Romania King's Death Threatens Royals' Right to Palace

Romania’s royal family may have to quit their residence in Bucharest, the Elisabeta Palace, as the law only allowed the country's last monarch, King Michael, to use it – and he died in December.

Elisabeta Palace in Bucharest. Photo: Cristian-Mihail Miehs/Wikimedia

Romania’s royals may have to pack their bags and quit their official residence in Bucharest, Elisabeta Palace, by February 5, after the death of the country’s last monarch, Michael I, in December.

Romania’s royal family has used the palace located in northern Bucharest since 1997, when the former King was granted permission to return to the country.

Due to his status as former head of state he was allowed to use the palace as his headquarters and residence for life, but the building belongs to the Romanian government.

According to the law that regulates the status of former heads of state, Princess Margareta, the Custodian of the Crown, and her consort, Radu Duda, should move out within 60 days.

In December 2017, Senate Speaker Calin Popescu Tariceanu and the President of the Chamber of Deputies Liviu Dragnea submitted a draft to the Senate intended to regulate the status of Romania’s former royal family.

The draft published on the Senate website said the royals would have the rights to use the Elisabeta Palace for 49 years. The draft also recognizes the ex-royal house as an apolitical and autonomous state institution, and its head would have the same privileges as any former head of state.

The royals would also receive an unspecified annual budget to cover their expenses.

Romanian politicians are conflicted when it comes to giving more rights to the former royal family.

The government, which is required to express a view on the matter, officially rejected the idea in December, with former Prime Minister Mihai Tudose stressing that Romania is and would remain a republic, so the state should not fund royals.

The draft awaits approval by several committees in the Senate before it is voted on. Many voices from the opposition, including Liberal chief Ludovic Orban, have supported the idea.

Romania’s royal family announced last week that Princess Margareta and her husband would be leaving the palace as the law requires.

Former PM Tudose said he had received a request from the royals to negotiate a rent with the government. However, the royal family said the government did not respond to that request.

The wealth of the royals is considerable and has been estimated at 58 to 60 million euros, an amount was confirmed in 2015 by one of the royals’ lawyers.

After 1997, when the Romanian government allowed the former king to return after decades in exile, the royal family recovered some of its old properties, including one of Romania’s best known landmarks, Peles Castle, as well as Savarsin Castle in western Romania.

Peles is currently Romania’s second most visited museum after Bran castle. The royal house is renting it out to Romania’s Ministry of Culture.

On December 15, Culture Minister Lucian Romascanu said that the castle needs urgent repairs, and although the royal family hasn’t requested it, the government is willing to invest in it.

“I believe that sometime at the end of January or beginning of February we should come up with a solution to turn Peles into what it deserves to be – a symbol,” he told the media.