Editing Michael I of Romania

{{Short description|King of Romania (r. 1927–1930, 1940–1947)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Michael I
| image        = Mihai.jpg
| caption      = Michael I in 1947
| succession   = [[King of Romania]]
| reign1       = 20 July 1927 – 8 June 1930
| reign-type1  = First reign
| predecessor1 = [[Ferdinand I of Romania|Ferdinand I]]
| successor1   = [[Carol II of Romania|Carol II]]
| regent1      = {{Collapsible list|title={{nobold|''See list''}}|1=[[Prince Nicholas of Romania|Prince Nicholas]] (1927–1930)|2=[[Miron Cristea]] (1927–1930)|3=[[Gheorghe Buzdugan]] (1927–1929)|4={{ill|v=ib|Constantin Sărăţeanu|ro|Constantin Sărățeanu}} (1929–1930)}}
| reg-type1    = Regents
| reign-type2  = Second reign
| reign2       = 6 September 1940 – {{avoid wrap|30 December 1947}}
| coronation3  = 6 September 1940
| cor-type3    = [[Coronation]]
| predecessor2 = Carol II
| successor2   = ''Monarchy abolished''<br>[[Constantin Ion Parhon]] (as [[List of heads of state of Romania#Romanian People's Republic/Socialist Republic of Romania (1947–1989)|President of the Provisional Presidium of the Republic]])
| birth_date   = {{Birth date|df=y|1921|10|25}}
| birth_place  = [[Peleș Castle]], Sinaia, [[Kingdom of Romania]]
| death_date   = {{Death date and age|df=y|2017|12|05|1921|10|25}}
| death_place  = [[Aubonne]], Vaud, Switzerland
| burial_date  = 16 December 2017
| burial_place = Royal Cathedral, [[Curtea de Argeș Cathedral|Curtea de Argeș Monastery]], Curtea de Argeș, Romania
| spouse       = {{marriage|[[Anne of Romania|Anne of Bourbon-Parma]]|10 June 1948|1 August 2016|end=died}}
| issue        = {{ubl|[[Margareta of Romania|Margareta, Custodian of the Crown of Romania]]|[[Princess Elena of Romania|Princess Elena]]|Princess Irina|Princess Sophie|[[Princess Maria of Romania (born 1964)|Princess Maria]]}}
| house        = {{ubl|[[House of Romania|Romania]] (from 2011)|[[Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen#Romanian branch|Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen]] (until 2011)}}
| father       = [[Carol II of Romania]]
| mother       = [[Helen of Greece and Denmark]]
| religion     = [[Romanian Orthodox]]
| signature    = Michael of Romania Signature.svg
}}
'''Michael I''' ({{langx|ro|Mihai I}} {{IPA|ro|miˈhaj|}}; 25 October 1921 – 5 December 2017) was the last [[King of Romania]], reigning from 20 July 1927 to 8&nbsp;June 1930 and again from 6 September 1940 until his forced [[abdication]] on 30 December 1947.

Shortly after Michael's birth, his father, [[Carol II of Romania|Crown Prince Carol]], had become involved in a controversial relationship with [[Magda Lupescu]]. In 1925, Carol was pressured to renounce his rights (in favour of his son Michael) to the throne and moved to [[Paris]] in exile with Lupescu. In July 1927, following the death of his grandfather [[Ferdinand I of Romania|Ferdinand I]], Michael ascended the throne at age five, the youngest crowned head in Europe.<ref name="Grdn">{{cite news |last1=Dunlop |first1=Tessa |title=Michael I of Romania obituary |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/05/michael-1-of-romania |access-date=23 August 2023 |work=The Guardian |date=5 December 2017}}</ref> As Michael was still a minor, a regency council was instituted, composed of his uncle [[Prince Nicholas of Romania|Prince Nicolas]], Patriarch [[Miron Cristea]] and Chief Justice [[Gheorghe Buzdugan]]. The council proved to be ineffective and, in 1930, Carol returned to Romania and replaced his son as monarch, reigning as Carol II. As a result, Michael returned to being [[heir apparent]] to the throne and was given the additional title of Grand [[Voievod]] of Alba-Iulia.

Carol II was forced to abdicate in 1940, and Michael once again became king.<ref name="Grdn"/> Under the government led by the military dictator [[Ion Antonescu]], Romania became aligned with [[Nazi Germany]]. In 1944, Michael [[King Michael's Coup|participated in a coup]] against Antonescu, appointed [[Constantin Sănătescu]] as his replacement, and subsequently declared an alliance with the Allies.<ref name="Grdn"/> In March 1945, political pressures forced Michael to appoint a pro-Soviet government headed by [[Petru Groza]]. From August 1945 to January 1946, Michael went on a "royal strike" and unsuccessfully tried to oppose Groza's [[Romanian Communist Party|communist]]-controlled government by refusing to sign and endorse its decrees. In November 1947, Michael attended [[Wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten|the wedding]] of his cousins, the future Queen [[Elizabeth II]] of the [[United Kingdom]] and [[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh|Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark]] in [[London]]. Shortly thereafter, on the morning of 30 December 1947, Groza met with Michael and compelled him to abdicate, while the monarchy was abolished. Michael was forced into exile, his properties confiscated, and his citizenship stripped. In 1948, he married [[Princess Anne of Bourbon-Parma]], with whom he had five daughters.<ref name="Grdn"/> The couple eventually settled in [[Switzerland]].

[[Nicolae Ceaușescu]]'s communist dictatorship [[Romanian Revolution|was overthrown in December 1989]] and the following year Michael attempted to return to Romania, only to be arrested and forced to leave upon arrival. In 1992, Michael was allowed to visit Romania for [[Easter]], where he was greeted by huge crowds;<ref name="Grdn"/> a speech he gave from his hotel window drew an estimated one million people to [[Bucharest]]. Alarmed by Michael's popularity, the post-communist government of [[Ion Iliescu]] refused to allow him any further visits. In 1997, after Iliescu's defeat by [[Emil Constantinescu]] in the presidential election of the previous year, Michael's citizenship was restored and he was allowed to visit Romania again. Several confiscated properties, such as [[Peleș Castle]] and [[Săvârșin Castle]], were eventually returned to his family.

==Early life==

[[File:Prince Michael of Rumania 1927.jpg|thumb|Prince Michael, aged 5]]

Michael was born in 1921 at [[Peleș Castle|Foișor Castle]] on the [[Peleș Castle|Royal Complex of Peleș]] in [[Sinaia]], Romania, the son of [[Carol II of Romania|Crown Prince Carol of Romania]] and [[Helen of Greece and Denmark|Crown Princess Elena]].<ref name="familiaregala.ro1">{{cite web|url=http://www.familiaregala.ro/familia-regala/prezentare/ms-regele-mihai|title=MS Regele Mihai I|access-date=22 December 2016|archive-date=8 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170908112257/http://www.familiaregala.ro/familia-regala/prezentare/ms-regele-mihai|url-status=dead}}</ref> He was born as the paternal grandson of the reigning King [[Ferdinand I of Romania]] and maternal grandson of the reigning King [[Constantine I of Greece]].
When Carol [[elope]]d with his mistress [[Magda Lupescu|Elena Magda Lupescu]] and renounced his rights to the throne in December 1925, Michael was declared [[heir apparent]]. Michael succeeded to the throne of Romania upon Ferdinand's death in July 1927, before his sixth birthday.<ref>Bucur, Marie "Carol II" pages 87-118 from ''Balkan Strongmen: Dictators and Authoritarian Rulers of South Eastern Europe'' edited by Bernd Jürgen Fischer, West Lafayette: Purdue University Press, 2007 p. 97.</ref> Later, Michael attended a special school established in 1932 by his father.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.realitatea.net/regele-mihai-la-scoala-cum-isi-amintea-profesorul-sau-despre-el-n-a-fost-premiantul-clasei-dar_1788418.html |title=Regele Mihai la ṣcoală. Cum îşi amintea profesorul său despre el: N-a fost premiantul clasei, dar... |date=11 September 2015 |publisher=Realitatea .Net |access-date=5 December 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.historia.ro/sectiune/general/articol/o-scoala-pentru-un-singur-copil|title=O şcoală pentru un singur copil|access-date=5 December 2017}}</ref>

==Reign==
===1930s and the Antonescu era===
[[File:Signal 16-1941..jpg|thumb|King Michael and General [[Ion Antonescu]] on the banks of the [[Prut|Prut River]], 1941]]
A [[regency]], which included his uncle, [[Prince Nicholas of Romania|Prince Nicolae]], Patriarch [[Patriarch Miron of Romania|Miron Cristea]], and the country's Chief Justice ([[Gheorghe Buzdugan]], and from October 1929, {{ill|Constantin Sărățeanu|ro}}) functioned on behalf of the five-year-old Michael, when he succeeded Ferdinand in 1927.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rulers.org/rulqr.html#romania|title=Rulers of Romania|publisher=Rulers|access-date=30 July 2012}}</ref> In 1930, [[Carol II of Romania|Carol II]] returned to the country at the invitation of politicians dissatisfied with the regency in the context of the [[Great Depression]], and was proclaimed king by the [[Parliament of Romania|Parliament]]. Michael was demoted to [[crown prince]] with the title "Grand [[Voivode]] of [[Alba Iulia]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.romanialibera.ro/aldine/history/fotodocument--mihai--mare-voievod-de-alba-iulia-316277|title=FOTODOCUMENT. Mihai, Mare Voievod de Alba Iulia – România liberă|date=27 October 2013|access-date=22 December 2016|archive-date=8 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170208073432/http://www.romanialibera.ro/aldine/history/fotodocument--mihai--mare-voievod-de-alba-iulia-316277|url-status=dead}}</ref> In November 1939, Michael joined the [[Senate of Romania|Romanian Senate]], as the [[1938 Constitution of Romania|1938 Constitution]] guaranteed him a seat there upon reaching the age of eighteen.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20081012070535/http://ziua.net/display.php?data=2007-11-29&id=230045 "Ce citeau românii acum 68 de ani?"], ''[[Ziua]]'', 29 November 2007.</ref>

Just days after the [[Second Vienna Award]], the pro-[[Nazi Germany|Nazi]] anti-[[Soviet Union|Soviet]] regime of Prime Minister Marshal [[Ion Antonescu]] staged a coup d'état against Carol II, whom he claimed to be "anti-German". Antonescu suspended the Constitution, dissolved the Parliament, and re-installed the 18-year-old Michael as king, by popular acclaim in September 1940. (Although the Constitution was restored in 1944, and the Romanian Parliament in 1946, Michael did not subsequently take a formal oath nor have his reign approved retroactively by Parliament.) Michael was [[coronation|crowned]]<ref name="Rules">[https://web.archive.org/web/20130921060913/http://www.familiaregala.ro/upload/p0002_FundamentalRules.pdf Fundamental Rules of the Royal Family of Romania], [http://www.familiaregala.ro/ The Romanian Royal Family website] as. Retrieved 8 January 2008</ref> with the [[Steel Crown of Romania|Steel Crown]] and [[anointing|anointed]] King of Romania by the [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox]] [[Patriarch]] of Romania, [[Patriarch Nicodim of Romania|Nicodim Munteanu]], in the [[Romanian Patriarchal Cathedral|Patriarchal Cathedral]] of [[Bucharest]], on the day of his accession, 6 September 1940.<ref>{{in lang|ro}} [http://www.sfaturiortodoxe.ro/bejan2-7.htm "The Joys of Suffering," Volume 2, "Dialogue with a few intellectuals"], by Rev. Fr. Dimitrie Bejan – [http://www.sfaturiortodoxe.ro/en/index.htm "Orthodox Advices"] website as of 9 June 2007</ref> Although King Michael was formally the Supreme Head of the Army, named ''[[Conducător]]'' ("Leader of the people"), and entitled to appoint the [[Prime Minister of Romania|Prime Minister]] with full powers, in reality he was forced to remain a figurehead for most of the [[Romania in World War II|war]], until August 1944.<ref>{{in lang|ro}} Ioan Scurtu, Theodora Stănescu-Stanciu, Georgiana Margareta Scurtu, [http://ebooks.unibuc.ro/istorie/istorie1918-1940/13-15.htm ''The History of the Romanians between 1918 and 1940 ("Istoria românilor între anii 1918–1940")''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002052125/http://ebooks.unibuc.ro/istorie/istorie1918-1940/13-15.htm |date=2 October 2011 }}, page 280.</ref> Michael had lunch with [[Adolf Hitler]] twice—once with his father in [[Bavaria]] in 1937, and with his mother in [[Berlin]] in 1941.<ref>{{cite web|last=Thorpe|first=Nick|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15448163 |title=Romania's ex-King Michael I defends his wartime record|publisher=BBC|date=25 October 2011|access-date=30 July 2012}}</ref> He also met [[Benito Mussolini]] in Italy in 1941.<ref>{{in lang|es}} [http://www.elpais.com/articulo/Revista/sabado/Comi/Hitler/era/estirado/frio/Mussolini/parecia/humano/elpepirsa/20111224elpepirsa_1/Tes "Comí con Hitler, era estirado y frío. Mussolini parecía más humano"]</ref>

===Turning against Nazi Germany===
{{main|1944 Romanian coup d'état}}
[[File:Cetatea Tighina 18+32.jpg|thumb|Romanian stamp from 1942, commemorating the first anniversary of the recapture of [[Bessarabia]] from [[Soviet occupation of Bessarabia and northern Bukovina|Soviet occupation]], featuring Michael and dictator Antonescu below the text ''Un an de la desrobire'' ("A year since liberation"), a portrait of [[Stephen III of Moldavia|Stephen the Great]] and the fortress of [[Bender, Moldova|Bender]] in the background]]
In 1944, [[World War II]] was going badly for the [[Axis powers of World War II|Axis powers]], but Antonescu was still in control of Romania. By August 1944, the Soviet conquest of Romania had become inevitable, and was expected in a few months.<ref name="Bulgaria">[https://www.britannica.com/eb/article-42751/Bulgaria "Bulgaria"]. ''Encyclopædia Britannica''.</ref><!-- Quote: "At the end of August, the sudden surrender of Romania, which brought Soviet troops to the Danube months before they had been expected, created panic in Sofia."--> On 23 August 1944, Michael joined the pro-[[Allies of World War II|Allies]] politicians, a number of army officers, and armed Communist-led civilians<ref name = "Library"/><!-- Quote: "On 23 August King Michael, a number of army officers, and armed communist-led civilians supported by the BND locked Ion Antonescu into a safe and seized control of the government...." Western historians point out that the communists played only a 'supporting role' in the fall from power of the military dictator, Marshal Antonescu; on the other hand, post-WW II, communist-controlled historians alleged incorrectly that 'the communists played the decisive role in Antonescu's overthrow'--> in staging a [[1944 Romanian coup d'état|coup against Antonescu]]. Michael ordered his arrest by the Royal Palace Guard.<ref name="Grdn"/> On the same night, the new Prime Minister, Lt. General [[Constantin Sănătescu]]—appointed by King Michael—gave custody of Antonescu to the communists (in spite of alleged instructions to the contrary by the King), and the latter delivered him to the Soviets on 1 September.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20071016161316/http://ziua.net/display.php?id=205697&data=2006-08-19&ziua=31a759d5aafc28a47a9c0b5534f29c38 "23 August – radiografia unei lovituri de Palat", paragraph "Predaţi comuniştilor", Dosare Ultrasecrete], ''[[Ziua]]'', 19 August 2006</ref> In a radio broadcast to the Romanian nation and army, Michael issued a ceasefire just as the Red Army was penetrating the [[Moldova|Moldavian]] front,<ref name="Library"/> proclaimed Romania's loyalty to the Allies, announced the acceptance of the armistice offered by the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Soviet Union, and declared war on Germany.<ref>[http://www.curierulnational.ro/Specializat/2004-08-07/ Dictatura a luat sfarsit si cu ea inceteaza toate asupririle] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202222039/http://www.curierulnational.ro/Specializat/2004-08-07/ |date=2 December 2013 }} ("The Dictatorship Has Ended and along with It All Oppression") – From ''The Proclamation to The Nation of King Michael I on The Night of 23 August 1944'', ''[[Curierul Naţional]]'', 7 August 2004</ref> However, this did not avert a rapid Soviet occupation and capture of about 130,000 Romanian soldiers, who were transported to the Soviet Union where many perished in prison camps.<ref name="Library">[http://countrystudies.us/romania/23.htm "Romania – Armistice Negotiations and Soviet Occupation"]. countrystudies.us.</ref>

Although the country's alliance with [[Nazi Germany]] was ended, the coup sped the [[Red Army]]'s advance into Romania.<ref name="Library"/> The armistice was signed three weeks later on 12 September 1944, on terms the Soviets virtually dictated.<ref name="Library"/> Under the terms of the armistice, Romania recognized its defeat by the USSR and was placed under occupation of the Allied forces, with the Soviets, as their representative, in control of media, communication, post, and civil administration behind the front. The coup effectively amounted to a "capitulation",<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP78-01617A001500040001-0.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170118221137/https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP78-01617A001500040001-0.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 January 2017 |title=Secret CIA report – Rumania, 10/5/1949|access-date=5 December 2017}}</ref><ref>[https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost_historical/access/148133682.html?did=148133682&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&dids=148133682:148133682:&date=Aug+25%2C+1944&author=&pub=The+Washington+Post++ "Hitler Resorts To 'Puppets' In Romania"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130311200309/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost_historical/access/148133682.html?did=148133682&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&dids=148133682:148133682:&date=Aug+25%2C+1944&author=&pub=The+Washington+Post++ |date=11 March 2013 }}, ''[[The Washington Post]]'', 25 August 1944.</ref> an "unconditional"<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1944/08/24/archives/break-in-balkans-king-proclaims-nations-surrender-and-wish-to-help.html?scp=1 "King Proclaims Nation's Surrender and Wish to Help Allies"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', 24 August 1944</ref> "surrender".<ref name="Bulgaria"/><ref name="Library"/> It has been suggested by Romanian historians that the coup may have shortened [[World War II]] by six months, thus saving hundreds of thousands of lives.<ref name="Honest">Constantiniu, Florin,
"O istorie sinceră a poporului român" ("An Honest History of the Romanian People"), Ed. ''Univers Enciclopedic'', București, 1997, {{ISBN|973-9243-07-X}} {{in lang|ro}}</ref>

At the end of the war, King Michael was awarded the highest degree (Chief Commander) of the American [[Legion of Merit]] by [[President of the United States|U.S. President]] [[Harry S. Truman]].<ref>{{in lang|ro}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20120420090722/http://www.princeradublog.ro/jurnal/cuvintele-lui-harry-truman/ "Cuvintele lui Harry S. Truman"], Romanian, Prince Radu's blog, includes scan of citation, 23 June 2011</ref> He was also decorated with the Soviet [[Order of Victory]] by [[Joseph Stalin]] "for the courageous act of the radical change in Romania's politics towards a break-up from Hitler's Germany and an alliance with the [[Allies of World War II#United Nations|United Nations]], at the moment when there was no clear sign yet of Germany's defeat", according to the official description of the decoration.  With the death of [[Michał Rola-Żymierski]] in 1989, Michael became the sole surviving recipient of the Order of Victory.<ref>{{in lang|ro}} ''Armata Română în Al Doilea Război Mondial. Romanian Army in World War II.'' [[Bucharest]]: "Meridiane" publishing house, 1995, p. 196</ref>

===Reign under Communism===
In March 1945, political pressures forced King Michael to appoint a pro-Soviet government headed by [[Petru Groza]].  For the next two-plus years, Michael functioned again as little more than a figurehead. Between August 1945 and January 1946, during what was later known as the "royal strike", King Michael tried unsuccessfully to oppose the Groza government by refusing to sign its decrees. In response to Soviet, British, and American pressures,<ref>{{in lang|ro}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20071016155029/http://ziua.ro/display.php?data=2000-08-23&id=49004 "What was done in Romania between 1945 and 1947 it has also been done since 1989"], ''Ziua'', 24 August 2000</ref> King Michael eventually gave up his opposition to the communist government and stopped demanding its resignation.

He did not [[pardon]] ''[[Mareșal (Romania)|Mareșal]]'' Antonescu, the former Prime Minister, who was sentenced to death "for betrayal of the Romanian people for the benefit of Nazi Germany, for the economic and political subjugation of Romania to Germany, for cooperation with the [[Iron Guard]], for murdering his political opponents, for the [[mass murder]] of civilians and [[crimes against peace]]". Nor did King Michael manage to save such leaders of the opposition as [[Iuliu Maniu]] and the [[Bratianu]]s,<ref>{{in lang|ro}} [http://www.bbc.co.uk/romanian/news/story/2007/04/070418_sighet_istoric.shtml Brief history of Sighet prison], [[BBC]], 18 April 2007</ref> victims of Communist political trials, as the Constitution prevented him from doing so without the counter-signature of Communist Justice Minister [[Lucreţiu Pătrăşcanu|Lucrețiu Pătrășcanu]] (who himself was later eliminated by [[Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej|Gheorghiu-Dej]]'s opposing Communist faction). The memoirs of King Michael's aunt [[Princess Ileana of Romania|Princess Ileana]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tkinter.smig.net/PrincessIleana/ILiveAgain/Chapter21.htm |title="I Live Again" by Ileana, Princess of Romania, Chapter 21 |publisher=Tkinter.smig.net |access-date=30 July 2012}}</ref> quoted [[Emil Bodnăraş|Emil Bodnăraș]]—her alleged lover,<ref>{{in lang|ro}}[http://www.jurnalul.ro/articole/18837/istoria-ca-telenovela-barfele-unui-raport-secret-iii "History as a Soap Opera – The Gossips of a Secret Report (III)"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071016173057/http://jurnalul.ro/articole/18837/istoria-ca-telenovela-barfele-unui-raport-secret-iii |date=16 October 2007 }}, ''[[Jurnalul Naţional]]'', 18 June 2006</ref> Romania's Communist minister of defence, and a Soviet spy<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+ro0197) |title="Development of the Romanian Armed Forces after World War II", Library of Congress Country Studies |publisher=Lcweb2.loc.gov |date=20 August 1968 |access-date=30 July 2012}}</ref>—as saying: "Well, if the King decides not to sign the death warrant, I promise that we will uphold his point of view." Princess Ileana was sceptical: "You know quite well (...) that the King will never of his free will sign such an unconstitutional document. If he does, it will be laid at your door, and before the whole nation your government will bear the blame. Surely you do not wish this additional handicap at this moment!"

===Forced abdication===
[[File:Actul de Abdicare Mihai I.png|thumb|left|Abdication act, 1947]]
In November 1947, King Michael travelled to London for the wedding of his cousins, Princess Elizabeth (later [[Queen Elizabeth II]]) and [[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh|Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark]], an occasion during which he met [[Anne of Romania|Princess Anne of Bourbon-Parma]] (his second cousin once removed), who was to become his wife. According to his own account,<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120204162704/http://www.cs.kent.edu/~amarcus/Mihai/english/agende/mar2697.html Speech By His Majesty Michael I, King of Romania to the Royal United Services Institute for Defence Studies], London, 26 March 1997</ref> King Michael rejected any offers of [[Right of asylum|asylum]] and decided to return to Romania, contrary to the confidential, strong advice of the British Ambassador to Romania.

Early on the morning of 30 December 1947, Michael was preparing for a New Year's party at [[Peleș Castle]] in [[Sinaia]], when Groza summoned him back to Bucharest.  Michael returned to [[Elisabeta Palace]] in Bucharest, to find it surrounded by troops from the [[Tudor Vladimirescu Division]], an army unit completely loyal to the Communists.  Groza and Communist Party leader [[Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej]] were waiting for him, and demanded that he sign a pre-typed instrument of abdication.  Unable to call in loyal troops, due to his telephone lines allegedly being cut, Michael signed the document.<ref>{{in lang|ro}} [http://www.zf.ro/ziarul-de-duminica/regele-mihai-intre-urcarea-pe-tron-si-abdicare-vii-2994838/  "King Michael between the ascension to the throne and abdication – VII"], [[Ziarul financiar]], 24 June 2001</ref><!--In His interview, King Michael states (translation): "I entered the next room where Ioanitiu and others were and when I entered in there they told me: "The telephone lines are cut, the palace sentries and guards have been arrested and replaced by troops from the Tudor Vladimirescu division." The original interview in Romanian: "Am trecut in incaperea de alaturi, unde erau Ioanitiu si altii, si cand am intrat acolo mi-au spus: "Telefoanele sunt taiate, santinelele si garda palatului au fost arestate si inlocuite cu trupe din divizia Tudor Vladimirescu"."--><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.geocities.com/capitolhill/lobby/8957/960510.html |title=The Republic was installed by way of the gun |access-date=13 April 2006 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091027123236/http://www.geocities.com/capitolhill/lobby/8957/960510.html |archive-date=27 October 2009 |language=ro}}, undated interview with H.M. King Michael in [[Ziua]], as of 15 October 2008</ref><!--Translation: "On top of this, the house was surrounded by Tudor Vladimirescu troops endowed with artillery and my telephone lines were cut."  Original in Romanian: "In plus de asta, casa era inconjurata de trupe Tudor Vladimirescu, dotate cu artilerie, telefoanele imi erau taiate."--><ref name="Compression">[https://web.archive.org/web/20070313151307/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,794131,00.html "Compression"], ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', 12 January 1948</ref><ref>{{in lang|ro}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20121025165044/http://www.cs.kent.edu/~amarcus/Mihai/romanian/diverse/mirceaionitiu.html Mircea Ionnitiu : "30 December 1947"], [https://web.archive.org/web/20120712202240/http://www.cs.kent.edu/~amarcus/Mihai/index.html site dedicated to HM King Mihai I of Romania and to the Romanian Monarchy] as of 15 October 2008</ref> Later the same day, the Communist-dominated government announced the abolition of the monarchy, and its replacement by a [[People's Republic]], broadcasting the King's pre-recorded radio proclamation<ref>''Friends & Enemies, Presidents & Kings'' by Tammy Lee McClure, Accendo Publishing, p. 99. Another account comes from the Romanian anti-Communist dissident [[Paul Goma]]'s {{in lang|ro}} [http://paulgoma.free.fr/paulgoma_pdf/pdf/LRP_JURNAL_PE_SARITE.pdf "Skipped Diary" ("Jurnal pe sarite"), page 57.]</ref> of his own abdication. On 3 January 1948, Michael was forced to leave the country, followed<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1948/01/13/archives/2-princesses-exiled-by-rumanian-regime.html?scp=1 "2 Princesses Exiled By Romanian Regime"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', 13 January 1948</ref> over a week later by Princesses [[Elisabeth of Romania|Elisabeth]] and Ileana, who collaborated so closely with the Soviets that they became known as the King's "Red Aunts".<ref>W. H. Lawrence,[https://www.nytimes.com/1948/01/07/archives/aunts-of-michael-may-be-exiled-too-royalty-remaining-in-rumania.html?scp=1  "Aunts of Michael May Be Exiled Too"], ''The New York Times'', 7 January 1948</ref> He was the last monarch behind the [[Iron Curtain]] to lose his throne.

Michael's own account of the abdication varied over time, and was gradually embellished, especially after 1990. Thus, in accounts published in 1950 and 1977, Michael only mentioned seeing armed groups with machine-guns on their shoulders around the palace, while in much later accounts these were described as "heavy artillery, ready to fire at any moment". The story of the supposed blackmail also evolved: in the 1950 account, Groza tried to negotiate some form of material compensations for the abdication, noting he could not guarantee for Michael's life in case he refused, and his refusal could lead to thousand of arrests and possibly a civil war; in a hearing before the [[United States House of Representatives]] in 1954, Michael mentioned Groza's generic threats regarding his personal security, bloodshed and ruin of the country, as well as "vague hints" of persecution, with Groza suggesting the government had a large dossier on Michael; the possible arrest of thousands and a generic threat of bloodshed is also mentioned in the 1977 account; however, beginning with 1990, Michael claimed that Groza threatened to shoot 1,000 students that had already been arrested for publicly showing their attachment to the throne.<ref name="Scurtu191">{{cite book |last1=Scurtu |first1=Ioan |title=Istoria românilor în timpul celor patru regi (1866–1947) |date=2004 |publisher=Editura Enciclopedică |location=București |isbn=973-45-0441-X |pages=191–199 |edition=2a.}}</ref> Thus, while according to a ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' article published in 1948, Groza threatened to arrest thousands of people and order a bloodbath unless Michael abdicated,<ref name="Compression"/> in an interview with ''[[The New York Times]]'' from 2007, Michael recounted: "It was blackmail. They said, 'If you don't sign this immediately we are obliged'—why obliged I don't know—'to kill more than 1,000 students' that they had in prison."<ref name="Smith">{{cite news|author=Craig S. Smith|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/27/world/europe/27michael.html|title=Romania's King Without a Throne Outlives Foes and Setbacks|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=27 January 2007|access-date=29 December 2014}}</ref> In historian [[Ioan Scurtu]]'s opinion, the new account was created in order to leverage the recent [[Romanian Revolution|Revolution of 1989]], presented at the time as a revolution of the youth and the students. Another new element in Michael's account after 1990 was that Groza had threatened him at gunpoint; in earlier accounts Michael mentioned that Groza had shown him the pistol he was carrying only after Michael signed the abdication.<ref name="Scurtu191"/>

According to the autobiography of the former head of the Soviet intelligence agency [[NKVD]], [[Major General]] [[Pavel Sudoplatov]], the Deputy [[List of Russian foreign ministers|Soviet Foreign Commissar]] [[Andrey Vyshinsky]] personally conducted negotiations with King Michael for his abdication, guaranteeing part of a pension to be paid to Michael in Mexico.<ref>Pavel Sudoplatov, Anatoli Sudoplatov, Jerrold L. Schecter, Leona P. Schecter, ''Special Tasks: The Memoirs of an Unwanted Witness{{snd}}A Soviet Spymaster''. [[Little, Brown and Company]], [[Boston]], 1994, p. 232. {{ISBN|0-316-77352-2}} : "[[Andrey Vyshinsky|Vyshinsky]] personally conducted negotiations with King Michael of Romania for his abdication, guaranteeing part of his pension in Mexico."</ref> According to a few articles in ''[[Jurnalul Naţional]]'',<ref name="JN 1">{{in lang|ro}}[http://www.jurnalul.ro/articole/33199/intoarcerea-de-la-londra-si-abdicarea "The return from London and the abdication,"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090316021050/http://www.jurnalul.ro/articole/33199/intoarcerea-de-la-londra-si-abdicarea |date=16 March 2009 }} ''[[Jurnalul Național]]'', 17 November 2005</ref><ref name="JN 2">{{in lang|ro}} [http://www.jurnalul.ro/index.php?section=rubrici&article_id=6092 "Communism – King Michael I's Abdication"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090316021105/http://www.jurnalul.ro/index.php?section=rubrici&article_id=6092 |date=16 March 2009 }}, ''[[Jurnalul Naţional]]'', 11 December 2006</ref> Michael's abdication was negotiated with the Communist government, which allowed him to leave the country with the goods he requested, accompanied by some of the royal retinue.<ref name="JN 2"/>

According to Albanian Communist leader [[Enver Hoxha]]'s account of his conversations with the Romanian Communist leaders on the monarch's abdication, it was Gheorghiu-Dej, not Groza, who forced Michael's abdication at gunpoint. He was allowed to leave the country accompanied by some of his entourage and, as confirmed also by the Soviet leader [[Nikita Khrushchev]] recounting Gheorghiu-Dej's confessions,<ref>[[Nikita Khrushchev|Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev]], Sergeĭ Khrushchev.[https://books.google.com/books?id=EkFZqlgdzCkC&pg=RA1-PA701&dq=king+michael+romania&sig=s9B8__XDcPT1NZr2s6G55jEOdyA ''Memoirs of Nikita Khrushchev: Statesman, 1953–1964''], [[Pennsylvania State University Press]], 2007, p. 701, {{ISBN|0-271-02935-8}} : "As [[Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej|Dej]] reminisced, 'We told him he could take everything with him that he considered necessary, but he had to leave his kingdom.'"</ref> with whatever properties he desired, including gold and rubies.<ref name="Tito">[[Enver Hoxha]].[http://www.marx2mao.com/Other/TT82v.html ''The Titoites'']. The "Naim Frasheri" publishing house, [[Tirana]], 1982, pp. 519–522, 572</ref> Hoxha also wrote that pro-Communist troops surrounded the palace, to counter army units who were still loyal to the King.

In March 1948, Michael denounced his abdication as illegal, and contended he was still the rightful [[King of Romania]]. According to ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine,<ref name="Negot">[https://web.archive.org/web/20071016151134/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,779700,00.html "Anne & I"], ''Time'', 15 March 1948</ref> he would have done so sooner, but for much of early 1948, he had been negotiating with the Communists over properties he had left in Romania.

There are reports<ref name="Miscellaneous">[https://web.archive.org/web/20090315044541/http://www.evz.ro/articole/detalii-articol/677728/Miscellaneous/ ''Miscellaneous''], ''[[Evenimentul Zilei]]'', 24 March 2005</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090315044541/http://evz.ro/articole/detalii-articol/676830/Miscellaneous/ ''Miscellaneous''], ''Evenimentul Zilei'', 14 March 2005</ref><ref name="Roberts">[https://web.archive.org/web/20120531070120/http://www.evz.ro/detalii/stiri/the-lia-roberts-hope-639374.html ''The Lia Roberts hope''], ''[[Evenimentul Zilei]]'', 19 January 2004</ref><ref>George Radulescu (29 December 2007) [https://web.archive.org/web/20080919184535/http://www.adevarul.ro/articole/monarhia-singurul-bastion-impotriva-comunistilor/336307 ''Monarchy, the only bastion against the communists''], ''[[Adevărul]]''</ref><ref>{{in lang|ro}} [http://www.romanialibera.ro/a113797/mihai-pelin-a-incetat-din-viata.html ''Mihai Pelin has died''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080221112155/http://www.romanialibera.ro/a113797/mihai-pelin-a-incetat-din-viata.html |date=21 February 2008 }}, ''[[România liberă]]'', 17 December 2007</ref><!-- Pertinent quote: "In 2005 a descoperit, tot in Arhivele Securitatii, documente care-l implicau pe regele Mihai in disparitia a 42 de tablouri apartinand Colectiei Coroanei Regale, pictate de nume ca Rembrandt, El Greco sau Caravagio. Istoricul a aratat ca tablourile au fost scoase din tara de regele Mihai cu o luna inainte de abdicare, fiind apoi vandute unor colectionari privati." Translation: "In 2005 he discovered, also in Securitate's Archives, documents 'implicating King Michael in the disappearance' of 42 paintings belonging to the Royal Crown Collection, painted by names such as Rembrandt, El Greco, or Caravagio. The historian showed that the paintings were taken out of the country by King Michael, a month before his abdication, being then sold to certain private collectors."--> that Romanian Communist authorities allowed King Michael to depart with 42 valuable Crown-owned paintings in November 1947, so that he would leave Romania faster.<ref name="Roberts"/> Some of these paintings<ref>[[Michel van Rijn]], {{cite web |title=Hot Art, Cold Cash |url=http://www.michelvanrijn.nl/artnews/mvrhotartcoldcash.pdf |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070710080141/http://www.michelvanrijn.nl/artnews/mvrhotartcoldcash.pdf |archive-date=10 July 2007 |access-date=24 May 2017}}, pp. 177, 184, Little Brown & Co., 1994. For more on the credentials of the UK police expert in art smuggling Michel van Rijn, see [http://www.museum-security.org/cyprus-and-michel-van-rijn.htm 1] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061210154825/http://www.museum-security.org/cyprus-and-michel-van-rijn.htm|date=10 December 2006}} and [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts/3724256.stm 2.]</ref> were reportedly sold through the famed art dealer [[Daniel Wildenstein]]. One of the paintings belonging to the Romanian Crown, which was supposedly taken out of the country by King Michael in November 1947, returned to Romania in 2004 as a donation<ref name="Miscellaneous"/><ref>{{in lang|ro}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20080508042051/http://ziua.ro/display.php?id=162992&data=2004-11-20&ziua=1e5692b536aa233f6d6ac3b1d11dd6c9 "Raibolini's ''Madonna'' at the National Museum of Art of Romania"], ''Ziua'', 20 November 2004</ref><ref>{{in lang|ro}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20080225180725/http://www.onlinegallery.ro/museums/muzeul_de_arta/donatie.html "A Prestigious Donation: ''Madonna with the Infant'' by Francesco Raibolini, named "Il Francia""], Online Gallery site as of 8 December 2006</ref> made by John Kreuger, the former husband of King Michael's daughter Irina.

In 2005, Romanian Prime Minister [[Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu]]<ref>{{in lang|ro}} [http://adevarul.ro/news/politica/nu-exista-dovezi-regele-mihai-scos-tablouri-tara-1_50acaa937c42d5a66387f572/index.html "There Are No Proofs That King Michael Took Paintings out of Romania"], [[Adevărul]], 19 April 2005</ref> denied these accusations about King Michael, stating that the Romanian government has no proof of any such action by King Michael and that, prior to 1949, the government had no official records of any artwork taken over from the former royal residences. However, according to some historians, such records existed as early as April 1948, having been, in fact, officially published in June 1948.<ref>Radu Bogdan (October 1998) [https://web.archive.org/web/20090315054903/http://www.itcnet.ro/history/archive/mi1998/current10/mi18.htm "Testimonials of contemporary history – Peles, January–April 1948. The inventorying of the former royal art works (III)"], [[Magazin istoric]]</ref>

According to Ivor Porter's authorized biography,<ref>{{in lang|ro}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20071019121751/http://revista22.ro/html/index.php?art=2523&nr=2006-03-08 "The King and The Country"], "[[Revista 22]]", 8 March 2006.</ref> ''Michael of Romania: The King and The Country'' (2005), which quotes [[Helen of Greece and Denmark|Queen Mother Helen]]'s daily diary, the Romanian royal family took out paintings belonging to the Romanian Royal Crown, on their November 1947 trip to London to the wedding of the future Queen Elizabeth II; two of these paintings, signed by [[El Greco]], were sold in 1976.

According to declassified [[Foreign Office]] documents that were the subject of news reports in 2005, when he left Romania, the exiled King Michael's only assets amounted to 500,000 [[Swiss franc]]s.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4118629.stm "Exiled king 'should become pilot'"], [[BBC News]], 2 January 2005</ref> Recently declassified Soviet transcripts of talks between Joseph Stalin and the Romanian Prime Minister [[Petru Groza]]<ref>{{in lang|ro}} "King Michael in exile – from poultry grower to test pilot and broker", ROMPRES, 13 April 2005</ref><ref>{{in lang|ro}} [http://www.jurnalulbtd.ro/articol-Regele-Mihai-in-exil---de-la-crescator-de-pui-la-pilot-de-incercare-si-broker-35-532.html "King Michael in exile—from poultry grower to test pilot and broker"], Jurnalul de Botosani si Dorohoi, 13 April 2005</ref> show that shortly before his abdication, King Michael received from the communist government assets amounting to 500,000 [[Swiss franc]]s. King Michael, however, repeatedly denied<ref>{{in lang|ro}} [http://www.familiaregala.ro/?id2=010202&lng= "Romania under King Michael I"], [http://www.familiaregala.ro/ the Royal Family website], as of 12 April 2008</ref><!-- Pertinent quote: "La 3 ianuarie 1948, Regele Mihai si Regina-mama Elena au parasit Romania, luand cu ei doar cateva bunuri personale." Translation: "On 3 January 1948, King Michael and Queen-Mother Helen left Romania, taking with them only a few personal goods." --><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.geocities.com/capitolhill/lobby/8957/adi.html |title=Translation of King Michael's interview to Ziua daily, undated |date=27 October 2009 |access-date=30 July 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091027123236/http://www.geocities.com/capitolhill/lobby/8957/adi.html |archive-date=27 October 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{in lang|ro}} [http://adevarul.ro/news/politica/nato-era-mai-important-sens-militar-insa-europa-politic-mai-decat-dam-seama-acum-afirma-ms-regele-mihai-1_50ac9e617c42d5a66386f1eb/index.html ""NATO was more important militarily, but Europe is politically more than we realize now", states H.M. King Michael"], ''[[Adevărul]]'', 3 May 2005</ref> that the Communist government had allowed him to take into exile any financial assets or valuable goods besides four personal automobiles loaded on two train cars.

==Marriage==

===Engagement===
In November 1947, Michael I met a distant relative, [[Anne of Romania|Princess Anne of Bourbon-Parma]] who was visiting London for the [[wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten, Duke of Edinburgh]].<ref name="curley">{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZOJwAAAAIAAJ&q=historical+order | title=Monarchs-in-Waiting | publisher=Dodd, Mead & Co. | author= Walter Curley | author-link= Walter Curley | year=1973 | location=Cornwall, NY | page= 77 | isbn=0-396-06840-5}}</ref> In fact, a year previously [[Helen of Greece and Denmark|Queen Helen, The Queen Mother]] had invited Anne, her mother, and brothers for a visit to [[Bucharest]], but the plan did not come off.<ref name="erhj">{{cite journal|last=Eilers-Koenig|first=Marlene|title=The Marriage of King Michael and Queen Anne of Romania|journal=European Royal History Journal|volume=11.3|issue=LXIII|pages=3–10|publisher=Arturo E. Beeche|year=2008}}</ref> Meanwhile, King Michael I had glimpsed Princess Anne in a [[newsreel]] and requested a photograph from the film footage.<ref name="erhj"/>

She did not want to accompany her parents to London for the royal wedding as she wished to avoid meeting Michael I in official surroundings. Instead, she planned to stay behind, go alone to the Paris railway station and, pretending to be a passerby in the crowd, privately observe the king as his entourage escorted him to his London-bound train.<ref name="erhj"/> However, at the last moment she was persuaded by her first cousin, [[Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg|Prince Jean, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg]], to come to London, where he planned to host a party. Upon arrival in London, she stopped by [[Claridge's]] to see her parents, and found herself being introduced unexpectedly to King Michael I. Abashed to the point of confusion, she [[salute|clicked her heels]] instead of [[curtsey]]ing, and fled in embarrassment. Charmed, the king saw her again the night of the wedding at the Luxembourg embassy ''soirée'', confided in her some of his concerns about the Communist takeover of Romania and fears for his mother's safety, and nicknamed her ''Nan''.<ref name="erhj"/> They saw each other several times thereafter on outings in London, always [[chaperone (social)|chaperoned]] by her mother or brother.

A few days later, she accepted an invitation to accompany Michael and his mother when he piloted a [[Beechcraft]] aeroplane to take his aunt [[Princess Irene, Duchess of Aosta]], back home to [[Lausanne]].<ref name="erhj"/> Sixteen days after meeting, Michael proposed to Anne while the couple were out on a drive in Lausanne. She initially declined, but later accepted after taking long walks and drives with him.<ref name=":0" /> Although Michael gave her an engagement ring a few days later, he felt obliged to refrain from a public announcement until he informed his government, despite the fact that the press besieged them in anticipation.<ref name="erhj"/>

Michael I returned to [[Kingdom of Romania|Romania]], where he was told by the prime minister that a wedding announcement was not "opportune". Yet within days it was used as the government's public explanation for Michael's sudden "[[abdication]]", when in fact the king was [[deposition (politics)|deposed]] by the [[Romanian Communist Party|Communists]] on 30 December.<ref name="erhj"/> Princess Anne was unable to get further news of King Michael I until he left the country. They finally reunited in [[Davos]] on 23 January 1948.<ref name="erhj"/>

===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"/>

===Family===
{{more citations needed|section|date=December 2017}}
Michael and [[Anne of Romania|Anne]] had five daughters, five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren:

*[[Margareta of Romania|Margareta, Custodian of the Crown of Romania]] (b. 26 March 1949), married [[Prince Radu of Romania|Radu Duda]] in 1996.
*[[Princess Elena of Romania]] (b. 15 November 1950), married [[Robin Medforth-Mills]] on 20 July 1983 and was divorced on 28 November 1991. They have two children. She married secondly Alexander McAteer on 14 August 1998. 
**[[Nicholas Medforth-Mills|Nicholas de Roumanie Medforth-Mills]] (b. 1 April 1985), married civilly Alina-Maria Binder on 6 October 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://nicolaealromaniei.ro/en/biografie/ |title=Biography |access-date=8 November 2024 |archive-date=6 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806160115/https://nicolaealromaniei.ro/en/biografie/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Before his marriage, he had a relationship with Nicoleta Cirjan, which resulted in a daughter.<ref>{{cite web | title=Nicholas Medforth-Mills: Baby-Skandal! Vaterschaftstest überführt Ex-Prinz | website=News.de | date=2 June 2019 | url=https://www.news.de/promis/855765976/ex-prinz-nicholas-von-rumaenien-uneheliche-tochter-mit-nicoleta-cirjan-nicholas-medforth-mills-ist-laut-dna-test-vater-von-anna-iris-3/1/ | language=de | access-date=10 August 2023}}</ref>
***Iris Anna Cirjan (b. 9 February 2016)
***Maria Alexandra Medforth-Mills (b. 7 November 2020)
***Michael de Roumanie Medforth-Mills (b. 15 April 2022)
**Elisabeta-Karina de Roumanie Medforth-Mills (b. 4 January 1989); she married civilly Kurt Metcalfe on 26 April 2024. They have one son:
***Augustus Mihai de Roumanie Metcalfe (b. 23 May 2024)<ref>[https://www.romaniaregala.ro/jurnal/nou-nascut-in-familia-principesei-elena/ Romania Regala]</ref>
*Princess Irina of Romania (b. 28 February 1953), married John [[Torsten Kreuger|Kreuger]] on 4 October 1983, from whom she was divorced on 24 November 2003. They have two children. She married secondly John Wesley Walker on 10 November 2007. 
**Michael-Torsten Kreuger (b. 25 February 1984), married Tara Marie Littlefield on 26 February 2011.
***Kohen Kreuger (b. 28 March 2012)
**Angelica-Margareta Bianca Kreuger (b. 29 December 1986), married Richard Robert Knight on 25 October 2009 and divorced in November 2018.
***Courtney Bianca Knight (b. 31 May 2007)
***Diana Knight (b. 2011)
*Princess Sophie of Romania (b. 29 October 1957), married Alain Michel Biarneix on 29 August 1998 and was divorced in 2002, with a daughter.
**Elisabeta-Maria de Roumanie Biarneix (b. 15 August 1999)
*[[Princess Maria of Romania (born 1964)|Princess Maria of Romania]] (b. 13 July 1964), married Kazimierz Wiesław [[Mystkowski]]<ref>[http://www.genealogia.okiem.pl/genealogia.php?n=mystkowski Genealogy]</ref> on 16 September 1995 and divorced in December 2003.

==Life in exile==
Michael would never see his father again, after Carol II's 1940 abdication. Michael could see no point in meeting his father who had humiliated his mother so many times via his open affairs and did not attend his father's funeral in 1953.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ziua.ro/display.php?data=2006-01-14&id=191689 |title=''Monique Urdareanu on Elena Lupescu and Carol II'' |access-date=2 August 2016 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080613215715/http://www.ziua.ro/display.php?data=2006-01-14&id=191689 |archive-date=13 June 2008 }}, [[Ziua]],  14 January 2006</ref><!-- Pertinent quote: "Voia mult sa-si vada fiul, dar dupa plecarea din Romania nu l-a mai intalnit niciodata. (...) Regele Carol a incercat de multe ori si era gata sa-si intalneasca fiul oriunde, dar regele Mihai a refuzat intotdeauna." Translation: "He wanted a lot to see his son, but after his departure from Romania he never met him again. (...) King Carol tried many times and was ready to meet his son anywhere, but king Michael always refused."-->

In January 1948,<ref name="Compression"/> Michael began using one of his family's ancestral titles, "Prince of Hohenzollern",<ref name="Milestones">[https://web.archive.org/web/20070930074000/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,798826,00.html "Milestones"], ''Time'', 21 June 1948</ref><ref>[[Nikita Khrushchev|Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev]], Sergeĭ Khrushchev. [https://books.google.com/books?id=EkFZqlgdzCkC&pg=RA1-PA947&vq=hohenzollern&sig=r8A9Ly8-azWqIgPJ9DyjM_fZ2Tw ''Memoirs of Nikita Khrushchev: Statesman, 1953–1964''], [[Pennsylvania State University Press]], 2007, p. 947, {{ISBN|0-271-02935-8}}</ref> instead of using the title of "King of Romania". After denouncing his abdication as forced and illegal in March 1948, Michael resumed use of the kingly title.

Michael and Princess Anne lived near [[Florence, Italy]], until 1948, near Lausanne, Switzerland, until 1950, and then in [[Hertfordshire]], [[England]], until 1956.<ref name="adevarul.ro">{{cite web|url=http://adevarul.ro/locale/ploiesti/viata-regelui-mihai-exil-fermier-pilot-somer-broker-care-fost-sentimentul-plecarea-romania-plecat-moartea-suflet-1_55e6fe69f5eaafab2c2d7f83/index.html|title=Viaţa Regelui Mihai în exil: fermier, pilot, şomer, broker. "Care a fost sentimentul la plecarea din România? Am plecat cu moartea în suflet"|date=2 September 2015 |access-date=22 December 2016}}</ref><ref>[http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=65398 "Ex-King Michael of Rumania Becomes Market Gardener, 1953"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110918103058/http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=65398 |date=18 September 2011 }}, [[British Pathe]], as. Retrieved 17 October 2009</ref> After that, the couple settled near [[Versoix]], Switzerland, where they would live for the next 45 years. The Communist Romanian authorities stripped Michael of his Romanian citizenship in 1948.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://adevarul.ro/cultura/istorie/cum-i-a-fost-retrasa-cetatenia-regelui-mihai-1_537d889c0d133766a8dd24f5/index.html|title=Cum i-a fost retrasă cetăţenia regelui Mihai|date=22 May 2014 |access-date=22 December 2016}}</ref>

During exile, Michael had a variety of occupations including farming, stockbroker, entrepreneur, and pilot.<ref name="adevarul.ro"/><ref name="familiaregala.ro1"/><ref name="Grdn"/> In 1957, he worked in Switzerland as a test pilot for a predecessor of aerospace manufacturer [[Learjet]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Smith |first=Craig S. |date=2007-01-27 |title=Romania's King Without a Throne Outlives Foes and Setbacks |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/27/world/europe/27michael.html |access-date=2023-10-21 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=RUMANIA: KING MICHAEL NOW TEST PILOT |url=https://www.britishpathe.com/asset/ |access-date=2023-10-21 |website=British Pathé |language=en-GB}}</ref>

Together with his wife, he took part in the ship tour organized by [[Frederica of Hanover|Queen Frederica]] and her husband King [[Paul of Greece]] in 1954, which became known as the “[[Cruise of the Kings]]” and was attended by over 100 royals from all over Europe.

He had five daughters with his wife between 1949 and 1964.

==Return and rehabilitation==

On 25 December 1990—a year after the [[Romanian Revolution of 1989|revolution]] which overthrew the Communist dictatorship of [[Nicolae Ceaușescu]]—Michael, accompanied by several members of the royal family, landed at [[Otopeni Airport]] and entered Romania for the first time in 43 years. Using a Danish diplomatic passport, Michael was able to obtain a 24-hour visa. He intended to reach [[Curtea de Argeș Cathedral]], pray at the tombs of his royal ancestors and attend the Christmas religious service. However, on their way to [[Curtea de Argeș]], the former King and his companions were stopped by a police blockade, taken to the airport and forced to leave the country.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Sudetic|first1=Chuck|title=Expelling Former King, Romanians Cite 'Stunt'|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/12/27/world/expelling-former-king-romanians-cite-stunt.html|access-date=30 July 2012|work=The New York Times|date=27 December 1990}}</ref>

In 1992, the Romanian government allowed Michael to return to Romania for Easter celebrations, where he drew large crowds.<ref name="Grdn"/> His speech from the balcony of a Hotel Continental 1st Fl. room drew over 100,000 people. His visit in Bucharest drew over a million people in the streets of the capital to see him.<ref>Kings Without Crowns ''Michael of Romania'', Danish Norsk Television</ref> Michael refused the offer of the president of the [[National Liberal Party (Romania)|National Liberal Party]], [[Radu Câmpeanu]], to run for elections as president of Romania. Michael's popularity alarmed the government of President [[Ion Iliescu]], and he was forbidden to re-visit Romania, being denied entry twice in 1994 and 1995.<ref name="digi24.ro">{{cite web|url=http://www.digi24.ro/Stiri/Digi24/Special/Reportaj/Regele%20Mihai%20intrare%20interzisa%20in%20Romania%20postdecembrista|title=Regele Mihai, de la interzicerea intrării în România la discursul istoric din Parlament|access-date=22 December 2016}}{{Dead link|date=July 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

In 1997, after Iliescu's defeat by [[Emil Constantinescu]], the Romanian government restored Michael's citizenship and again allowed him to visit the country.<ref name="digi24.ro"/>  He then lived partly in Switzerland at [[Aubonne, Switzerland|Aubonne]] and partly in Romania, either at [[Săvârşin Castle|Săvârșin Castle]] in [[Arad County]] or in an official residence in Bucharest—the [[Elisabeta Palace]]—voted by the Romanian Parliament by a law concerning arrangements for former heads of state. Besides Săvârșin Castle, the former private residences [[Peleș Castle]] and [[Pelișor Castle]] were also restituted. While Peleș and Pelișor are open to the public, Elisabeta Palace and Săvârșin are used as private residences. 
<gallery>
File:Elisabeta Palace front1.jpg|[[Elisabeta Palace]], [[Bucharest]]
File:01 Chateau Peles.jpg|[[Peleș Castle]], [[Sinaia]]
File:Pelisor Castle, Sinaia.jpg|[[Pelișor Castle]], [[Sinaia]]
File:CastelulSavar.jpg|[[Săvârşin Castle|Săvârșin Castle]], [[Arad County]]
</gallery>

==Later years==
[[File:Mănăstirea Sâmbăta King Mihai I.jpg|thumb|Fresco of King Michael I on the walls of [[Sâmbăta de Sus Monastery|Sâmbăta Monastery]]]]
[[File:King Michael I of Romania by Emanuel Stoica.jpg|thumb|Michael I in [[Alba Iulia]], 2007]]
Michael neither encouraged nor opposed monarchist agitation in Romania and royalist parties have made little impact in post-communist Romanian politics. He took the view that the restoration of the monarchy in Romania can only result from a decision by the Romanian people. "If the people want me to come back, of course, I will come back," he said in 1990. "Romanians have had enough suffering imposed on them to have the right to be consulted on their future." King Michael's belief was that there is still a role for, and value in, the monarchy today: "We are trying to make people understand what the Romanian monarchy was, and what it can still do [for them]."<ref>[http://www.ziua.ro/display.php?id=209809&data=2006-10-25 "King Mihai I Turns 85] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160508230504/http://www.ziua.ro/display.php?id=209809&data=2006-10-25 |date=8 May 2016 }}", ''[[Ziua]]'', 25 October 2006</ref>

According to a 2007 opinion poll conducted at the request of the Romanian royal family, only 14% of Romanians were in favour of the restoration of the monarchy.<ref>{{in lang|ro}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20090315181925/http://www.cotidianul.ro/pnl_monarhia_salveaza_basescu_mania-56647.html "NLP: Monarchy saves Basescu-mania"] ("[[National Liberal Party (Romania)|PNL]]: Monarhia salvează [[Traian Băsescu|Băsescu]]-mania"), [[Cotidianul]], 31 August 2008</ref><!--Quote: "Potrivit unei cercetări sociologice realizată în 2007 la comanda Casei Regale, doar 14% dintre români ar fi de acord cu reinstaurarea monarhiei." Translation: "According to a sociology research study carried out in 2007 at the request of the Royal House, only 14% of the Romanians would agree with the restoration of the monarchy.--> Another 2008 poll found that only 16% of Romanians are monarchists.<ref>{{in lang|ro}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20090315181915/http://www.cotidianul.ro/monarhia_dorita_de_doar_16_din_populatie-58787.html "Monarchy: desired by only 16% of the population"] ("Monarhia, dorită de doar 16% din populaţie"), [[Cotidianul]], 21 September 2008</ref> Michael himself, however, was shown to be much more popular personally with the Romanian people: In a July 2013 survey, 45% of Romanians had a good or very good opinion of Michael, with 6.5% thinking the opposite. The royal family also enjoyed similar numbers, with 41% having a good or very good opinion of it, and just 6.5% having a poor or very poor one.<ref>[http://www.ziare.com/alegeri/sondaj/41-la-suta-dintre-romani-ar-vota-pentru-mentinerea-republicii-27-2-la-suta-ar-alege-monarhia-inscop-1248839 41% dintre romani ar vota pentru mentinerea republicii, 27,2% ar alege monarhia – INSCOP]. Retrieved 2 August 2013.</ref>

Michael undertook some quasi-diplomatic roles on behalf of post-communist Romania. In 1997 and 2002 he toured Western Europe, lobbying for Romania's admission into [[NATO]] and the [[European Union]], and was received by heads of state and government officials.

In December 2003, to the "stupefaction of the public opinion in Romania",<ref name="VIP">[https://web.archive.org/web/20090223131455/http://www.evz.ro/articole/detalii-articol/636756/The-Watchtower-The-king-and-the-jester/ "The Watchtower: The king and the jester"]. [[Evenimentul Zilei]], 18 December 2003</ref><ref>{{in lang|ro}} ?[https://web.archive.org/web/20120730034932/http://www.adevarul.ro/cultura/Adrian-Nastase-premiul-Regelui-Mihai_0_75594618.html "Adrian Nastase received his prize from King Michael's hand], [[Adevarul]], 17 December 2003</ref> <!--Quote:"alaturarea acestor personaje altundeva decat pe campul de lupta al politicii pare intrucatva desprinsa dintr-o poveste suprarealista." Translation: "The joining together of these two characters elsewhere than on the battle field of politics seems somewhat torn out of a surreal story."-->  Michael awarded the "Man of The Year 2003"<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20071016151802/http://princeradu.ro/index.php?page=articol&aid=292&cid=132&cid2=146 "100 %"]. Talk Show on Realitatea TV, Prince Radu's website, 12 April 2004</ref> prize to Prime Minister [[Adrian Năstase]], leader of the [[Social Democratic Party (Romania)|Social Democratic Party]] (PSD), on behalf of the [[Tabloid (newspaper format)|tabloid]] ''VIP''.<ref>{{in lang|ro}} [http://www.revistavip.net/Publicitate/ VIP – Advertising] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080723062951/http://www.revistavip.net/Publicitate/ |date=23 July 2008 }}, [http://www.revistavip.net/ The "VIP" website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080913074648/http://www.revistavip.net/ |date=13 September 2008 }} as of 22 July 2008</ref><!--Quote: "FORMAT REVISTA *Tabloid". Translation: "Magazine format *Tabloid"--> The daily ''[[Evenimentul Zilei]]'' subsequently complained that 'such an activity was unsuited to a king and that Michael was wasting away his prestige', with the majority of the political analysts 'considering his gesture as a fresh abdication'.<ref name="VIP" /><!-- Quote: "A number of analysts saw it as a sign of normality, while the majority considered the gesture as a fresh abdication."-->

On 10 May 2007, King Michael received the [[Prague Society for International Cooperation]] and {{ill|Global Panel Foundation|de}}'s 6th Annual [[Hanno R. Ellenbogen Citizenship Award]], previously awarded to [[Vladimir Ashkenazy]], [[Madeleine Albright]], [[Václav Havel]], [[George Robertson, Baron Robertson of Port Ellen|Lord Robertson]], and [[Miloš Forman]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120219032616/http://www.globalpanel.org/english/charity/HRE_infopage.html "Hanno R. Ellenbogen Citizenship Award"], www.globalpanel.org</ref> On 8 April 2008, King Michael and [[Patriarch Daniel of Romania|Patriarch Daniel]] were elected as honorary members of the [[Romanian Academy]].<ref>{{in lang|ro}} [http://www.familiaregala.ro/?id2=02020214&lng= Communique], [http://www.familiaregala.ro/ The Royal Family website], 8 April 2008</ref><ref>{{in lang|ro}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20080220145453/http://antena3.ro/Patriarhul-Daniel-si-Regele-Mihai-au-devenit-membri-ai-Academiei-Romane_clt_43452_ext.html Patriarch Daniel and King Michael have become members of the Romanian Academy], [[Antena 3 (Romania)|Antena 3]], 19 December 2007</ref>

Michael participated in the [[2010 Moscow Victory Day Parade|Victory Parade]] in Moscow in 2010 as the only living Supreme Commander-in-Chief of a European State in the [[Second World War]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.familiaregala.ro/stiri/articol/regele-mihai-la-moscova|title=Regele Mihai la Moscova|access-date=22 December 2016|archive-date=8 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170208141024/http://www.familiaregala.ro/stiri/articol/regele-mihai-la-moscova|url-status=dead}}</ref> The name of Michael I is listed on the memorial in the [[Grand Kremlin Palace]] as one of only 20 recipients of the [[Order of Victory]].

In old age, Michael enjoyed a strong revival in popularity. On 25 October 2011, on the occasion of his 90th birthday, he delivered a speech before the assembled chambers of the Romanian Parliament.<ref name="Grdn" />  An opinion poll in January 2012 placed him as the most trusted public figure in Romania, far ahead of the political leaders.<ref>[http://www.nineoclock.ro/romanians-have-the-highest-confidence-in-king-mihai-i Romanians Have the Highest Confidence in King Mihai I] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150226175350/http://www.nineoclock.ro/romanians-have-the-highest-confidence-in-king-mihai-i/ |date=26 February 2015 }}. nineoclock.ro.</ref> Later, in October 2012, celebrating Michael's 91st birthday, a square in Bucharest was renamed after him.<ref>[http://www.romania-insider.com/bucharest-square-to-be-named-after-romanias-king-michael-on-his-91st-birthday/67580/ Bucharest square to be named after Romania's King Michael on his 91st birthday] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121026093046/http://www.romania-insider.com/bucharest-square-to-be-named-after-romanias-king-michael-on-his-91st-birthday/67580/ |date=26 October 2012 }}. Retrieved 25 October 2012.</ref>

On 1 August 2016, he became a widower when Queen Anne died at the age of 92.<ref>{{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=22 December 2016}}</ref>

=== Health issues ===
On 2 March 2016, the Royal Council announced King Michael's retirement from public life;<ref>{{cite web|author=Nume * |url=https://radioromaniacultural.ro/30-decembrie-1947-regele-mihai-i-al-romaniei-este-fortat-sa-abdice/ |title=30 decembrie 1947 – Regele Mihai I al României este forțat să abdice &#124; Radio România Cultural |publisher=Radioromaniacultural.ro |date=23 August 1944 |access-date=5 December 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.familiaregala.ro/conferinte/articol/declaratia-consiliului-regal-2-martie-2016 |title=Declarația Consiliului Regal, 2 martie 2016 |work=Romanian Royal Family |date=2 March 2016 |access-date=2 March 2016 |archive-date=3 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303080752/http://www.familiaregala.ro/conferinte/articol/declaratia-consiliului-regal-2-martie-2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> with tasks assumed by Crown Princess [[Margareta of Romania|Margareta]], his daughter. After surgery, Michael was diagnosed with chronic [[leukemia]] and metastatic [[squamous-cell carcinoma|epidermoid carcinoma]] and faced a complex and lengthy treatment.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gandul.info/stiri/grav-bolnav-regele-mihai-se-retrage-din-viata-publica-15094256 |title=Grav bolnav, Regele Mihai SE RETRAGE din viaţa publică |work=Gândul |author=Andrei Luca Popescu |date=2 March 2016}}</ref>

In June 2017, the Royal House stated in a press release that "His Majesty's health is fragile but stable. King Michael is quiet, has soulful appreciation and appreciates the care of his medical team. Along with the King, they are permanently employed by His Majesty's House, detached in Switzerland, and two Orthodox nuns."<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.europafm.ro/casa-regala-starea-de-sanatate-a-regelui-mihai-este-fragila-dar-stabila/ | title=Casa Regală: Starea de sănătate a Regelui Mihai este fragilă, dar stabilă | date=27 June 2017 }}</ref>

At the end of August 2017, the Royal House announced that King Michael was "in a fragile but balanced state, and has a good mood," stating that [[Princess Elena of Romania|Princess Elena]] had completed a visit to Switzerland for a few days to see her father, at the private residence. According to the Royal House, Michael remained "daily under close supervision of physicians, medical staff of various specialties, and in the presence of devoted members of the staff of His Majesty's House, stationed in Switzerland." Two Orthodox nuns, detached from the Romanian Orthodox Church, remained at the private residence.<ref>{{cite web |author=Nume * |url=https://radioromaniacultural.ro/portret-regele-mihai-i-implineste-96-de-ani/ |title=PORTRET: Regele Mihai I împlineşte 96 de ani. &#124; Radio România Cultural |publisher=Radioromaniacultural.ro |access-date=5 December 2017 |archive-date=26 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171026122757/https://radioromaniacultural.ro/portret-regele-mihai-i-implineste-96-de-ani/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Death and state funeral ==
{{Main|Death and state funeral of Michael I of Romania}}
{{Multiple image
| image1            = Bucuresti, Romania. Candele si flori pentru Regele Mihai I. Ultimul nostru Rege. 14 Decembrie 2017. (3).jpg
| image2            = FuneralProcessionOfKingMichael.jpg
| caption1          = Tributes to King Michael in Bucharest, December 2017
| caption2          = King Michael I's coffin during the funeral procession on [[Calea Victoriei|Victory Avenue]] towards the [[Piața Unirii|Union Square]] and the [[Romanian Patriarchal Cathedral]]
| direction         = vertical
}}
On 5 December 2017, Michael died at his residence in Switzerland at the age of 96, in the presence of his youngest daughter [[Princess Maria of Romania (born 1964)|Princess Maria]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-42234880 |title=Romania's former King Michael I dies at age of 96 |publisher=BBC News |date=12 July 2017 |access-date=5 December 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Clej |first=Petru |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-41959517 |title=Romania's King Michael: A democrat in the face of totalitarian regimes |date=5 December 2017 |publisher=BBC News |access-date=5 December 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Murphy |first=Brian |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/michael-i-last-king-of-romania-and-a-cold-war-exile-dies-at-96/2017/12/05/6549aec8-d9b2-11e7-b859-fb0995360725_story.html |title=Michael I, last king of Romania and a Cold War exile, dies at 96 |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=5 December 2017}}</ref> His coffin, draped by his Royal Standard, was brought back to Romania on 13 December, arriving at the [[Henri Coandă International Airport|Otopeni Airport]] in [[Bucharest]] from Lausanne, via [[Payerne Air Base]], escorted by his second daughter, [[Princess Elena of Romania|Princess Elena]] with her husband Alexander Nixon, fourth daughter Sophie and also members of the Royal Household, were transported by the [[Romanian Air Force]]'s [[Alenia C-27J Spartan]] transport aircraft, which was flanked by four [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21]] jet fighters.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://business-review.eu/news/king-michael-i-has-been-brought-to-romania-funeral-to-take-place-on-saturday-154397|title = King Michael I has been brought to Romania; funeral to take place on Saturday|date = 13 December 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.romania-insider.com/romanias-king-michael-returns-home-final-rest-decades-exile|title = Romania's King Michael returns home for final rest after decades of exile|date = 13 December 2017}}</ref>

The coffin was first taken to [[Peleș Castle]] at [[Sinaia]] in the Carpathian Mountains. Then, it was brought to Bucharest, where it was laid and displayed at the [[Royal Palace of Bucharest|Royal Palace]] for two days. King Michael I was buried on 16 December with full state honours in the Mausoleum of the Royal Family, on the grounds of the [[Curtea de Argeș Cathedral]] together with his wife Queen Anne who died in 2016.<ref>{{cite news|title=King Michael: Romanians unite to mourn their last monarch|work=BBC News|date=9 December 2017|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-42278734}}</ref> His body was transferred from Bucharest to Curtea de Argeș with the help of a [[funeral train]], the Royal Train, and a repainted domestic-traffic carriage, being led by a diesel locomotive. His funeral is stated to have been one of the largest in Romania, with almost a million Romanians flocking to the capital to pay their respects and watch the funeral, with it being comparable to the one of [[Corneliu Coposu]] in 1995.{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}}

==Line of succession==
According to the succession provisions of the Romanian kingdom's last democratically approved monarchical constitution of 1923, upon the death of King Michael without sons, the claim to the Crown devolves once again upon the [[House of Hohenzollern|Hohenzollern]] family. However, on 30 December 2007, on the 60th anniversary of his abdication, King Michael signed the ''Fundamental Rules of the Royal Family of Romania'', by which he designated [[Margareta of Romania|Princess Margareta]] as his heir.<ref name="Rules" /><ref>{{in lang|ro}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20090315044510/http://www.evz.ro/articole/detalii-articol/473235/Principesa-Margareta-mostenitoarea-coroanei-regale/ "Princess Margarita, heiress to the throne of Romania,"] [[Evenimentul Zilei]], 30 December 2007</ref> The document has no legal standing, as it regulates an institution that is no longer extant.<ref name="Jurnalul">{{in lang|ro}} [http://www.jurnalul.ro/articole/112922/regele-si-margareta-de-%e2%80%9eziua-republicii%e2%80%9c-mihai-si-a-desemnat-succesoarea "The King and Margareta – On The 'Day of the Republic' The King Designated His Successor"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161007222110/http://jurnalul.ro/articole/112922/regele-si-margareta-de-%E2%80%9Eziua-republicii%E2%80%9C-mihai-si-a-desemnat-succesoarea |date=7 October 2016 }}, [[Jurnalul National]], 2 January 2008</ref><ref>{{in lang|ro}} [http://www.cotidianul.ro/index.php?id=16726&art=40834 "The Actor Duda in The Role of A Lifetime: Prince Consort of Romania]," [[Cotidianul]], 3 January 2008</ref> <!-- On the same occasion, Michael also asked the Romanian Parliament that, should it consider restoring the monarchy, it should also abolish the [[salic law]] of succession.-->

On 10 May 2011, on a background of lawsuits in Germany brought against his family by Michael's German relatives regarding the former name Hohenzollern-Veringen of his son-in-law, [[Radu Duda|Radu]], and of fears<ref>{{in lang|ro}}  [http://www.hotnews.ro/stiri-esential-8613286-filip-lucian-iorga-casa-regala-romaniei-nu-are-ramana-legata-acum-zona-umbroasa-familiei-hohenzollern.htm Filip-Lucian Iorga : "The Royal House of Romania does not have to remain tied to the shady side of the Hohenzollern family"], Hotnews.ro. Retrieved 14 May 2011</ref> expressed by some that the German Hohenzollerns may claim succession to the headship of the Romanian royal house, Michael severed all of the dynastic and historical ties with the princely [[house of Hohenzollern]], changed the name of his family to "of Romania", and gave up all princely titles conferred upon him and his family by the German Hohenzollerns.<ref name="Severance">{{in lang|ro}} [http://www.adevarul.ro/locale/bucuresti/Bucuresti-_Regele_Mihai_I_anunta_ruperea_tuturor_legaturilor_istorice_si_dinastice_cu_Casa_de_Hohenzollern_0_478152444.html King Michael I announces the severance of all historical and dynastic ties to the House of Hohenzollern], [[Adevarul]], 11 May 2011</ref><ref>{{in lang|ro}} [http://www.adevarul.ro/actualitate/eveniment/Conflictele_dintre_Casa_Regala_a_Romaniei_si_Casa_Princiara_de_Hohenzollern_0_478152637.html "The history of the conflicts between the Royal House of Romania and the Princely House of Hohenzollern"], [[Adevărul]], 11 May 2011</ref>

On 1 August 2015, Michael signed a document removing the title Prince of Romania and the qualification of Royal Highness from his grandson, [[Nicholas Medforth-Mills]], who was also removed from the line of succession. The former king took the decision "with an eye on Romania's future after the reign and life of his eldest daughter, Margareta". The former king hoped that "Nicholas will find in future years a suitable way to serve the ideals and use the qualities that God gave him". Nicholas's mother, Princess Elena, received notification of the former king's decision in a personal letter.<ref name="comunicatul">{{in lang|ro}} [http://www.familiaregala.ro/stiri/articol/comunicatul-biroului-de-presa-al-majestatii-sale-10-august-2015 Comunicatul Biroului de Presă al Majestății Sale, 10 August 2015] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150813041643/http://www.familiaregala.ro/stiri/articol/comunicatul-biroului-de-presa-al-majestatii-sale-10-august-2015 |date=13 August 2015 }}</ref>

==Personality and personal interests==
[[File:1944 Jeep - Ziua Independenței 2018 (Independence Day 2018).jpg|thumb|A 1944 [[Willys Jeep]] from Michael's collection that belonged to General [[George S. Patton]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.romaniaregala.ro/jurnal/25-octombrie-2014-la-multi-ani-majestate/|title=25 octombrie 2014: La mulți ani, Majestate!|language=ro|work=romaniaregala.ro|date=25 October 2014}}</ref>]]
Aged 16, when Michael was crown prince, he hit a bicyclist while driving a car, causing the cyclist's death. The incident was censored in contemporary press, but appears in the official Censorship Records, and is confirmed by the memoirs of the former prime minister [[Constantin Argetoianu]].<ref>Vlad Teodorescu (25 March 2013) [https://web.archive.org/web/20131102061348/http://www.evz.ro/detalii/stiri/accidente-rutiere-regele-mihai-nicu-ceuasescu-1029556.html "Secrets of the car crashes caused by King Michael] and [[Nicu Ceausescu]]," [[Evenimentul Zilei]]</ref><ref>Sorin Semeniuc (14 January 2013) [https://web.archive.org/web/20130129064429/http://www.7est.ro/stiri/reportaj/18788-accidentul-regelui-mihai-secretul-ingropat-timp-de-75-de-ani.html "King Michael's accident, the secret buried for 75 years"], "7 Est" daily</ref>

Michael was head of the [[Cercetaşii României|Romanian Boy Scouts]] in the 1930s.<ref name="Nieuwe_Tilburgsche_Courant">{{Cite news
  | title = Nog een foto van Kroonprins Michael van Roemenië, die onlangs aan boord van de torpedohoot "Principessa Maria" tijdens een zwaren storm in de Zwarte Zee in levensgevaar heeft verkeerd. Men ziet den Prins als leider der Roemeensche padvinders, in welke functie hij zijn vader, Koning Carol, op 2en Kerstdag de gelukwenschen namens de padvindersbeweging overbracht.
  | newspaper = Het nieuws van den dag voor Nederlandsch-Indië
  | language = Nl
  | date = 11 January 1938
| url = http://kranten.kb.nl/view/article/id/ddd%3A010226567%3Ampeg21%3Ap010%3Aa0116
  | access-date = 29 August 2010
| archive-date = 17 July 2011
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110717185659/http://kranten.kb.nl/view/article/id/ddd:010226567:mpeg21:p010:a0116
  | url-status = dead
  }}</ref> He was passionate about cars,<ref>{{in lang|ro}} Andrei Săvulescu. {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20120929074812/http://hem.passagen.se/vlad/rm.gif ''King Michael – Car Driver, Mechanic, Professional Pilot'']}}, [[Humanitas publishing house]], [[Bucharest]], 1996</ref> especially military jeeps.<ref>[http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/king-michael-of-rumania-driving-down-steps-leading-out-of-news-photo/50864710 "King Michael of Rumania driving down steps leading out of Sinaia palace,"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131216072720/http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/king-michael-of-rumania-driving-down-steps-leading-out-of-news-photo/50864710 |date=16 December 2013 }} Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images, 1 April 1946</ref><ref>[http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/king-michael-of-rumania-driving-down-steps-leading-out-of-news-photo/50864714 "King Michael of Rumania driving down steps leading out of Sinaia palace,"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131216072723/http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/king-michael-of-rumania-driving-down-steps-leading-out-of-news-photo/50864714 |date=16 December 2013 }} Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images, 1 April 1946</ref> He was also interested in aircraft, having worked as a test pilot during exile.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aviatori.ro/galerie.php?gallery_id=13|title=King Michael air pilot|website=www.aviatori.ro|access-date=27 March 2013|language=ro|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130731132555/http://www.aviatori.ro/galerie.php?gallery_id=13|archive-date=31 July 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://evz.ro/regele-mihai-in-anii-exilului-fermier-pilot-de-teste-broker.html |title=Regele Mihai, în anii exilului: fermier, pilot de teste, broker |publisher=Evz.ro |access-date=5 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170925225957/http://evz.ro/regele-mihai-in-anii-exilului-fermier-pilot-de-teste-broker.html |archive-date=25 September 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Shortly after the Second World War, Michael became interested in [[Moral Rearmament]], which was introduced to him by his first cousin Prince Richard of Hesse-Cassel,<ref>{{cite book |last=Petropoulos |first=Jonathan |date=12 August 2008 |title=Royals and the Reich: The Princes von Hessen in Nazi Germany |publisher=Oxford University Press|pages=365–366|isbn=9780199713196 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sDjRCwAAQBAJ |access-date=7 December 2017}}</ref> and as Swiss residents after 1956 he and Queen Anne paid numerous visits to the [[Caux Palace Hotel|MRA conference centre]] of [[Caux, Switzerland|Caux]], where he found solace for the loss of his country and his émigré status as well as new hope for future reconciliation.<ref>See for instance in the film "Crossroad, the story of Frank Buchman" (1974), towards the end (1:07 to 1:08), King Michael's speech describing his relation to [[Frank Buchman]] [http://www.iofc.org/historical-iofc-films MRA historical films] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171112125533/http://www.iofc.org/historical-iofc-films |date=12 November 2017 }}, last access on 7 December 2017.</ref>

==Arms, honours and awards==

{{See also|Coat of arms of Romania}}
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|-
| [[File:Kingdom of Romania - Big CoA.svg|185px]]
| [[File:Royal standard of Romania (King, 1922 model).svg|150px]]
|-
|[[Arms of dominion]] of Michael I as King
|[[Heraldic flag|Standard]] of Michael I as King
|}

=== Honours ===
* {{flag|Belgium}}: Knight Grand Cross of the [[Order of Leopold (Belgium)|Order of Leopold I]]<ref name="Honours">{{cite web|url=https://familiaregala.ro/stiri/articol/96-de-fapte-in-96-de-ani|title=Official List of honours|website=familiaregala.ro|access-date=7 December 2019|archive-date=5 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190505075027/https://familiaregala.ro/stiri/articol/96-de-fapte-in-96-de-ani|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* {{flag|Czechoslovakia}}: Grand Cross with Collar of the [[Order of the White Lion]]<ref name="Honours" />
* {{flag|Czech Republic}}: Recipient of the [[Cross of Merit of the Minister of Defence of the Czech Republic|Medal of Merit of the Ministry of Defence, Special Class]]<ref name="Honours" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.romaniaregala.ro/jurnal/presedintele-republicii-cehe-oaspetele-familiei-regale/|title=Președintele Republicii Cehe, oaspetele Familiei Regale – Familia Regală a României / Royal Family of Romania|access-date=22 December 2016}}</ref>
* {{flag|Denmark}}: Recipient of the [[Royal Medal of Recompense|Royal Medal of Recompense, Special Class]]<ref name="Honours" />
* {{flag|Finland}}: Grand Cross with Collar of the [[Order of the White Rose]]<ref name="Honours" /><ref>{{cite web|archive-date=2015-10-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151019010625/http://www2.hs.fi/extrat/vanhat/suurristi2002.asp |title=''Valkoisen Ruusun suurristi ketjuineen myönnetty 115 ulkomaalaiselle vaikuttajalle'' |url=http://www2.hs.fi/extrat/vanhat/suurristi2002.asp |website=www2.hs.fi}}<!-- auto-translated from Polish by Module:CS1 translator -->.</ref>
* France
** {{flag|France}}: Grand Cross of the [[Légion d'Honneur|Order of the Legion of Honour]]<ref name="Honours" /><ref name="familiaregala.ro">{{cite web|url=http://www.familiaregala.ro/news/3419/121/Speech-of-His-Royal-Highness-Prince-Radu-of-Romania/ |title=Familia Regala – Comunicate si mesaje |publisher=Familiaregeala.ro |access-date=29 December 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141108232458/http://www.familiaregala.ro/news/3419/121/Speech-of-His-Royal-Highness-Prince-Radu-of-Romania/ |archive-date=8 November 2014 }}</ref>
** {{flagicon|Kingdom of France}} [[House of Orléans]]: Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the [[Order of Saint Lazarus]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cdr.religion.info/sommaires/hors.htm|title=Connaissance des Religions|access-date=22 December 2016|archive-date=14 February 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120214233625/http://cdr.religion.info/sommaires/hors.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.templiers.org/stlazare.php|title=L'Ordre Militaire et Hospitalier de Saint-Lazare de Jérusalem – L'Ordre de Saint-Lazare|first=Christophe|last=Staf|access-date=22 December 2016|archive-date=1 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170201115302/http://www.templiers.org/stlazare.php|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>La Vie Chevaleresque, December 1938, 21/22: pp. 73–74</ref>
* {{flagicon|Greece|royal}} [[House of Glücksburg#Greece|Greek Royal Family]]: Knight Grand Cross of the [[Order of the Redeemer|Royal Order of the Redeemer]]<ref name="Honours" />
* {{flagicon|Greece|royal}} [[Greek Royal Family]]: Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the [[Order of Saints George and Constantine|Royal Order of Saints George and Constantine]]<ref name="Honours" />
* {{flagicon|Greece|royal}} [[Greek Royal Family]]: Knight Grand Cross of the [[Order of George I|Royal Order of George I]]<ref name="Honours" />
* {{flagicon|Kingdom of Greece}} [[House of Glücksburg#Greece|Greek Royal Family]]: Knight of the [http://www.greekroyalfamily.gr/images/stories/eggrafa_afieromata/ROYAL20ORDERS20ENG.pdf Royal Decoration of the Greek Royal House, Special Class] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924023635/http://www.greekroyalfamily.gr/images/stories/eggrafa_afieromata/ROYAL20ORDERS20ENG.pdf |date=24 September 2015 }} <ref name="Honours" />
* {{flagicon|Greece|royal}} [[Greek Royal Family]]: Recipient of the [[Orders, decorations, and medals of Greece|Centenary Medal of the Kingdom of Greece]]<ref name="Honours" />
* {{Flagicon|Kingdom of Italy}} [[House of Savoy|Italian Royal Family]]: Knight of the [[Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation|Royal Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation]]<ref name="Honours" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.blasonariosubalpino.it/Appendice11.html |title=I Cavalieri della SS Annunziata 11 |publisher=Blasonariosubalpino.it |access-date=5 December 2017}}</ref>
* {{Flagicon|Kingdom of Italy}} [[House of Savoy|Italian Royal Family]]: Knight Grand Cross of the [[Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus|Royal Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus]]<ref name="Honours" />
* {{Flagicon|Kingdom of Italy}} [[House of Savoy|Italian Royal Family]]: Knight Grand Cross the [[Order of the Crown of Italy|Royal Order of the Crown]]<ref name="Honours" />
** {{flag|Sovereign Military Order of Malta}}: Bailiff Knight Grand Cross with Collar of [[Orders, decorations, and medals of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta|Honour and Devotion of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta]]<ref name="Honours" /><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20190207093514/http://www.romaniaregala.ro/jurnal/regele-mihai-i-in-vizita-la-ordinul-suveran-de-malta/ Regele Mihai I în vizită la Ordinul Suveran de Malta]</ref>
* {{flag|Poland}}: Grand Cross of the [[Order of the White Eagle (Poland)|Order of the White Eagle]]<ref name="Honours" /><ref>[http://www.desertwar.net/order-of-the-white-eagle-poland.html "Order of the White Eagle (Poland) {{!}} World War II"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201042949/http://www.desertwar.net/order-of-the-white-eagle-poland.html |date=1 December 2017 }}. desertwar.net.</ref>
* Russia
** {{flag|Soviet Union}}: Member of the [[Order of Victory]]<ref name="Honours" /><ref name="Style">(Soviet Union, 6 July 1945) "For the courageous act of decisive turning in the direction of the Romanian policy against Germany and the alliance with the Allies in a time when it was not yet set a clear defeat of Germany"</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bucurestiivechisinoi.ro/2013/12/armata-romana-si-frontul-de-est-vazute-din-perspectiva-rusa/|title=Armata română şi frontul de est văzute din perspectivă rusă|date=16 December 2013|publisher=Bucurestiivechisinoi.ro|access-date=29 December 2014}}</ref>
** {{flag|Russia}}: Recipient of the [[Jubilee Medal "60 Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945"|60 Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945 Commemorative Jubilee Medal]]<ref name="Honours" />
* Serbia
** {{flagicon|Kingdom of Yugoslavia}} [[Karađorđević dynasty|Serbian Royal Family]]: Knight Grand Cross of the [[Order of the Karađorđe's Star|Royal Order of the Star of Karađorđe]]<ref name="Honours" />
** {{flagicon|Kingdom of Yugoslavia}} [[Karađorđević dynasty|Serbian Royal Family]]: Knight Grand Cross of the [[Order of St. Sava|Royal Order of Saint Sava]]<ref name="Honours" />
** {{Flag|Republic of Serbia}}: Recipient of the [[Orders, decorations, and medals of Serbia|Military Virtue Medal]]<ref name="Honours" />
* {{Flag|Sweden}}: Recipient of the [[Swedish Royal Jubilee Commemorative Medals|50th Birthday Medal of King Carl XVI Gustaf]]<ref name="Honours" />
* {{flag|United Kingdom}}: Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the [[Royal Victorian Order]]<ref name="Honours" />
* {{flag|United Kingdom}}: Recipient of the [[King George VI Coronation Medal]]<ref>[http://www.familiaregala.ro/news/3419/53/Speech-of-His-Royal-Highness-Prince-Radu-of-Romania/ "Familia Regala – Activitati curente"] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20150125123157/http://www.familiaregala.ro/news/3419/53/Speech-of-His-Royal-Highness-Prince-Radu-of-Romania/ |date=25 January 2015 }}. familiaregala.ro.</ref>
* {{flag|United States}}: Chief Commander of the [[Legion of Merit]]<ref name="Honours" /><ref name="familiaregala.ro" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.romaniaregala.ro/jurnal/legion-of-merit/|title=Legion of Merit – Familia Regală a României / Royal Family of Romania|access-date=22 December 2016}}</ref>

===Awards===
====National awards====
* {{flag|Romania}}: [[Honorary citizenship|Honorary Citizen]] of [[Călărași County]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Barbu |first=Mihai |date=11 May 2011 |title=King Mihai severs dynastic, historical ties with House of Hohenzollern |url=https://www.familiaregala.ro/assets/images/2011/05/Nine-O-Clock-King-Mihai-severs-dynastic-historical-ties-with-House-of-Hohenzollern-11-May-2011-B.jpg |website=nineoclock.ro}}</ref>
* {{flag|Romania}}: Honorary Citizen of the City of [[Techirghiol]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.reporterntv.ro/stire/regele-mihai-a-devenit-cetatean-de-onoare-al-orasului-techirghiol|title=Regele Mihai a devenit Cetățean de Onoare al orașului Techirghiol|publisher=Reporterntv.ro|access-date=29 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141225210426/http://www.reporterntv.ro/stire/regele-mihai-a-devenit-cetatean-de-onoare-al-orasului-techirghiol|archive-date=25 December 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> (in Constanța county)
* {{flag|Romania}}: Honorary Citizen of the City of [[Craiova]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gds.ro/Actualitate/2013-04-25/Craiova%3A+Regele+Mihai%2C+cetatean+de+onoare/|title=Craiova: Regele Mihai, cetăţean de onoare|work=GAZETA de SUD|access-date=29 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141213201838/http://www.gds.ro/Actualitate/2013-04-25/Craiova%3A+Regele+Mihai%2C+cetatean+de+onoare/|archive-date=13 December 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* {{flag|Romania}}: Honorary Citizen of the Village of [[Stremț]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.agerpres.ro/social/2014/10/15/alba-regele-mihai-cetatean-de-onoare-al-comunei-stremt-16-31-54|title=Alba: Regele Mihai, Cetățean de Onoare al comunei Stremț|publisher=Agerpres.ro|access-date=29 December 2014|archive-date=30 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141130033721/http://www.agerpres.ro/social/2014/10/15/alba-regele-mihai-cetatean-de-onoare-al-comunei-stremt-16-31-54|url-status=dead}}</ref> (in Alba county)
* {{flag|Romania}}: [[Honorary Degree]] from the [[Bucharest University of Economic Studies]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.familiaregala.ro/news/3299/121/Academia-de-Studii-Economice-Bucuresti/|title=Familia Regala – Comunicate si mesaje|publisher=Familiaregeala.ro|access-date=29 December 2014|archive-date=12 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141112203205/http://www.familiaregala.ro/news/3299/121/Academia-de-Studii-Economice-Bucuresti/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* {{flag|Romania}}: Honorary Degree from the [[University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.familiaregala.ro/news/3227/121/Universitatea-de-Stiinte-Agronomice-si-Medicina-Veterinara/|title=Familia Regala – Comunicate si mesaje|publisher=Familiaregeala.ro|access-date=29 December 2014|archive-date=12 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141112204039/http://www.familiaregala.ro/news/3227/121/Universitatea-de-Stiinte-Agronomice-si-Medicina-Veterinara/|url-status=dead}}</ref> (in Bucharest)
* {{flag|Romania}}: Honorary Degree from the [[Dimitrie Cantemir Christian University]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ucdc.ro/doctor-honoris-causa-ucdc.php|title=Universitatea Crestina DIMITRIE CANTEMIR|publisher=Ucdc.ro|access-date=29 December 2014}}</ref> (in Bucharest)
* {{flag|Romania}}: Honorary Degree from the [[Politehnica University of Bucharest]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.upb.ro/stiri/majestatea-sa-regele-mihai-i-distins-cu-titlul-de-doctor-honoris-causa-la-upb.html|title=Majestatea Sa Regele Mihai I distins cu titlul de Doctor Honoris Causa la UPB|publisher=Upb.ro|access-date=29 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201033610/http://www.upb.ro/stiri/majestatea-sa-regele-mihai-i-distins-cu-titlul-de-doctor-honoris-causa-la-upb.html|archive-date=1 December 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* {{flag|Romania}}: Honorary Degree from the [[University of Pitești]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ziare.com/regele-mihai/casa-regala/principesa-margareta-doctor-honoris-causa-la-pitesti-1199656|title=Principesa Margareta, Doctor Honoris Causa la Pitesti|date=29 December 2014|publisher=Ziare.com|access-date=29 December 2014}}</ref>
* {{flag|Romania}}: Honorary Degree from the [[University of Bucharest]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://150.unibuc.ro/personalitati-ub/doctor-honoris-causa-2/|title=Doctor Honoris Causa|work=Aniversare 150 de ani|access-date=29 December 2014}}</ref>
* {{flag|Romania}}: Honorary Degree from the [[Victor Babeș University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timișoara]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.romanialibera.ro/actualitate/proiecte-locale/regele-mihai---doctor-honoris-causa--al-umf-timisoara--37267|title=Regele Mihai, "Doctor Honoris Causa" al UMF Timișoara|newspaper=[[România liberă]]|date=13 October 2006|access-date=29 December 2014|archive-date=12 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141112204731/http://www.romanialibera.ro/actualitate/proiecte-locale/regele-mihai---doctor-honoris-causa--al-umf-timisoara--37267|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* {{flag|Romania}}: Honorary Degree from the [[Polytechnic University of Timișoara]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://adevarul.ro/locale/timisoara/regele-mihai-primit-titlul-doctor-honoris-causa-universitatii-politehnica-timisoara-savarsin-1_50acaa277c42d5a66387ebe1/index.html|title=Regele Mihai a primit titlul de Doctor Honoris Causa al Universităţii Politehnica din Timişoara, la Săvârşin|newspaper=[[Adevărul]]|date=28 December 2010 |access-date=29 December 2014}}</ref>
* {{flag|Romania}}: Honorary Degree from the [[University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.familiaregala.ro/news/1282/53/Regele-Mihai-Doctor-Honoris-Causa-al-Universitatii-de-Stiinte-Agricole-si-Medicina-Veterinara-din-Cluj-Napoca/|title=Familia Regala – Activitati curente|publisher=Familiaregalia.ro|access-date=29 December 2014|archive-date=12 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141112203200/http://www.familiaregala.ro/news/1282/53/Regele-Mihai-Doctor-Honoris-Causa-al-Universitatii-de-Stiinte-Agricole-si-Medicina-Veterinara-din-Cluj-Napoca/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* {{flag|Romania}}: Honorary Degree from the [[Carol I National Defence University]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.romaniaregala.ro/jurnal/regele-mihai-i-doctor-honoris-causa-al-universitatii-nationale-de-aparare-carol-i/|title=Regele Mihai I, Doctor Honoris Causa al Universității Naționale de Apărare Carol I|publisher=Romaniaregala.ro|access-date=29 December 2014}}</ref> (in Bucharest)
* {{flag|Romania}}: Honorary Degree from the [[Alexandru Ioan Cuza University]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.romaniaregala.ro/jurnal/regele-mihai-distins-cu-titlul-de-doctor-honoris-causa-al-universitatii-din-iasi/|title=Regele Mihai, distins cu titlul de Doctor Honoris Causa al Universității din Iași|publisher=Romaniaregala.ro|access-date=29 December 2014}}</ref> (in Iași)
* {{flagicon|Romania}} [[History of the Jews in Romania|Romanian Jewish community]]: Recipient of the [[Orders, decorations, and medals of Romania#Community medals|Alexandru Șafran Medal]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.romaniaregala.ro/atitudini/king-michael-receives-alexandru-safran-medal/|title=King Michael receives Alexandru Șafran Medal – Familia Regală a României / Royal Family of Romania|access-date=22 December 2016}}</ref>

====Foreign awards====
* {{flag|Czech Republic}}: [[Honorary citizenship|Honorary Citizen]] of the City of [[Kroměříž]]<ref>[http://www.mzv.cz/bucharest/en/events/king_mihai_i_jubilee_evening_dedicated.html King Mihai I jubilee – Evening dedicated to the Czech Republic]. Embassy of the Czech Republic in Budapest. 23 October 2011</ref>
** {{flag|Prague}}:
*** [[Prague Society for International Cooperation]]: Sixth Recipient of the [[Hanno R. Ellenbogen Citizenship Award]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://praguesociety.org/hanno-r-ellenbogen-citizenship-award/|title = Hanno R. Ellenbogen Citizenship Award}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://globalpanel.org/2017/in-memoriam-king-michael-of-romania/|title = In Memoriam: King Michael of Romania}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/in-royal-circles-7-6-07/|title=In Royal Circles|website=[[CBS News]]|date=7 June 2007 }}</ref>
* {{flag|United Kingdom}}: [[Freedom of the City of London|Freeman of the City of London]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.guild-freemen-london.co.uk/newsitem.php?newskey=171|title=News from the Guild|author=Caterina Carola|publisher=Guild-freemen-london.co.uk|access-date=29 December 2014|archive-date=12 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141112194918/http://www.guild-freemen-london.co.uk/newsitem.php?newskey=171|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* {{flag|United Kingdom}}: [[Liveryman]] of the [[Worshipful Company of Wax Chandlers]]<ref>[http://www.familiaregala.ro/news/3624/120/Delegatie-britanica-la-Palatul-Elisabeta/ "Familia Regala – Stiri"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402093116/http://www.familiaregala.ro/news/3624/120/Delegatie-britanica-la-Palatul-Elisabeta/ |date=2 April 2015 }}. familiaregala.ro.</ref>

==Military ranks==
{{multiple image
 | align = center
 | image1 = Le Roi Mihai Ier - Je Sais Tout De Bucarest, Octobre 1942.png
 | width1 = 145
 | image2 = King-Michael-of-Romania-142352587294.jpg
 | width2 = 120
 | image3 = King Michael I in Air Force Marshal uniform, post-war.jpg
 | width3 = 150
 | footer = Michael in the Romanian Army (left), Navy (center), and Air Force (right) Marshal uniforms
}}
;{{flag|Kingdom of Romania}}
*[[File:Romania-Army-OF-10.svg|25px]] [[Mareșal (Romania)|Marshal]] of the [[Romanian Armed Forces]]<ref name="Honours" />
** [[File:KingdomRomania-Army-OF-9.svg|25px]] [[Supreme Commander–in–Chief|Supreme Commander–in–Chief General]] of the [[Romanian Land Forces]]
** [[File:KingdomRomania-AirForce-OF-10.svg|25px]] Supreme Commander–in–Chief Marshal of the [[Romanian Air Force]]
** [[File:KingdomRomania-Navy-OF-10.svg|25px]] Supreme Commander–in–Chief Admiral of the [[Romanian Naval Forces]]
;{{flag|Kingdom of Greece}}
*[[File:Hellenic Air Force OF-9.svg|25px]] Honorary [[Air chief marshal|Air Chief Marshal]] of the [[Hellenic Air Force]]<ref name="Honours" />

==Honorific eponyms==
[[File:Michael I 2014 Romanian stamp 2.jpg|thumb|Michael I and Anne on a 2014 Romanian stamp]]
* {{flag|Romania}}
** {{flagicon|Romania}} [[House of Romania]]: [[Decorations of the Romanian Royal House#King Michael I Medal for Loyalty|King Michael I Medal for Loyalty]]
**{{flagicon image|Coat_of_arms_of_Bucharest.svg}} [[Bucharest]]:
*** [[King Michael I Park]]
*** {{ill|King Michael I Boulevard|ro|Bulevardul „Regele Mihai I”|vertical-align=sup}}
*** {{ill|King Michael I Square|ro|Piațeta Regelui din București|vertical-align=sup}}
*** [https://www.scoalaregelemihai1.ro/ King Michael I High School] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210623014834/http://scoalaregelemihai1.ro/ |date=23 June 2021 }}
*** [https://www.colegiulmihai.ro/ King Michael I Railway Technical College]
** [[Banat]]: [[Banat University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine|King Michael I Banat University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine]]
** [[Curtea de Argeș]]: [https://www.forestierarges.ro/ King Michael I Technological High School]
** [[Drobeta-Turnu Severin]]: [http://mh.edu.ro/images/fisiere/pdi/Scoala_Gimnaziala_Regele_Mihai_I.pdf King Michael I High School] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211026050608/http://mh.edu.ro/images/fisiere/pdi/Scoala_Gimnaziala_Regele_Mihai_I.pdf |date=26 October 2021 }}
** [[Pucioasa]]: King Michael I Technical High School
** [[Săvârșin]]: [http://liceulsavarsin.ro/ King Michael I Technological High School]
* {{flag|Moldova}}
** [[Cimișeni]]: King Michael I High School

===Statues and monuments===
On 25 October 2012, a large monument to Michael including a large bronze bust was unveiled at King Michael I Square in Bucharest. Michael attended and unveiled the statue.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://monuments-remembrance.eu/en/panstwa/rumunia-2/187-monument-of-king-michael-i-of-romania |title=Monument of King Michael I of Romania  |work=Monuments of Remembrance 1918-2018 |accessdate=October 26, 2021}}</ref>

On 25 October 2021, a statue of Michael was unveiled in the town of [[Sinaia]], on the occasion of the centenary of his birth. Minister of Culture [[Bogdan Gheorghiu]] was in attendance, along with [[Princess Margareta of Romania|Margareta of Romania]], other government representatives, and members of parliament.<ref>{{cite news |last=Fodor |first=Simona |date=26 October 2021 |title=Romania photo of the day: Statue of King Michael unveiled in Sinaia |url=https://www.romania-insider.com/photo-of-day-king-michael-statue-sinaia-oct-2021 |work=Romania Insider |location=Bucharest |access-date=October 26, 2021}}</ref> Representatives of the Army also attended.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Life-size statue of King Michael I unveiled in Sinaia marking 100 years since the monarch's birth {{!}} A Russian Orthodox Church Website |url=https://www.pravmir.com/life-size-statue-of-king-michael-i-unveiled-in-sinaia-marking-100-years-since-the-monarch-s-birth/ |access-date=2022-04-28 |website=www.pravmir.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Ancestry==
{{See also|Descendants of Christian IX of Denmark}}

As a great-great-grandson of [[Queen Victoria]], through both of his parents,<ref name="Grdn"/> Michael was a third cousin of [[Margrethe II|Queen Margrethe II of Denmark]], [[Harald V|King Harald V of Norway]], [[Juan Carlos I|King Juan Carlos I of Spain]], [[Carl XVI Gustaf|King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden]] and [[Elizabeth II|Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom]].  Through his maternal grandfather, [[Constantine I of Greece|King Constantine I of Greece]], amongst others Michael was a first cousin of both [[Peter II of Yugoslavia|King Peter II of Yugoslavia]] and his wife [[Alexandra of Yugoslavia|Queen Alexandra]], as well as of [[Constantine II of Greece|King Constantine II of Greece]] and his elder sister [[Queen Sofía of Spain]], consort of King Juan Carlos I.

In addition to being the [[pretender|claimant]] to the defunct throne of [[Kingdom of Romania|Romania]], he was also a Prince of [[Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen]] until 10 May 2011, when he renounced this title.<ref name="Compression"/><ref name="Milestones"/><ref name="Severance"/>

{{ahnentafel
|collapsed=yes |align=center
|boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;
|boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;
|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;
|boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;
|1= 1. '''Michael I of Romania'''
|2= 2. [[Carol II of Romania]]
|3= 3. [[Helen of Greece and Denmark|Princess Helen of Greece and Denmark]]
|4= 4. [[Ferdinand I of Romania]]
|5= 5. [[Marie of Romania|Princess Marie of Edinburgh]]
|6= 6. [[Constantine I of Greece]]
|7= 7. [[Sophia of Prussia|Princess Sophia of Prussia]]
|8= 8. [[Leopold, Prince of Hohenzollern]]
|9= 9. [[Infanta Antónia of Portugal]]
|10= 10. [[Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]]
|11= 11. [[Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia]]
|12= 12. [[George I of Greece]]
|13= 13. [[Olga Constantinovna of Russia|Grand Duchess Olga Constantinovna of Russia]]
|14= 14. [[Frederick III, German Emperor]]
|15= 15. [[Victoria, Princess Royal]]
}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Michael I of Romania}}
* [http://www.familiaregala.ro The Official Website of The Romanian Royal Family]
* [http://www.romaniaregala.ro The Official Blog of The Romanian Royal Family]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050217090921/http://www.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,1101270801,00.html "Bonny King Michael"] (Michael at age 5), on the cover of ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', 1 August 1927
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071016161257/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3724/is_199706/ai_n8774484 "We reigned in darkness"], ''[[The Spectator]]'', 14 June 1997
* [http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/5/38D4D252-BE7E-4943-A6A9-4E3C1B32A05F.html "World War II – 60 Years After: Former Romanian Monarch Remembers Decision To Switch Sides"], [[Radio Free Europe]], 6 May 2005
*[[Oliver North]], [http://washingtontimes.com/commentary/20060416-103033-4292r.htm "A Lesson in Leadership"], ''[[The Washington Times]]'', 17 April 2006
*{{in lang|ro}} Costel Oprea, [https://web.archive.org/web/20070428035529/http://www.romanialibera.ro/a93510/regele-mihai-retrocedare-de-un-miliard-de-euro.html "Regele Mihai, retrocedare de un miliard de euro"], ''[[România liberă]]'', 27 April 2007
*{{in lang|ro}} Costel Oprea, [https://web.archive.org/web/20070516003149/http://www.romanialibera.ro/a92647/harta-marilor-retrocedari-ii.html "Harta marilor retrocedări (II)"], ''România liberă'', 18 April 2007
* {{PM20|FID=pe/012186}}

{{S-start}}
{{S-hou|[[House of Romania]]|25 October|1921|}}
{{S-reg}}
{{S-bef|before=[[Ferdinand I of Romania|Ferdinand I]]}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[King of Romania]]|years=20 July 1927 – 8 June 1930}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Carol II of Romania|Carol II]]}}
{{S-bef|before=[[Carol II of Romania|Carol II]]}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[King of Romania]]|years=6 September 1940 – 30 December 1947}}
{{S-non|reason=[[Communist Romania|Monarchy abolished]]|reason2=[[Constantin Ion Parhon]] <br /> ''as head of state of Romania''}}
{{S-pre}}
|-
{{S-non|reason=[[Communist Romania|Monarchy abolished]]}}
{{s-tul|title=[[Romanian royal family|Head of the Romanian royal family]]|years=30 December 1947 – 5 December 2017|reason=[[Communist Romania|Kingdom abolished in 1947]]}}
{{s-aft|after=Disputed <br /> [[Princess Margareta of Romania|Margareta]] <br />or<br /> [[Prince Paul of Romania|Paul]] <br />or<br /> [[Karl Friedrich, Prince of Hohenzollern|Karl]]}}
{{S-end}}

{{Heads of State of Romania}}
{{Romanian princes}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Michael 01 of Romania}}
[[Category:1921 births]]
[[Category:2017 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century kings of Romania]]
[[Category:21st-century Romanian people]]
[[Category:Kings of Romania]]
[[Category:Romanian princes]]
[[Category:World War II political leaders]]
[[Category:Field marshals of Romania]]
[[Category:Romanian military leaders]]
[[Category:Romanian Land Forces personnel]]
[[Category:Romanian military personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:Romanian people of Greek descent]]
[[Category:Military leaders of World War II]]
[[Category:Hellenic Air Force personnel]]
[[Category:House of Romania]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of the Crown (Romania)]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of Michael the Brave, 1st class]]
[[Category:First Class of the Order of the Star of Romania]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of the Star of Romania]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses of the National Order of Faithful Service]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Military Virtue Medal]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of the White Lion]]
[[Category:Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Iron Cross (1939), 1st class]]
[[Category:Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 1st class]]
[[Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of the Crown (Italy)]]
[[Category:Knights of Malta]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of Victory]]
[[Category:Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order]]
[[Category:Foreign recipients of the Legion of Merit]]
[[Category:Chief Commanders of the Legion of Merit]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of St. Sava]]
[[Category:Eastern Orthodox monarchs]]
[[Category:Members of the Romanian Orthodox Church]]
[[Category:People from Sinaia]]
[[Category:Pretenders to the Romanian throne]]
[[Category:Members of the Senate of Romania]]
[[Category:Honorary members of the Romanian Academy]]
[[Category:Child monarchs from Europe]]
[[Category:Monarchs deposed as children]]
[[Category:Romanian anti-communists]]
[[Category:Deaths from leukemia in Switzerland]]
[[Category:Dethroned monarchs]]
[[Category:Exiled royalty]]
[[Category:People from Aubonne]]
[[Category:Romanian people of English descent]]
[[Category:Romanian people of German descent]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Poland)]]
[[Category:Monarchs who abdicated]]
[[Category:Burials at Curtea de Argeş Cathedral]]