Conference invitation: the formative years of King Michael and Queen Marie – 15 Jan. ’14

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Conference invitation, Diana Mandache, Eastwell Manor, King Michael of Romania, Queen Marie of Romania, Valentin Mandache

Valentin and I would like to invite you to the new conference from the already traditional series inaugurated last year at the Liberal Cafe in Bucharest, on the royal and architectural history of Romania.

The subjects this year are the following:

Diana Mandache:

“King Michael as a school pupil: curriculum, marks, field trips”

Valentin Mandache:

“Eastwell Manor: the birthplace of Queen Marie”

The event is organised by the National Liberal Party’s Bloggers’ Club, and is scheduled to take place on Wednesday 15 January, starting at 6.30 pm (The Liberal Cafe: 9, Doamnei Street, Lipscani quarter, just across the road from the National Bank).

Conference: *King Michael as a school pupil, *Eastwell Manor: the brithplace of Queen Marie

There will be shown and discussed photographs and period newsreel footage about the school pupil Michael, from the Regency period and then as a Crown Prince, and architectural photographs of Eastwell Manor, images of Queen Marie during her childhood and as an adult visiting her birthplace, and how these formative years in such significant circumstances and environments influenced those two royal figures later in their life.

Conference: *King Michael as a school pupil, *Eastwell Manor: the brithplace of Queen Marie

The Bloggers’ Club of the National Liberal Party and the presenters are looking forward to welcoming you at the conference!

King Michael’s forced abdication: lessons from a letter

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King Michael of Romania, King Michael of Romania. A Historical Album by Diana Mandache, Valentin Mandache

History and historical facts discussed over the envelope of a letter sent from Bucharest to Paris in February 1948, just a few weeks after the forced abdication of King Michael of Romania. The envelope contains a two sets of stamps, one from the just ended royal period and another form the newly installed communist regime, constituting a good material witness of a watershed event in Romania’s history.

Article first published on the Historic Houses of Romania blog by Valentin Mandache

King Michael of Romania’s Christmas 2013 Message

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King Michael of Romania, King Michael of Romania's Christmas Message, Regele Mihai, Romanian Royal Family

Romanians,

The year now drawing to a close has been a time of achievements, despite the effects of the economic crisis. The younger generation displays vigour and talent, and a large number of Romanians are studying or working honourably and skilfully in countries around the world. The private sector as well as the whole of civil society have consolidated themselves and developed with each passing year. Our country is confidently moving in the direction of democratic values and freedom. Unfortunately, deeper Romanian society sometimes has a greater openness and understanding when it comes to such values than do society’s representatives. Our family celebrated a number of significant anniversaries in 2013. On 10 June, The Queen and I celebrated our sixty-fifth wedding anniversary. We would both like the example of our life together to inspire our contemporaries, demonstrating the importance of the family in the present day. In September The Queen reached the beautiful age of ninety and was congratulated by the whole of Romanian society. The affection and trust you have all shown us every day are a blessing to us.

Mementos from my book launch ‘King Michael of Romania. A Historical Album’

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King Michael of Romania, King Michael of Romania. A Historical Album by Diana Mandache, Romanian Royal Family

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Book Launch, 21 November, Bucharest. Diana Mandache, ‘King Michael of Romania. A Historical Album’, 352 pp, 454 ill., hardback, Litera Publishing, November 2013

Links:

TVR1 News (23 November 2013)

 

TVR1 – Ora Regelui (7 December 2013)

 

 

Viata Regelui Mihai in noul album istoric lansat la Gaudeamus (Adevarul)

Cartea ‘Regele Mihai. Album Istoric’ de Diana Mandache, lansata la standul Litera din Targul Gaudeamus (Agerpres)

Un Rege si un sfant la Gaudeamus (Evenimentul Zilei)

Video lansare inregistrat de Adevarul (Adevarul)

Blogul Principelui Radu

My Blog ‘Jurnal de Istoric’ (more photos)     

Book launch invitation 21 November 5 pm, Bucharest

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Familia regala, istoria regalitatii, King Michael of Romania, Regele Mihai, Romanian Royal Family, South-East European Monarchs

Your are invited to the book launch of ‘King Michael of Romania. A Historical Album’

Thursday 21 November, 5 pm at Romexpo (Bucharest), The Gaudeamus Book Fair International -  see the plan & stand no.37 LITERA Publishing

New Book: King Michael of Romania. A Historical Album

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King Michael of Romania, Regele Mihai, Romanian Royal Family

King Michael of Romania. A Historical Album, hardback, 352 pages, Litera Publishing, Bucharest, 21 Nov. 2013.

The book is structured in three main chapters: education and formative years (i.e. school documents, Michael’s herbarium, photographs with his colleagues, at the Baccalaureate etc); ceremonies and solemnities peculiar to the Parliament and the Throne Hall, parades, religious ceremonies, visits and receptions, charity functions, menus and dinners etc; spare time activities such as holidays, hunting or the King’s hobbies. This volume contains a selection of 454 pictures, many of them never published, with detailed captions pointing out in detail aspects of the King’s life and reign, and a multitude of previously unpublished documents sourced from several Romanian archives, including pieces issued by the communist regime and its political police services. The introduction and the text that accompany the images, and also the analyses of the written archive documents, are methodically researched and structured making them easy to read or make reference to.

Contents:

• Introduction
• Formative years
• Ceremonies
• Spare time
• Annexes
• Sources

King Michael of Romania. A Historical Album presents for the first time condensed within 352 pages the life of the monarch for the period starting with 1921 until the communist forced abdication in 1947 and subsequent imposed exile.

Order here

HM King Michael of Romania: 92nd Birthday Anniversary

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King Michael of Romania, Regele Mihai, Romanian Royal Family

HM King Michael of Romania

I would like to wish HM King Michael of Romania a very happy 92nd birthday!

King Michael, a great personality who has decisively influenced and determined the history of his country, survived a tumultuous period.

I have a new, professional website

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European royal families, Familia regala, Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, istoria regalitatii, King Michael of Romania, Noblesse et Royautés, Queen Marie of Romania, Romanian Royal Family

Dear  readers,

I have a new website address at http://dianamandache.com/ The theme design of my new website is much more propitious for my writing, aims and purposes.

For those of you who have subscribed to my old site royalromania.wordpress.com, you should consider subscribing to this new one. All my old articles and images are also contained within the new site, so you should not have any problems in accessing them there.

Best regards,

Diana

King Michael of Romania’s Press Conference in London 65 years ago protesting his forced abdication

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King Michael of Romania, Romanian Royal Family

King Michael of Romania at a press conference held at Claridge’s Hotel in London, on 4 March 1948, declared that the removal of the monarchy constituted a new act of violence in the policy for the enslavement of Romania.  In these conditions, the King said, I do not consider myself bound in any way by this act imposed upon me.

The motives of the profound political changes imposed on the small States of Eastern Europe are already too well known. As far as Romania is concerned I want to avail myself of the first possibility personally to confirm the facts as they happened.

In the morning of December 30, 1947, Mr Petru Groza and Gheorghiu-Dej, members of the Romanian Cabinet, presented to me the text of the act of abdication, urging me to sign it at once. Both of them came to the Royal Palace after it had been surrounded by armed detachments, informing me that they would hold me responsible for the bloodshed which would follow, as a consequence of the instructions already issued by them, in case I should not sign within the time limit. This act was imposed on me by force by a Government installed and maintained in power by a foreign country, a Government utterly unrepresentative of the will of the Romanian people. This Government had violated international pledges binding them to respect the political freedom of the Romanian people, had falsified the elections and annihilated the democratic political leaders who enjoyed the confidence of the country. The removal of the monarchy constitutes a new act of violence in the policy for the enslavement of Romania  In these conditions I do not consider myself bound in any way by this act imposed upon me. With unshaken faith in our future animated by the same devotion and will to work, I will continue to serve the Romanian people with which my destiny is inexorably bound.

After his speech King Michael refused to answer any questions and later in the day left London for Southampton, where he boarded RMS Queen Elizabeth for New York. Earlier in the day the King and his mother lunched at Buckingham Palace. They were accompanied to the palace by the Duchess of Kent, a cousin of Queen Helen of Romania. [Source: The Guardian, 5 March 1948]