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| all three photos from August 1 meeting. @Romanian Royal Family |
Communiqué from His Majesty’s Press Office, 10 August 2015
The Press Office of His Majesty King Michael I has
been authorised to release the following communiqué:
On 1 August 2015, His Majesty King Michael signed a
document whereby he withdrew the title “Prince of Romania” and the style of
“Royal Highness” from his grandson Nicholas, the son of The Princess Helen.
Likewise, the King has excluded Nicholas from the Line of Succession to the
Crown of Romania. These decisions came into effect on the same day.
As Head of the House of the Royal Family of Romania,
King Michael took the aforementioned decisions for the sake of Romania in the
times that will come after the end of his reign and the lifetime of his
daughter, Margareta, the Custodian of the Crown. His Majesty has stated that
the Royal Family and Romanian society of those times to come will need guidance
that rests under the sign of well-tempered modesty, moral principles, respect
and constant thought for others.
Preserving the same affection for his grandson, King
Michael hopes that Nicholas will in the years to come find an appropriate way
of serving his ideals and making use of the qualities with which God has
endowed him.
Her Royal Highness The Princess Helen, Nicholas’
mother, has been informed of this decision in a personal letter from His
Majesty the King.
Royal Family spokesman Ioan-Luca Vlad told me tonight:
1. The decision is the King's sovereign decision. At 94 years and almost as many years of political experience, he is qualified to see that a person, namely Nicholas, has ideals and preoccupations which are incompatible in the future with the duties of a member of the Royal Family. The gist of this is in the decision and communique. 2. The decision opens the way for Nicholas to pursue his goals in a private capacity. It was not requested by him, but he does not oppose it, the burden of his position in Romania being quite heavy for him; 3. The Line of Succession does not stop. What the King referred to is that he took the decision for when Princess Margareta will not be with us anymore, i.e. to prevent Nicholas from claiming then that he should have the Crown. The Line of Succession goes after 1) the Crown Princess to 2) Princess Helen, then 3) Elisabeta-Karina (her daughter), then to 4) Princess Sophie and her daughter 5) Elisabeta-Maria, and then to 6) Princess Marie. So there are still six persons left, and the Head of the Family can always change this according to what he/she deems best.
The decision on August 1 was made after "a long process of thought, Mr. Vlad added, and "that it was firm, and came after a lot of consideration, as well as consultation within the family and with the Royal Council. It was not overnight although the breaking news always seems to be. And it was not with an easy heart."
The King made the decision, and informed Nicholas, who did not challenge it."
Nicholas is currently abroad on a private trip, and will return to Romania, although it is not yet known if he will remain in the country.
When Crown Princess Margarita becomes the head of the family, she will have the right to select a new heir.
Mr. Vlad is the Royal Family's attorney and advisor.
2 comments:
Six women in the line of succession would seem to require a cultural change for some, but not for this king. He has the wisdom to know the trouble caused by having a monarch who is unwilling to fulfill the obligations.
Having met King Michael some years ago as well as Crown Princess Margarita and knowing of the important work they both undertook during the immediate years after the downfall of the communist government in Bucharest, I can't help but think that with all of the sensitive and mindful words which could have been used to describe and explain that perhaps the former Prince Nicolas simply found the constraints of royal life and its protocols not to his liking, the King used words like respect, modesty and above all someone who thinks of others - which to me perfectly describes this young man to a "T".
Instead, the message can be easily misinterpreted and is terribly cryptic in its content, this I think has done great harm to the reputation and image of the Royal family and has left Nicolas essentially out in the cold, so to speak.
I really wish that in the immediate future, the King himself explains why in simple terms why this was done and that he in no way wished to imply that his Grandson was not a dedicated, mindful and respectful young member of the royal family but perhaps without the burden of a princely title, he will be better placed to fulfil his aspirations and future for himself and if he chooses, a family of his own.
M Alexander
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