Editing Michael I of Romania (section)

===Wedding===

As a [[House of Bourbon|Bourbon]], Anne was bound by the [[Canon law (Roman Catholic Church)|canon law]] of the [[Roman Catholic Church]], which required that she receive a [[dispensation (Catholic Church)|dispensation]] to marry a non-Catholic Christian (King Michael I was [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox]]). At the time, such a dispensation was normally only given if the non-Roman Catholic partner promised to allow the children of the marriage to be raised as Roman Catholics. Michael refused to make this promise since it would have violated Romania's monarchical constitution, and would be likely to have a detrimental impact upon any possible restoration.<ref name="erhj"/> The [[Holy See]] (which handled the matter directly since King Michael I was a member of a reigning dynasty) refused to grant the dispensation unless Michael made the required promise.

[[Helen of Greece and Denmark|Helen, Queen Mother of Romania]] and her sister [[Princess Irene, Duchess of Aosta]] (an Orthodox married to a Catholic Prince) met with the fiancée's parents in Paris, where the two families resolved to take their case to the [[Vatican City|Vatican]] in person. In early March, the couple's mothers met with [[Pius XII|Pope Pius XII]] who, despite the entreaties of the Queen Mother and the fact that Anne's mother, [[Princess Margrethe of Denmark|Princess Margrethe]] pounded her fist on the table in anger, refused permission for Anne to marry King Michael I.<ref name="erhj"/>

It has been surmised that the Pope's refusal was, in part, motivated by the fact that when [[Giovanna of Italy|Princess Giovanna of Savoy]] married Anne's cousin, [[Boris III of Bulgaria|King Boris III of Bulgaria]], in 1930, the couple had undertaken to raise their future children as Roman Catholics, but had [[baptism|baptized]] them in the Orthodox faith in deference to [[Bulgaria]]'s state religion.<ref name="erhj"/> However, King Michael I declined to make a promise he could not keep politically, while Anne's mother was herself the daughter of a [[interfaith marriage|mixed marriage]] between a Catholic ([[Princess Marie of Orléans (1865–1909)|Princess Marie d'Orléans]]) and a [[Protestant]] ([[Prince Valdemar of Denmark]]), who had abided by their pre-[[ne temere]] [[compromise]] to raise their sons as Protestant and their daughter, Margrethe, as Catholic.<ref name="erhj"/>

Although under a great deal of stress,<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2016/08/01/queen-anne-of-romania--obituary/|title=Queen Anne of Romania – obituary|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=August 2016|access-date=2 August 2016}}</ref> the engaged couple resolved to proceed. Anne's paternal uncle, [[Xavier, Duke of Parma|Prince Xavier of Bourbon-Parma]], issued a statement objecting to any marriage conducted against the will of the Pope and the bride's family. It was he, not the [[Pontiff]], who forbade Anne's parents to attend the wedding.<ref name="erhj"/>  King Michael I's spokesman declared on 9 June that the parents had been asked and had given their consent, and that the bride's family would be represented at the [[nuptials]] by her maternal uncle, the Protestant [[Count Erik of Rosenborg|Prince Erik of Denmark]], who was to give the bride away.<ref name="erhj"/>

The wedding ceremony was held on 10 June 1948 in Athens, Greece, in the throne room of the Royal Palace;<ref name=":0" /> the ceremony was performed by [[Damaskinos of Athens|Archbishop Damaskinos]], and [[Paul of Greece|King Paul I of Greece]] served as ''[[participants in wedding ceremonies#Groomsmen|koumbaros]]''.<ref name="erhj"/> Guests at the wedding included: Michael's mother [[Helen of Greece and Denmark|The Queen Mother of Romania]], aunts [[Frederica of Hanover|Queen Frederica]], [[Princess Irene, Duchess of Aosta|The Dowager Duchess of Aosta]], [[Princess Katherine of Greece and Denmark]]; cousins [[Prince Amedeo, Duke of Aosta (b. 1943)|Prince Amedeo, 5th Duke of Aosta]], [[Queen Sofía of Spain|Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark]], [[Constantine II of Greece|Crown Prince Constantine of Greece]] and [[Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark]], the three youngest ones serving as bridesmaids and pageboy; Anne's maternal uncle [[Count Erik of Rosenborg|Prince Erik of Denmark]]; [[Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia]], [[Princess Olga of Greece and Denmark]], [[Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia]], [[Prince George William of Hanover (1915–2006)|Prince George Wilhelm of Hanover]] and many other dignitaries. King Michael I's father, [[Carol II of Romania|Carol]], and his sisters, [[Maria of Yugoslavia|Maria, Queen Mother of Yugoslavia]], [[Princess Elisabeth of Romania]] (ex-Queen Consort of Greece) and [[Princess Ileana of Romania]] were notified, but not invited.{{Why|date=March 2016}}<ref name="erhj"/>

As no papal dispensation was given for the marriage, when it was celebrated according to the rites of the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]], it was deemed invalid by the Roman Catholic Church, but perfectly legal by every other authority. The couple eventually took part in a religious ceremony again, on 9 November 1966, at the Roman Catholic Church of St Charles in [[Monaco]], thus satisfying Roman Catholic canon law.<ref name="erhj"/>