Romania’s last king Michael I turns 95

At a time when the media have been busy with politicians in election "pre-campaign" ahead of the parliamentary elections of December 11th and with ephemeral celebrities, the 95th birthday anniversary of Romania's last ling went almost unnoticed. A special concert in honour of King Michael took place at the Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest on Tuesday night.

The King's eldest daughter, Her Royal Highness and Custodian of the Romanian Crown Margareta spoke about the role of the Dynasty in the country's history and about the moral code guiding the King his entire life:

"His Majesty's anniversary comes at a time when the Romanian Crown is celebrating 150 years in service of Romania's history and the nation's identity and continuity. King Michael has lived for almost 100 years with the sense of duty, with faith and love for his country."

There has never been any trace of vanity in the attitude of the last surviving World War II head of state. There has never been any sign of self-worship in the discourse of this man with a remarkable biological longevity, who has made history and who, loyal to his democratic principles and traditional alliances with the USA, Great Britain and France, was a relentless enemy of Nazism and communism, becoming undesirable for Hitler and Stalin when he was barely 30 years of age.

Michael I was born on October 25th 1921 and acceded to the throne in September 1940. Considered immature and mediocre, ignored and despised by the strongman of the time, general and later pro-German marshal Ion Antonescu, King Michael remained in Antonescu's shadow for a long time. He never endorsed, but neither did he oppose any of Antonescu's errors, from his anti-Semitic policies to his decision to stay loyal, at any cost, to the alliance with Nazi Germany and his commitments to Hitler.

However, on August 23rd 1944, when the Red Army had already entered Romania and was threatening to erase Bucharest from the map, the King, showing incredible courage, decided to arrest Antonescu, take his country out of the Axis and join the anti-Nazi coalition. Today, historians almost unanimously agree that King Michael's decision shattered the German war machine and cut the war short by half a year, thus preventing casualties and material damage in Europe.

King Michael was forced to step down and go into exile on December 30th 1947 at a time when the country was ruled by a puppet communist government and was practically under Soviet military occupation. To survive abroad, the deposed sovereign did not shy away from manual labour to earn his living, repairing cars, working the land on a farm and raising chickens. The Securitate, the secret police of the communist regime in Bucharest, kept constant track of him.

Ousted and forced to leave the country when he was 26, the King was only able to return home when he was 75, after the collapse of the communist regime. The discretion, elegance and humbleness that have permanently characterised his public performance have earned him the respect of most Romanians. Many still wonder what Romania would have looked like today if the King had not abdicated in 1947, and without the communist dictatorship and the incoherent transition that followed.