Editing Carol II of Romania (section)

==Early life==
[[File:Carol II of Romania in 1918.jpg|right|thumb|Crown Prince Carol of Romania in 1918.]]

Carol was born in [[Peleș Castle]] and grew up under the thumb of his dominating grand-uncle, King Carol I. King Carol I largely excluded Carol's parents, the German-born [[Ferdinand I of Romania|Crown Prince Ferdinand]] and the British-born [[Marie of Romania|Crown Princess Marie]], from any role in bringing him up.{{sfn|Sankey|2014|p=63}} Romania in the early 20th century had a famously relaxed "Latin" sexual morality, and the British Princess [[Marie of Romania|Marie of Edinburgh]] despite or perhaps because of her Victorian upbringing ended up "going native", having a long series of affairs with various Romanian men with whom she could obtain more emotional and sexual satisfaction than she could with Ferdinand, who fiercely resented being cuckolded.{{sfn|Herman|2009|pp=262–265}} The stern Carol I felt that Marie was unqualified to raise Prince Carol because of her affairs and her young age, as she was only seventeen when Carol was born, while Marie regarded the King as a cold, overbearing tyrant who would crush the life out of her son.

Additionally, the childless Carol I, who had always wanted a son, treated Prince Carol as his surrogate son and thoroughly spoiled him, indulging his every whim. Ferdinand was a rather shy and weak man who was easily overshadowed by the charismatic Marie, who became the most loved member of the Romanian royal family. Growing up, Carol felt ashamed of his father, whom both his grand-uncle and mother pushed around.{{sfn|Bucur|2007|p=92}} Carol's childhood was spent being caught up in an emotional tug-of-war between Carol I and Marie, who had very different ideas about how to raise him.{{sfn|Bucur|2007|p=93}} The Romanian historian [[Maria Bucur|Marie Bucur]] described the battle between Carol I and Princess Marie as one between traditional 19th-century Prussian conservatism as personified by Carol I versus the 20th-century liberal, modernist, and sexually deviant values of the "[[New Woman]]" as personified by Princess Marie.{{sfn|Bucur|2007|p=93}} Aspects of both Marie's and Carol I's personalities were present in Carol II.{{sfn|Bucur|2007|p=93}} Largely because of the battle between the King and Marie, Carol ended up being both spoiled and deprived of love.{{sfn|Bucur|2007|p=93}} 
[[File:King Carol I of Romania with his nephew and great nephew.jpg|thumb|King Carol I of Romania with his nephew the future King [[Ferdinand I of Romania|Ferdinand]] and grand-nephew Prince Carol.]]