British ambassador hails ‘extraordinary’ bond  between British and Romanian royal houses

Foto: INQUAM/Octav Ganea

British Ambassador Andrew Noble hailed an ‘extraordinary network of connectivity’ as he led a moment of silence for Queen Elizabeth II on Friday  at the Transylvanian Book Festival.

Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, died aged 96 at Balmoral Castle on Sept. 8. Her son, King Charles III has strong links to Romania and has visited the country almost annually since 1998.

Mr  Noble said: “We have been touched the scale of the reaction in Romania and all around the world; from all generations, all walks of life,” he told an audience of dozens gathered in Richis, a Saxon village in central Romania.

President Klaus Iohannis, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca, Patriarch Daniel, the  head of the Romanian Orthodox Church and former tennis star Ilie Nastase have all signed a condolences book set up by the embassy, he said.

He called the Romanian royal family  “one of the most established of the former royal families of Europe.”’ Princess Margareta, the Custodian of the Romanian crown and her husband Prince Radu will be attending the queen’s funeral on Monday in London as will President Iohannis and his wife Carmen Iohannis.

The Ambassador revealed that British-born Romanian Queen Marie “was actually destined to marry (Britain’s) George V,” but ended up marrying Ferdinand,  who later succeeded his uncle Carol I to become Romania’s monarch.

“Queen Marie is one of the most celebrated Romanians of all time. Her role at the Paris peace conference and her role in negotiations were actions which  ensured the integration of Bukovina, Dobrogea and all parts of Transylvania,” into Greater Romania.

The relationship between the British and Romanian households “is as close as anywhere whether reigning or not as anywhere in Europe.”

“It is not just heritage but the lived experience,” he said.

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