a 30th anniversary celebration in Bucharest with a book launch

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 Only weeks after the fall of the Ceausescu regime in Romania,  Princess Margarita, 40, and Princess Sophie, 33, two of the five daughters of King Michael and Queen Anne, arrived in Romania on January 18, 1990.  It was the first to Romania by King Michael's daughters, all of whom had been born in exile.

King Michael had been forced to abdicate on December 30, 1947.  He and his mother, Queen Helen, were sent into exile.

The two princesses said they wanted to pay tribute to those who died in the uprising that led to Ceausescu's fall from power.

"It is with sadness, joy and my heart brimming over with emotion that Princess Sophie and I convey fraternal salutations from those who were cruelly and painfully separated from you for such a long time,"  Margarita said in Romanian, reading from a handwritten statement.

The princess told reporters: "This is a fact-finding mission and I only want to report to my father on the state of the country and its material and other needs."  She said she found the welcome "very friendly and warm."

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The two princesses spent a week in Romania.

In an interview at the Inter-Continental hotel,  Princess Margarita said:  "I wanted to get a feel of the place; to feel at home; to pay tribute to those who fell and those who are still alive, who made the revolution....Our visit is not political and it is intended simply to rediscover our country and to meet as many Romanians as possible, of every age and of every condition and to learn about the situation so as it make a report to our father."

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Margarita also spoke about her desire to live in Romania.  "For the first time we have come to know ourselves. If possible, I intend to live here...I am a Romanian."

Fast forward to January 2020.   Margarita lives in Romania with her husband, Romanian-born Radu Duda, now HRH Prince Radu of Romania.  Their main home in the Elisabetha Palace, which they rent from the government.   They also have a country home, Savarasin, which the late King Michael had purchased in the 1940s.  King Michael's ownership to Savrasin, Peles and Pelesor was restored  in 1997, along with his citizenship.  King Michael and Queen Anne Marie divided their time between their home in Aubonne, Switzerland, and in Romania.

Margarita and her husband were soon to become full time residents of Romania.

Romania can now be described as a functional monarchy in a republic.   The late King Michael was treated as a former head of state.   Margarita, who is now known as Her Majesty Margareta Custodian of the Crown, is recognized by the Romanian government as head of the Royal House.  She has


In 1990,  Her Majesty founded the Fundatia Regala Margareta a Romaniei, an "elite non-governmental organization that supports children, young and elderly people through long-term projects, based on shared values and experiences between generations."

https://www.facebook.com/frmr.ro/

The celebration began on Friday, January 17, with the launch of two books, The World of Her Majesty, edited by Professors Alexandru Muraru and Daniel Sandru and Margareta, Three Decades of the Crown by Sandra Gatejeanu.  Both books are in Romanian.  The latter book will be released in an English-language edition in the spring.

The launch took place at the Carturesti Carousel Hall in Bucharest's Old Town.
The bookstore was filled with supporters of the monarchy and royal family. 

Crown Prince Leka and Roger Lundgren at Radisson Blu,as we waited for the bus to attend the book launch

Crown Prince Leka

Sandra Gatejeanu

HRH Princess Sophie

HRH Princess Helen and her husband, Alexander Philips Nixon

all photos from book launch @Marlene A Eilers Koenig