John and Jenny Fulton

Real International Princesses: Romanian Princess Marie

By Jenny Fulton

Introduction

My book, An International Princess Alphabet Primer, features princesses from countries and cultures around the world. Each character is named after a real person. These are their stories.

Because the alphabet book was written for young kids, the biographies I’m sharing are short, child-friendly, often rose-tinted summaries.

Romanian Princess Marie

Romanian Princess Marie is named for Queen Marie of Romania, the “Queen Mother of the Balkans.” Marie of Edinburgh was the last queen of Romania. She did many great things for the country and the people loved her.

Although she became a Romanian queen, Princess Marie Alexandra Victoria of Edinburgh was born in England on October 29, 1875. Her family and friends called her Missy.

Marie’s dad, Prince Alfred the Duke of Edinburgh, was the Queen of England’s second son. Marie’s mom, the Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna, was the Russian Emperor’s daughter. This young princess had one older brother and three younger sisters. Since their dad was so busy working with the British Royal Navy, they were mostly raised by their mom. However, Prince Alfred loved his kids and played games with them as often as he could when he was home.

Princess Marie grew into an energetic, smart, and beautiful young woman who was instantly loved by nearly everyone who met her. With such important parents, it’s not surprising they wanted her to marry an important man. Her dad wanted her to marry Prince George of Wales (the future king of England), but her mom said no because they were first cousins. Instead, the Grand Duchess talked to the Romanian King Carol who was looking for a princess to marry his son, Crown Prince Ferdinand.

When Marie and Ferdinand met, they decided they liked each other well enough to get married. So, on January 10, 1893, when Marie was only 17 years old, she left everything she knew, married Ferdinand, and moved to Romania.

At first, Marie’s new life in her new country was hard. She was lonely and didn’t know many people. But that didn’t stop her for long. In addition to having six children, Marie threw herself into learning all she could about Romania and doing her best to help the people. She even wore traditional Romanian clothes. Although King Carol and other older people at court didn’t like it, Marie continued to be her lively, outgoing self who loved being outside, riding horses, and talking to anyone, no matter how rich or poor they were.

Marie and Ferdinand eventually got to know each other better and became friends. When the Crown Prince realized how smart Marie was, he began inviting her to military meetings. Another royal official also recognized her intelligence and taught her more about Balkan politics.

In 1913, when Marie was 37, the Second Balkan War started. It only lasted a month, but it was terrible. Many people died. When a bad sickness infected the army, the royal princess immediately stepped in to help. She traveled to field hospitals in Romania and Bulgaria to aid in nursing sick and injured soldiers.

The next year, on July 28, 1914, World War I began. A few months later, on October 10, King Carol died. Princess Marie of Edinburgh was now the Queen of Romania. In her new position, Queen Marie worked hard to do what she thought was best for the country. She convinced King Ferdinand that they should join Russia, France, and Britain (the Allies) in the war. As she had done during the Balkan War, Queen Marie bravely worked as a nurse on the front lines of battle. She went to the trenches to encourage the soldiers and brought the army much needed supplies. 

When the war ended, Marie and Ferdinand traveled to the Paris Peace Conference. Rather than sit back and let others handle the negotiations, Marie stepped in and used her intelligence and charm to gain a peace deal that doubled Romania’s size.

When King Ferdinand died in 1927, Marie continued to be involved in ruling the country and helping the people. She also wrote several books about her life.

On July 18, 1938, when she was 62 years old, Queen Marie of Romania died. She had been sick and during that sickness, she wrote a final letter to her people.

“I became yours through joy and sorrow, And now, I bid you a fond farewell forever…remember my people that I loved you and that I bless you with my last breath.” 

This incredible princess is still remembered as one of the strongest Romanian women in history.

Other Princess Bios

Works Cited

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