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| La regina madre Elena di Romania e la principessa Margherita di Borbone-Parma in età avanzata. |
La regina madre Elena di Romania e la principessa Margherita di Borbone-Parma erano cugine di primo grado una volta rimosse. Sia Elena che Margherita erano discendenti di re Cristiano IX di Danimarca (1818-1906) e di sua moglie la regina Luisa (1817-1898; nata Assia-Kassel). I figli di Elena e Margherita avrebbero poi formato una fantastica alleanza dinastica e un matrimonio d'amore.
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| Principessa Elena di Grecia e Danimarca |
La regina madre Elena di Romania (1896-1982) era la figlia maggiore di re Costantino I degli Elleni (1868-1923) e di sua moglie la regina Sofia (1870-1932; nata Prussia), figlia del kaiser Federico III e dell'imperatrice Vittoria (nata Gran Bretagna). Nel 1921, la principessa Elena di Grecia e Danimarca sposò il principe ereditario Carlo di Romania (1893-1953; in seguito re), figlio maggiore di re Ferdinando di Romania e della regina Maria (nata Gran Bretagna / Sassonia-Coburgo-Gotha).
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| La principessa Margherita di Danimarca |
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| Margherita di Danimarca sposa Renato di Borbone-Parma
Fotografia (c) Chicago Tribune, 10 giugno 1921 |
La principessa Margherita di Borbone-Parma (1895-1992) era l'unica figlia femmina del principe Valdemaro di Danimarca (1858-1939) e di sua moglie, la principessa Maria (1865-1909; nata Orléans), figlia del principe Roberto, duca di Chartres (1840 -1910) e la principessa Françoise d'Orléans (1844-1925). Nel 1921, la principessa Margherita di Danimarca sposò il principe Renato di Borbone-Parma (1894-1962), uno dei figli del duca Roberto di Parma e dell'infanta Maria Antonia del Portogallo.
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| La regina madre Elena di Romania e la principessa Margherita di Borbone-Parma in Vaticano |
Inoltre, queste dame reali erano le madri di re Michele di Romania (1921-2017) e di sua moglie, la regina Anna (1923-2016; nata Borbone-Parma). Michele e Anna si innamorarono l'uno dell'altra nel 1947. Le loro madri erano entrambe estremamente favorevoli alla giovane coppia: infatti, Helen e Margrethe si unirono per cercare di risolvere una questione particolare sollevata dall'unione del loro figlio e della loro figlia: la religione. Re Michele di Romania era un membro della Chiesa ortodossa rumena e la principessa Anna di Borbone-Parma era un membro della Chiesa cattolica romana. La regina madre rumena e la principessa Borbone-Parma decisero di andare in Vaticano per presentare una petizione al Papa in persona affinché concedesse una dispensa per l'unione dei loro figli.
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| Report on Helen and Margrethe’s visit to the Vatican on 23 February 1948
Photograph (c) The Guardian, 6 March 1948 |
Queen Anne of Romania recalls the mission of her mother and mother-in-law to the Holy Father in her memoirs:
Our two mothers continued to be of invaluable help to us. They went together to the Vatican to seek the agreement of Pope Pius XII to our marriage. Indeed there was a very big impediment, because I was Catholic and he was Orthodox. The Pope refused to recognise our union unless we undertook to have our children baptised in the Catholic faith, and this was something the King could not accept. The discussion between the two mothers and the Pope was a tense one. My mother even thumped the table with her fist in anger, but the Pope’s response to this outburst was simply: ‘Eh?!
Alas, Helen and Margrethe were unsuccessful in securing the pontiff’s agreement. However, they were unwavering in their support of their children. Michael and Anne married in a Greek Orthodox ceremony at Athens in 1948. Helen was able to attend; however, Margrethe was not able to be present, as the head of her husband’s dynasty, Duke Elias of Parma, forbade all members of the Bourbon-Parma family to celebrate this happy occasion. Happily, in 1966, King Michael and Queen Anne of Romania were married in a Roman Catholic ceremony at Monte Carlo; the couple were aided in this by their dear friend, Princess Grace of Monaco.
King Michael and Queen Anne were married for sixty-eight years; they had five daughters: Princess Margarita (b.1949), Princess Helen (b.1950), Princess Irina (b.1953), Princess Sophie (b.1957), and Princess Marie (b.1964). In 1980, Michael and Anne’s mothers both had to relocate to Switzerland, thus being closer to their children. Queen Mother Helen was forced by financial constraints to sell her villa in Florence, and she moved into an apartment near her son and daughter-in-law in Lausanne: Helen died there two years later in 1982. Princess Margrethe moved into Michael and Anne’s home, and lived with them for eleven years, before returning to Denmark: Margrethe died there in 1992.
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| A Royal Matriarchy: Margrethe of Bourbon-Parma, Helen of Romania (standing), Margarita of Romania (seated), Irina of Romania, Anne of Romania, Sophie of Romania, Marie of Romania, and Helen of Romania. |
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| Brief obituary of Queen Mother Helen of Romania
Photograph (c) The Guardian, 30 November 1982 |
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| Queen Anne of Romania, Princess Margrethe of Bourbon-Parma, Princess Helen of Romania and her son Prince Nicholas |
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