Margareta Of Romania: All About King Charles' Distant Cousin And Close Friend
The British royal family is far and away the most famous royal family of Europe, but they are by no means the continent's only royal family. And although the Windsors are supremely interesting, there are a number of other royal families with their own fascinating histories. Take, for instance, the untold truth of the Dutch royal family. Or the real story behind Monaco's royal family. Or the enduring, albeit complicated, legacy of Romania's royal family.
The Romanian monarchy was technically abolished in the late 1940s, but the descendants of the Romanian royal family are still high-profile figures today. Margareta, Custodian of the Crown of Romania, is a key player.
Despite being a prominent figure in Eastern Europe and having an important influence on her home country, Margareta is not as well known in the United States, even among those who are familiar with royal families across the world. But given her connection to the British royal family, her unreal biography, and her continued humanitarian efforts, Margareta of Romania deserves a little more recognition. An educated, savvy woman who was there without question when her country needed her most, Margareta is a woman worth studying and emulating. Here's what you need to know about Margareta of Romania.
Margareta grew up in Europe
Margareta of Romania had a very unique childhood. Though technically born into royalty, Margareta's father, King Michael, had already been forced to abdicate the throne (more on that later), and therefore Margareta grew up in exile. Rather than spending her childhood in Romania, Margareta split her time between the United Kingdom, Italy, and Switzerland, eventually attending boarding school in England. "It is true, it is difficult for a child to be away from home from a very young age. But that's how I became much more mature, and the English language improved then," Margareta told Adevarul of her formative education.
Despite being born into exiled royalty, bouncing around from country to country a bit, and attending boarding school, Margareta had some experiences that most children have. The royal was close with her siblings — Elena, Irina, Sofia, and Maria — and her grandmother, Queen Mother Elena. She read, watched television, and hung out with her friends. "My father had a machine and showed us Walt Disney and Warner Brothers movies — Donald Duck, Woody Woodpecker, Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner, Bugs Bunny. Then I invited my friends from school, and I was very popular among them!" she said. Margareta played the piano, participated in sports, enjoyed the occasional McDonald's meal, and was a budding equestrian. "I was passionate about horses, that's all I liked when I was little," she shared. "When I was little I rode, I drew horses, I read 'Black Beauty' written by Anna Sewell."
Prince Phillip was her godfather
Like many royals across Europe, Margareta of Romania has deep ties to the British royal family. Margareta's father, King Michael, was one of Prince Philip's cousins, and while in London for Philip's wedding to Queen Elizabeth II, Michael met his wife and the mother of his children, Queen Anne of Romania. When Margareta was born, Prince Philip was asked to be her godfather. Margareta spent ample time with the British royal family while growing up; she was only a toddler when she first met Elizabeth II at Balmoral. The Romanian royal also had a close relationship with King Charles III and Princess Anne, often spending her breaks from school with the two.
Margareta kept a close relationship with Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II into adulthood, sometimes returning to England to visit. Not long before Queen Elizabeth's death, Margareta visited her at her home. "This afternoon, Her Majesty Margareta of Romania and HRH Prince Radu were received at Windsor Castle by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II," the Romanian royal family wrote on X, formerly Twitter (via Express). "The Romanian royal couple paid a private visit to Her Britannic Majesty, in the first of their four-day public visit to the United Kingdom." Margareta was also sure to release a statement upon Prince Philip's death. "All generations of the Royal Romanian and British Families were close, but for today's generation, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip remain as spiritual role models, fundamental sources of inspiration," the royal statement read, as reported by Royal Central.
Margareta of Romania is highly educated
From a young age, Margareta of Romania had many opportunities afforded to her, including higher education. Upon completing her French Baccalaureate, Margareta moved to Italy and spent the year with her grandmother, Queen Elena. While with Queen Elena, Margareta discovered new art and music, met prominent cultural figures, and learned about herself. Inspired by the people she met, Margareta initially wanted to pursue an art degree. "Everything was so interesting that I formed a different idea of what life is like ... [Queen Elena] was surrounded by interesting people, with whom you could discuss extraordinary topics, great intellectuals like Harold Acton, Violet Trefusis, Freya Stark, elderly people, but who offered me a cultural opening," Margareta told Adevarul of her time spent with her grandmother.
Margareta eventually decided to attend the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, graduating in 1974 with a BA in Sociology, Political Science, and International Public Law. "Sociology was fashionable, so I chose it alongside international law, which I wanted for the United Nations, and political science because it could be linked to international relations and offered the opportunity to know systems," Margareta said in the aforementioned Adevaurl interview. "This combination of studies was very interesting." The educational path Margareta took would prove useful later in her career.
She has worked for prestigious organizations
Upon graduation, Margareta of Romania took research jobs at various universities in the United Kingdom. At the time, Margareta wondered if her degrees had been worthwhile, but she eventually found success with them. "I was lucky, because I later did sociological research work for 9 years. Having studied sociology helped me, and my professional experience was related to poor countries, in Africa, and that prepared me for the future. And, finally, I managed to work at the United Nations, in Rome, for 5-6 years," Margareta told Adevarul. While with the United Nations, Margareta worked for organizations such as the World Health Organization and the United Nations Population Fund.
Margareta remained involved in similar organizations after her time at the United Nations ended. The Romanian royal worked for the International Development Fund for Agriculture, continuing to help those in need. However, about 15 years into her career, Margareta's path completely changed. "I resigned in the summer of 1989, I realized that something fundamental was happening in Eastern Europe and that I had to return to my father," she said. The Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu had died, and the country was on the verge of major change. "Getting on the plane was quite emotional. We didn't know what was going to happen to us. It was so strange to look out of the plane window and see the fields; they were huge," Margareta told The Telegraph of her introduction to Romania.
Margareta has had a major impact on Romania
Although Margareta of Romania is, in fact, of Romania, the royal spent her younger years in other European countries. Then, in 1989, during the Romanian revolution, Margareta felt called to travel to her family's home country to help citizens in need. Margareta knew instantly that Romania was where she needed to be. "I was of course a little tense before coming, because I had seen on TV how it was being shot in the street, but the King agreed for me to come here to see what was happening ... Arriving on Romanian soil, I felt for the first time in my life a whole person! Before, I always had the feeling that half of my being was missing," Margareta told Adevarul.
In 1990, while Romania was still enmeshed in political turmoil and humanitarian crises, Margareta visited homes for both orphans and the elderly, and she was devastated by what the people had to endure. "I just didn't want this ever to happen again," Margaret told The Telegraph of the horrors she witnessed. In response, Margareta and her father, King Michael, started the Margareta of Romania Royal Foundation in an effort to improve the lives of the Romanian people. As Margareta told Royal Central, "The foundation has helped tens of thousands of children, young people and senior citizens through integrated, long-term programmes all over the country, which have strengthened local communities and restored dignity and hope to Romanians."
She got married in 1996
Margareta of Romania has had multiple loves in her life. While at university, she fell in love with future British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, though it ultimately didn't work. "I never stopped loving him, but one day it just didn't feel right. It was politics, politics, politics, and I needed nurturing," Margareta reportedly said of Brown, according to The Telegraph. A few years later, Margareta met her husband, Radu Duda. In the early 1990s, Prince Radu was working as an actor and was part of the Actors' Union, which was working with The Margareta of Romania Royal Foundation. Through this, Radu met Margareta, and in 1996, the two tied the knot. Radu and Margareta had two ceremonies: a civil ceremony at the town hall in Versoix, Switzerland, and a religious ceremony at the Saint Gerasim Orthodox Cathedral in Lausanne, Switzerland, the latter of which was attended by other European royals such as the Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Theresa of Luxembourg, Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine of Yugoslavia, and King Constantine and Queen Anne Marie of Greece.
Margareta and Radu have been together ever since. About five years into their marriage, Margareta and Radu moved into Elisabeta Palace in Bucharest, Romania, and they have resided there ever since. Throughout their marriage, Prince Radu has helped Margareta in her efforts to improve Romania as a nation and the lives of its citizens.
Margareta became the Custodian of the Crown in 2016
Margareta of Romania's father, King Michael, was born to the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Romania. The crown of Romania went through multiple changes during Michael's early life, but by the time he was an adult, he was named king. Unfortunately, this shake-up was happening amid the beginning of World War II, and by the end of the war, Romania had been overtaken by a communist regime, resulting in Michael's forced abdication and exile. Through the aforementioned Romanian revolution, which began in 1989, the communist regime was overthrown, and Michael became a Romanian citizen again in 1997. The revolution led to the creation of a republic in Romania rather than a return to a monarchy. However, the royal family assumed a prominent societal position in Romania again and eventually returned various properties that had been seized when they were exiled in the 1940s.
While King Michael still held power, his children were not set to succeed him as he only had daughters, and Romanian law at the time forbade women from ascending the throne. To keep the line of succession within the royal family, King Michael signed a statute that made it permissible for a woman to succeed him in 2007. And so, Margareta earned a royal title, becoming Margareta, Custodian of the Crown of Romania, when her father retired in 2016. She also inherited the title of Her Majesty Queen Margareta, though she doesn't use "queen."
Her position is mostly for show
Although Margareta of Romania has an impact on the country, she does not have the political power that her family had decades ago. The Romanian royal family instead acts as more of a figurehead position, serving the people of their country through Margareta's foundation and involvement in other organizations. "We will keep going as we are, and we have a kind of complementary role, which is extraordinary and very useful. We can do a lot for the country. We can count on the authorities for follow-ups for certain things, so it is kind of an ideal situation for the moment. And we obviously aim to continue this," Margareta told Royal Central.
There is, however, always the possibility that the Romanian citizens will vote to restore the monarchy. Just after King Michael died, a poll was conducted and over 70% of those who took it wanted the public to vote on monarchy restoration. The issue never made a ballot, but it could in the future. Some believed back in 2011 that then-Prince Charles could have become king of Romania given his relation to Vlad the Impaler, but that theory clearly never came to fruition. What some are more concerned with, though, is the Romanian royal family's internal issues. The group is reportedly at odds over the line of succession for various reasons, including the high amount of assets within the family as well as rumored paternity questions of some members.
Margareta has several honorary degrees
Margareta of Romania's commitment to education has continued since she received her aforementioned degrees. Not only has she sought to improve education for the children of Romania, she's received honorary degrees from various universities to signify her dedication. For example, in 2015, Margareta received the title Doctor Honoris Causa from the University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Banat. "I see this distinction as a tribute to my ancestors. In its 150 years of existence, the Royal House has always regarded Education as a priority. I know that none of the 70 years have been easy for the university," Margareta said in her acceptance speech, as reported by Agerpres. Margareta has received multiple other honorary degrees, including Doctor Honoris Causa from The University of Pitesti and Doctor Honoris Causa from The Geneva School of Diplomacy and International Relations, the latter of which was also bestowed upon Prince Radu. Her Majesty stated in her acceptance speech that she was particularly honored to receive the honorary degree from the Geneva School as she spent time there in her youth and has always been committed to humanitarianism.
Honorary degrees aren't the only prestigious honors Margareta has racked up. Her Majesty has multiple honorary citizenships and has won a handful of awards. Such awards include the Gold Medal of the Jordanian Red Crescent, the Dimitrie Cantemir medal from the Academy of Sciences of Moldova, and an Olympic Collar from the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee.
Margareta is still close with the British royal family
The Romanian royal family and the British royal family have always had a strong bond, even amid the turmoil that plagued the Romanian royal family throughout the 20th century. As noted, Margareta of Romania spent time as a child with King Charles III and Princess Anne, and she continued to receive invitations to British royal events throughout college. Margareta, whose great-great-great-grandmother is Queen Victoria and who was once 81st in the British line of succession, maintains a close relationship with the Windsors today.
While neither Margareta nor members of the British royal family issue personal statements regarding the other to the public, the two families are in regular contact. In late 2023, Margareta and her husband traveled to London to visit with Charles, sharing a statement about the visit with citizens via Instagram. Earlier that year, the couple traveled to London for Charles' coronation ceremony, again sharing the news via Instagram. While Charles doesn't give as frequent personal updates about his whereabouts, it is known that he makes it to Romania on occasion as he owns property in Transylvania. Margareta and Charles also reunited in May 2022 as Charles visited Romania to see how the country was responding to the issues happening in bordering Ukraine. And back in 2017, then-Prince Charles traveled to Romania to attend the funeral of Margareta's father, King Michael.