Princess Margareta, head of the House of Romania on Tuesday turned 75. She took on the custodianship of the Crown of Romania when her father, the late King Michael retired in March 2016.
She is the eldest daughter of the exiled King and Queen Anne of Romania. Margareta spent much of her childhood in Britain and is related to the late Queen Elizabeth II and the late Prince Phillip.
Margareta was raised partly at Lausanne. She spent childhood holidays with Prince Charles and Princess Anne. She took up horse riding during her childhood in England.
Since King Michael’s death in 2017, Margareta has taken on a prominent role in public life, becoming involved in political as well as social issues.
In 2018, she addressed Romania’s Parliament to express the family’s support for the reunification of Romania with Moldova. The former Soviet republic used to be part of Romania until it was annexed during World War II.
More recently, members of the Romanian royal family have been active in relief work for Ukrainian refugees who have fled their country after Russia invaded.
She has been president of the Romanian Red Cross since 2015. She set up the Princess Margareta of Romania Foundation in 1990 after seeing an orphan die in front of her during a visit to a squalid state orphanage.
King Michael was forced to abdicate by the communists in 1947. Margareta returned to Romania after the 1989 revolution and married actor Radu Duda in 1996. He was awarded the title Prince Radu of Romania after the marriage.
Her Majesty Princess Margareta meets diplomats, cultural and commercial figures at Peles Castle
