transilvania 1999); “Political Structures in Central and South-Eastern Europe. 1918-2001” (Bucharest, 2003) co-author; “Later Chapters of My Life. The Lost Memoir of Queen Marie of Romania” (Sutton 2004); “Marie of Romania. Images of a Queen” (Rosvall Royal Books 2007); “Dearest Missy”, RRB, October 2011; “Fatherland and Destiny. The Crown Princess of Romania” (Patrie si Destin. Principesa Mostenitoare a Romaniei), 2012; “King Michael of Romania. A Historical Album” (Litera, 2013); “The Balchik of Queen Marie” (Curtea Veche, 2014); “The Cotroceni Royal Palace” (Curtea Veche, 2015); “Duduia” (Corint, 2016); “The King’s Exile” (Curtea Veche, 2016); “Viva Regina Maria!” (Corint, 2016), “Castelul Bran. Romantism si regalitate” (Curtea Veche, 2017), “The inheritance of Elena Lupescu and the communist state” (Curtea Veche Publishing 2017), “Mignon. Princess of Romania, Queen of Yugoslavia” (Curtea Veche Publishing 2018), Queen Marie’s Jewels (Corint, 2018).
I am based in Bucharest and also have worked and lived for many years in London. I have an important collection of antique postcards, photographs, engravings and other documents on royalty subjects and also a voluminous library of reference books on the same subjects.
HM King Michael of Romania and Diana Mandache. I had the great honour to receive ‘The King Michael I Medal for Loyalty’ – ‘Medalia Regele Mihai I pentru Loialitate’ from His Majesty at a special award ceremony that took place at the Elisabeta Palace in Bucharest, 31 May 2010.
Examples of publications which I authored or contributed to:
Later Chapters of My Life. The Lost Memoir of Queen Marie of Romania, Sutton 2004
Available at: Amazon: www.amazon.co.uk , www.amazon.com
QUEEN MARIE OF ROMANIA was one of the most brilliant monarchs of the twentieth century. Described by one biographer as ‘the most voluptuous queen in Europe’ she distinguished herself during the First World War when she publicly opposed the peace agreement between Romania and Germany. She was also a gifted writer, and in the mid-1930s, publication of three volumes of her memoirs, “The Story of My Life”, brought her worldwide renown. Yet, until now, her story has remained incomplete. This recently discovered last memoir of Queen Marie reveals through her own eyes those later chapters of her life.
The granddaughter of Queen Victoria and Tsar Alexander II of Russia, Marie was brought up at Eastwell Park in Kent. Glamorous and beautiful, she had men falling at her feet, yet at the age of seventeen she married the shy Crown Prince of Romania. It was a step that was to propel her on to the stage of international politics, and see her venture upon unofficial diplomatic missions, earning her the title of an ‘irresistible ambassador’.
Her last memoir, written from the period following the First World War until the end of 1922, includes both the fascinating trivia and intimate details of her daily life, and also brings us alongside her as she witnesses world-changing events. From the 1919 Peace Conference—at which Queen Marie met Clemenceau, Poincare, Woodrow Wilson and Hoover—to her last meeting with her mother, the Duchess of Saxe-Coburg; and from her informal visits to Paris, London and Transylvania to the first parliament of Greater Romania, the memoir gives great insight into the life of this extraordinary queen.
May 2004
Exhibitions on royalty subjects, which I organised or contributed to:
- “The Cotroceni Palace in Photographs and Prints”, Cotroceni Palace Museum, Bucharest 1993
- “The Centennial Anniversary Exhibition” of the Cotroceni Royal Palace 1895-1995, Bucharest, 1995
- The permanent exhibition of the Cotroceni Palace Museum 1991-1999
- “Queen Helen’s Collection of Peasant and Traditional Art”, Romanian Peasant Museum, Bucharest 2008
- “The Romanian Royal Family”, The National History Museum of Romania, 2009
- The Romanian Regalia (90 years since the Coronation of King Ferdinand & Queen Marie) – The National History Museum of Romania, 2012
- Childhood at Court – The Romanian National Archives, 2013 (April-December)
- “Marie de Roumanie, reine & artiste”, 13 April – 28 July 2019, Palais du Tau, Reims
Marie of Romania. Images of a Queen, Rosvall Royal Books 2007
Available at: Majesty Magazine (online bookshop) www.majestymagazine.com
This book is the first pictorial chronicle of the former Princess Marie of Edinburgh, granddaughter of Queen Victoria and Tsar Alexander II, illustrating the life, times and legacy of this flamboyant Balkan monarch of English and Russian extraction. It presents a vivid insight into European royal circles and the momentous events of the late Victorian era and the inter-war period.
Queen Marie of Romania is famous not only for her glamorous lifestyle and literary pursuits but also for her charitable work on the frontline during the First World War and the unofficial diplomatic representation of her country at the post-war peace conference.
She was a highly-qualified witness of a period of great historical upheavals and transformations, and this record in fascinating images is a fitting tribute to her memory.
Diana Mandache's Weblog 
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