Queen Anne of Romania dies aged 92

The Romanian Court has announced the death of Her Majesty, Queen Anne today.

Having lived in exile with her husband King Michael for decades, Anne had been in the Hospital in Morges, Switzerland. Her daughters, Crown Princess Margareta, Princess Elena, Princess Sophie and Princess Marie were at her side as she passed away, at 1:45pm.

Michael had visited his wife every day for the last week, but was not with her during her last moments. The exiled King has been ill with leukemia and cancer it was announced earlier this year, being treated in Lausanne.

The death of The Queen was somewhat unexpected; a statement at the same time as the announcement on The King’s health said Anne was being treated for ailments of an elderly person, but no illness or specific condition was mentioned.

Anne was related to Queen Elizabeth II through her marriage into the Hohenzollern dynasty, of which Michael is a part. She was also a cousin of The Duke of Edinburgh’s. The Romanian Royal Family were forced out of the country in 1947, when Michael was pressured to abdicate after the post-war Communist takeover of Romania. They lived in exile in the West for decades, returning to Romania in 1992.

The Queen, of French descent belonging to the House of Bourbon-Parma, never actually reigned, other than in exile, as she married Michael in 1948 in Athens; the couple reportedly met at the wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip the year previous. They have five daughters.

Fleeing the Nazis in France, her family moved to Spain in 1939, before heading to Portugal and then to the United States. Here, she attended the Parsons School of Design in New York in the 1940s, then worked at Macy’s department store.

From there, Anne volunteered for military service in the French Army, serving in Algeria, Morocco, Italy, Luxembourg and then in liberated Germany as an ambulance driver. Anne received the French Croix de guerre for her wartime service.

After lying in state for one day at Peles Castle in Romania, the funeral will take place at the Cathedral of Curtea de Arges, following the traditional style of a Royal funeral.

Mourners can sign the book of condolence over at www.familiaregala.ro/mesaje, and those in the area may leave flowers and wreaths outside of the Royal Palace in Calea Victoriei.

We expect to see a representative of the British Royal Family at the event; duties like this usually fall to the Earl and Countess of Wessex. More details to follow.

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Al Sharif Al Sheikh Dr Raad Al Anbaky Mon 01 August, 2016 - 11:23 pm

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