History: 20 facts about Romania’s last king

Although he lived most of his life in exile, the late King Michael of Romania will always have a special place in the hearts of the Romanian people. Watch the royal burial ceremonies in Romania live here. He was born in Romania but died far away from his home country, in Switzerland, where he also lived most of his life. Here’s a list of 20 interesting facts about Romania’s last king: 1. He was born Prince Michael of Romania at the Foisor Castle located on the Peles Royal Domain in Sinaia, Romania, on October 25, 1921. His parents were Crown Prince Carol and Crown Princess Elena, and his grandparents were King Ferdinand I and Queen Maria of Romania, and King Constantine I and Queen Sofia of the Greeks. Romania’s late King Michael had blood ties with the Imperial and Royal Families of Great Britain, Russia, Germany, Denmark, Greece and Portugal, the Great Ducal Family of Baden, and the Hohenzollern Royal Family, from which his grandfather came from. He was the great-grandson of Queen Victoria of Great Britain and Ireland (both from his mother and his father side), as well as the great-grandson of Emperor Frederick III of Germany, the great-grandson of Tsar Alexander II and, on the mother's line, the descendant of Tsar Nicholas I, the great-grandson of Queen Maria II of Portugal, the great-grandson of Duke Alfred of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and the great-grandson of King George I of the Greeks. Romania’s King Michael, Queen Elizabeth’s cousin, had blood ties to major European Royal Houses 2. Prince Michael first became king on July 20, 1927, aged only 5 years and 9 months. He is thus the only sovereign of the world who lived 90 years after the crowning. However, on June 8, 1930, his father Crown Prince Carol returned to the country and took back the throne. Ten years later, on September 6, 1940, following the abdication of his father, Michael I became king once again. 3. On August 23, 1944, at the age of 22, King Michael took the most important decision of his reign. He ordered the arrest of Marshal Ion Antonescu, who had led Romania to fight alongside Nazi Germany in World War II, and decided that the Romanian Army should fight alongside the Allies. His decision reportedly shortened World War II by some six months, helping save hundreds of thousands of lives. 4. King Michael was 26 years old when he was forced to abdicate, on December 30, 1947, and leave the country, which he was not able to see for 44 years. During his exile, he lived in several countries, namely Switzerland, Italy and England. During the exile in Switzerland, King Michael lived in five different houses. 5. He met his wife, Princess Anne of Bourbon-Parma, in November 1947, when he was in London for the wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten. Their marriage took place on June 10, 1948, in Athens, Greece. They had five daughters together, and stayed married for 68 years, being the longest royal couple in Romania’s history. 6. The first song the royal couple listened every time they moved to a new house was