Elena of Greece and Denmark
Encyclopedia
Princess Helen of Greece and Denmark (2 May/3 May 1896 – 28 November 1982) was the wife of King Carol II of Romania
and the mother of King Michael I of Romania
. She held the title Queen Mother of Romania.
, the third child of Crown Prince Constantine of Greece
(later King Constantine I) and of his wife, Princess Sophia of Prussia
. Helen had three brothers each of whom reigned as kings of Greece - George II
, Alexander, and Paul
- and two sisters, Irene
and Katherine
.
In 1910 Helen went into exile with her parents and siblings as a result of a military plot to put her father on the Greek throne in place of her grandfather King George I of Greece
. The family spent the summer at Schloss Friedrichshof, the home of Helen's maternal aunt Margaret, Landgravine of Hesse
. They spent the winter at a hotel in Frankfurt
before returning to Athens.
In 1917 Helen and her family went into exile a second time as a result of her father not supporting the Allies in World War I
. After a brief stay at St. Moritz
, the family moved to a villa near Zurich
. Their movements were severely restricted by the Allies; they had to reside in the German-speaking part of Switzerland
, their French and English staff had to be dismissed, and they were not permitted contact with other French and English people.
in Lucerne
; he was returning from a world tour after his forced divorce from his first wife. Helen accompanied Carol to Romania to celebrate the formal engagement of her brother George to Carol's sister Elisabeth
. In November 1920 Carol visited Zurich and asked King Constantine for Helen's hand in marriage. The match was not an arranged one; indeed, Helen's mother was against it.
In December 1920 King Constantine I was restored to his throne in Greece
and Helen returned to Athens
. On 10 March 1921 Helen married Crown Prince Carol of Romania
in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens
. She was the first princess of Greece to marry in Athens. The couple honeymooned at Tatoi
before sailing for Bucharest
at the beginning of May.
Helen and Carol had an apartment in the Cotroceni Palace
in Bucharest, but they spent most of their time at the Foishor, a Swiss chalet in the grounds of the Peleş Castle
in Sinaia
. The marriage was at first happy, but soon soured.
On 25 October 1921, Helen and Carol's first and only child Michael
was born at the Foishor. "There were complications and for a while neither mother nor child were expected to pull through". The baby was rumored to have been born premature (he was born only seven and a half months after his parents wedding), but the fact that he weighed nine pounds at birth fueled speculation that Helen had become pregnant before the wedding.
In December 1921 the family moved to a house in the Chaussée Kyselef in Bucharest. Helen tried to establish a nursing school to improve standards in Romania. She was also appointed honorary colonel of the 9th Cavalry Regiment, the Roshiori.
In 1925 Carol began an affair with Elena "Magda" Lupescu
. In December 1925 he renounced his rights to the throne and left Romania. On 4 January 1926, the Romanian Parliament ratified the acceptance of Carol's renunciation and passed a bill giving Helen the title Princess of Romania. Helen remained in Romania with her son Michael who was now heir to the throne. The following summer she went to Italy to try to arrange a meeting with Carol but failed.
council. In December 1927 Carol asked Helen for a divorce. At first she refused, but eventually she gave in to government advice. On 21 June 1928, the marriage was dissolved by the Romanian Supreme Court
on the grounds of incompatibility.
On 6 June 1930, Carol returned to Romania and was proclaimed king, with the help of politicians like Iuliu Maniu
. Helen continued to live in her own home in the Chaussée Kyselef in Bucharest with her son Michael. There ensued several months of discussion about annulling the divorce. The government and public opinion were most desirous of Carol and Helen restoring their marital relationship. A joint coronation ceremony was planned for mid-September. Helen was even told by the Prime Minister Iuliu Maniu
that as a result of the abrogation of the act of 4 January 1926, Carol had legitimately succeeded as king in July 1927, from which point she had automatically ranked as queen.
The government presented a decree to Carol for his signature officially confirming Helen as Her Majesty The Queen of Romania. Carol, however, crossed this out and declared Helen to be Her Majesty Helen (i.e. with the style Majesty, but not the title Queen). Helen refused to allow anyone to use this style in her presence. They ended up divorcing in 1928.
Eventually it became clear that Carol himself did not want the divorce annulled and that his lover Madame Lupescu was living with him at the Foishor. Because Helen would not oppose the government's plans to annul the divorce, Carol took measures against her: guards were place around her residence, those who visited her were persecuted, and she was deprived of her office as honorary colonel of the Roshiori regiment.
Faced with this treatment, Helen determined to go into exile. After a brief visit to London
, she went to her mother's villa near Florence
. There was ongoing conflict with Carol about how frequently and under what circumstances she should be able to see their son Michael. In October 1932 she returned to Bucharest. Carol initiated a campaign in the press against her, claiming that she had tried to commit suicide twice. The government issued a statement confirming Helen's civil list
payment, and officially allowing her to reside in Romania six months each year, and to take her son Michael abroad one month each year.
In spite of the official permission to reside in Romania, Helen was expected to stay in exile and returned to Florence. With her financial situation now stable, she was able to purchase her own villa at the nearby town of San Domenico. In spring 1934 Helen moved into Villa Sparta with her brother Paul and her two sisters. She lived here for the next ten years, seeing her son Michael for a month or so each year.
she devoted herself to the care of the wounded. For her efforts to rescue Romanian Jews from the Nazi Germans, she was awarded the status of Righteous Among the Nations
.
In December 1947 Michael was forced to abdicate. Helen returned to San Domenico. Later she lived at Lausanne and Florence.
Helen died at the age of 86 in Lausanne in 1982.
Carol II of Romania
Carol II reigned as King of Romania from 8 June 1930 until 6 September 1940. Eldest son of Ferdinand, King of Romania, and his wife, Queen Marie, a daughter of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, the second eldest son of Queen Victoria...
and the mother of King Michael I of Romania
Michael I of Romania
Michael was the last King of Romania. He reigned from 20 July 1927 to 8 June 1930, and again from 6 September 1940 until 30 December 1947 when he was forced, by the Communist Party of Romania , to abdicate to the Soviet armies of occupation...
. She held the title Queen Mother of Romania.
Princess of Greece and Denmark
Helen was born in AthensAthens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, the third child of Crown Prince Constantine of Greece
Constantine I of Greece
Constantine I was King of Greece from 1913 to 1917 and from 1920 to 1922. He was commander-in-chief of the Hellenic Army during the unsuccessful Greco-Turkish War of 1897 and led the Greek forces during the successful Balkan Wars of 1912–1913, in which Greece won Thessaloniki and doubled in...
(later King Constantine I) and of his wife, Princess Sophia of Prussia
Sophia of Prussia
Princess Sophie of Prussia was Queen of the Hellenes as the wife of King Constantine I.-Princess of Prussia:...
. Helen had three brothers each of whom reigned as kings of Greece - George II
George II of Greece
George II reigned as King of Greece from 1922 to 1924 and from 1935 to 1947.-Early life, first period of kingship and exile:George was born at the royal villa at Tatoi, near Athens, the eldest son of King Constantine I of Greece and his wife, Princess Sophia of Prussia...
, Alexander, and Paul
Paul of Greece
Paul reigned as King of Greece from 1947 to 1964.-Family and early life:Paul was born in Athens, the third son of King Constantine I of Greece and his wife, Princess Sophia of Prussia. He was trained as a naval officer....
- and two sisters, Irene
Irene of Greece, Duchess of Aosta
Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark was the fifth child and second daughter of Constantine I of Greece and his wife, the former Princess Sophie of Prussia.-Family and early life:...
and Katherine
Princess Katherine of Greece and Denmark
Princess Katherine of Greece and Denmark was the third daughter and sixth child of King Constantine I of Greece and Queen Sophie .-Early life:Her paternal grandparents were King George I of Greece, child of King Christian IX of...
.
In 1910 Helen went into exile with her parents and siblings as a result of a military plot to put her father on the Greek throne in place of her grandfather King George I of Greece
George I of Greece
George I was King of Greece from 1863 to 1913. Originally a Danish prince, George was only 17 years old when he was elected king by the Greek National Assembly, which had deposed the former king Otto. His nomination was both suggested and supported by the Great Powers...
. The family spent the summer at Schloss Friedrichshof, the home of Helen's maternal aunt Margaret, Landgravine of Hesse
Princess Margaret of Prussia
Princess Margaret of Prussia was a daughter of Frederick III, German Emperor and Victoria, Princess Royal. She married Prince Frederick Charles of Hesse. In 1926 they became Landgrave and Landgravine of Hesse...
. They spent the winter at a hotel in Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
before returning to Athens.
In 1917 Helen and her family went into exile a second time as a result of her father not supporting the Allies in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. After a brief stay at St. Moritz
St. Moritz
St. Moritz is a resort town in the Engadine valley in Switzerland. It is a municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden...
, the family moved to a villa near Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
. Their movements were severely restricted by the Allies; they had to reside in the German-speaking part of Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, their French and English staff had to be dismissed, and they were not permitted contact with other French and English people.
Crown Princess of Romania
In December 1919 Helen met Crown Prince Carol of RomaniaCarol II of Romania
Carol II reigned as King of Romania from 8 June 1930 until 6 September 1940. Eldest son of Ferdinand, King of Romania, and his wife, Queen Marie, a daughter of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, the second eldest son of Queen Victoria...
in Lucerne
Lucerne
Lucerne is a city in north-central Switzerland, in the German-speaking portion of that country. Lucerne is the capital of the Canton of Lucerne and the capital of the district of the same name. With a population of about 76,200 people, Lucerne is the most populous city in Central Switzerland, and...
; he was returning from a world tour after his forced divorce from his first wife. Helen accompanied Carol to Romania to celebrate the formal engagement of her brother George to Carol's sister Elisabeth
Elisabeth of Romania
Elisabeth of Romania was the Queen Consort of King George II of Greece.-Biography:...
. In November 1920 Carol visited Zurich and asked King Constantine for Helen's hand in marriage. The match was not an arranged one; indeed, Helen's mother was against it.
In December 1920 King Constantine I was restored to his throne in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and Helen returned to Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
. On 10 March 1921 Helen married Crown Prince Carol of Romania
Carol II of Romania
Carol II reigned as King of Romania from 8 June 1930 until 6 September 1940. Eldest son of Ferdinand, King of Romania, and his wife, Queen Marie, a daughter of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, the second eldest son of Queen Victoria...
in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens
Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens
Annunciation Cathedral, the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens, popularly known as the "Mētrópolis", is the cathedral church of the Archbishop of Athens and all Greece....
. She was the first princess of Greece to marry in Athens. The couple honeymooned at Tatoi
Tatoi
Tatoi, located 5 km north of Athens's suburbs, and 27 km from the Athenian Acropolis was the summer palace and 10,000 acre estate of the former Greek Royal Family, and the site of George II of the Hellenes's birth...
before sailing for Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
at the beginning of May.
Helen and Carol had an apartment in the Cotroceni Palace
Cotroceni Palace
Cotroceni Palace is a palace in Bucharest which is the residence of the President of Romania, located at Bulevardul Geniului, nr. 1.On Cotroceni Hill, in 1679, Şerban Cantacuzino built a monastery...
in Bucharest, but they spent most of their time at the Foishor, a Swiss chalet in the grounds of the Peleş Castle
Peles Castle
Peleș Castle is a Neo-Renaissance castle in the Carpathian Mountains, near Sinaia, in Prahova County, Romania, on an existing medieval route linking Transylvania and Wallachia, built between 1873 and 1914...
in Sinaia
Sinaia
Sinaia is a town and a mountain resort in Prahova County, Romania. The town was named after Sinaia Monastery, around which it was built; the monastery in turn is named after the Biblical Mount Sinai...
. The marriage was at first happy, but soon soured.
Michael I of Romania
Michael was the last King of Romania. He reigned from 20 July 1927 to 8 June 1930, and again from 6 September 1940 until 30 December 1947 when he was forced, by the Communist Party of Romania , to abdicate to the Soviet armies of occupation...
was born at the Foishor. "There were complications and for a while neither mother nor child were expected to pull through". The baby was rumored to have been born premature (he was born only seven and a half months after his parents wedding), but the fact that he weighed nine pounds at birth fueled speculation that Helen had become pregnant before the wedding.
In December 1921 the family moved to a house in the Chaussée Kyselef in Bucharest. Helen tried to establish a nursing school to improve standards in Romania. She was also appointed honorary colonel of the 9th Cavalry Regiment, the Roshiori.
In 1925 Carol began an affair with Elena "Magda" Lupescu
Magda Lupescu
Elena Lupescu , better known as Magda Lupescu, was the mistress of King Carol II of the Romanians and later , his wife.-Parents and siblings:...
. In December 1925 he renounced his rights to the throne and left Romania. On 4 January 1926, the Romanian Parliament ratified the acceptance of Carol's renunciation and passed a bill giving Helen the title Princess of Romania. Helen remained in Romania with her son Michael who was now heir to the throne. The following summer she went to Italy to try to arrange a meeting with Carol but failed.
Divorce
In July 1927 Helen's five-year old son Michael succeeded as king of Romania. Other than her rank as a princess of Romania, Helen held no official position; she was not a member of the regencyRegent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
council. In December 1927 Carol asked Helen for a divorce. At first she refused, but eventually she gave in to government advice. On 21 June 1928, the marriage was dissolved by the Romanian Supreme Court
High Court of Cassation and Justice
The High Court of Cassation and Justice is Romania's supreme court, and the court of last resort. It is the equivalent of France's Cour de cassation and serves a similar function to other courts of cassation around the world...
on the grounds of incompatibility.
On 6 June 1930, Carol returned to Romania and was proclaimed king, with the help of politicians like Iuliu Maniu
Iuliu Maniu
Iuliu Maniu was an Austro-Hungarian-born Romanian politician. A leader of the National Party of Transylvania and Banat before and after World War I, he served as Prime Minister of Romania for three terms during 1928–1933, and, with Ion Mihalache, co-founded the National Peasants'...
. Helen continued to live in her own home in the Chaussée Kyselef in Bucharest with her son Michael. There ensued several months of discussion about annulling the divorce. The government and public opinion were most desirous of Carol and Helen restoring their marital relationship. A joint coronation ceremony was planned for mid-September. Helen was even told by the Prime Minister Iuliu Maniu
Iuliu Maniu
Iuliu Maniu was an Austro-Hungarian-born Romanian politician. A leader of the National Party of Transylvania and Banat before and after World War I, he served as Prime Minister of Romania for three terms during 1928–1933, and, with Ion Mihalache, co-founded the National Peasants'...
that as a result of the abrogation of the act of 4 January 1926, Carol had legitimately succeeded as king in July 1927, from which point she had automatically ranked as queen.
The government presented a decree to Carol for his signature officially confirming Helen as Her Majesty The Queen of Romania. Carol, however, crossed this out and declared Helen to be Her Majesty Helen (i.e. with the style Majesty, but not the title Queen). Helen refused to allow anyone to use this style in her presence. They ended up divorcing in 1928.
Eventually it became clear that Carol himself did not want the divorce annulled and that his lover Madame Lupescu was living with him at the Foishor. Because Helen would not oppose the government's plans to annul the divorce, Carol took measures against her: guards were place around her residence, those who visited her were persecuted, and she was deprived of her office as honorary colonel of the Roshiori regiment.
Faced with this treatment, Helen determined to go into exile. After a brief visit to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, she went to her mother's villa near Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
. There was ongoing conflict with Carol about how frequently and under what circumstances she should be able to see their son Michael. In October 1932 she returned to Bucharest. Carol initiated a campaign in the press against her, claiming that she had tried to commit suicide twice. The government issued a statement confirming Helen's civil list
Civil list
-United Kingdom:In the United Kingdom, the Civil List is the name given to the annual grant that covers some expenses associated with the Sovereign performing their official duties, including those for staff salaries, State Visits, public engagements, ceremonial functions and the upkeep of the...
payment, and officially allowing her to reside in Romania six months each year, and to take her son Michael abroad one month each year.
In spite of the official permission to reside in Romania, Helen was expected to stay in exile and returned to Florence. With her financial situation now stable, she was able to purchase her own villa at the nearby town of San Domenico. In spring 1934 Helen moved into Villa Sparta with her brother Paul and her two sisters. She lived here for the next ten years, seeing her son Michael for a month or so each year.
Queen Mother of Romania
In September 1940 Michael was restored to the throne. Now aged eighteen, he recalled his mother to Romania. She received the designation Queen Mother of Romania (Regina-mamă Elena). During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
she devoted herself to the care of the wounded. For her efforts to rescue Romanian Jews from the Nazi Germans, she was awarded the status of Righteous Among the Nations
Righteous Among the Nations
Righteous among the Nations of the world's nations"), also translated as Righteous Gentiles is an honorific used by the State of Israel to describe non-Jews who risked their lives during the Holocaust to save Jews from extermination by the Nazis....
.
In December 1947 Michael was forced to abdicate. Helen returned to San Domenico. Later she lived at Lausanne and Florence.
Helen died at the age of 86 in Lausanne in 1982.
Titles
- 2 May 1896 – 10 March 1921: Her Royal Highness Princess Helen of Greece and Denmark
- 10 March 1921 – 4 January 1926: Her Royal Highness The Crown Princess of Romania
- 4 January 1926–1928: Her Royal Highness The Princess of Romania
- 1928 – 6 September 1940: Her Majesty Helen, Royal Mother of The Crown Prince
- 6 September 1940 – 30 December 1947: Her Majesty The Queen Mother of Romania
- 30 December 1947 – 28 November 1982: Her Majesty Queen Mother Helen of Romania (titular)