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| La Reina Madre Elena de Rumania y la Princesa Margarita de Borb贸n-Parma en etapas posteriores de su vida. |
La reina madre Elena de Ruman铆a y la princesa Margarita de Borb贸n-Parma eran primas hermanas. Tanto Elena como Margarita eran descendientes del rey Cristi谩n IX de Dinamarca (1818-1906) y de su esposa, la reina Luisa (1817-1898; de soltera Hesse-Kassel). Los hijos de Elena y Margarita formar铆an m谩s tarde una fant谩stica alianza din谩stica y matrimonio por amor.
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| Princesa Helena de Grecia y Dinamarca |
La reina madre Elena de Ruman铆a (1896-1982) fue la hija mayor del rey Constantino I de Grecia (1868-1923) y su esposa, la reina Sof铆a (1870-1932; de soltera Prusia), hija del k谩iser Federico III y la emperatriz Victoria (de soltera Gran Breta帽a). En 1921, la princesa Elena de Grecia y Dinamarca se cas贸 con el pr铆ncipe heredero Carol de Ruman铆a (1893-1953; m谩s tarde rey), hijo mayor del rey Fernando de Ruman铆a y la reina Mar铆a (de soltera Gran Breta帽a / Sajonia-Coburgo y Gotha).
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| Princesa Margarita de Dinamarca |
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| Margarita de Dinamarca se casa con Ren茅 de Borb贸n-Parma
Fotograf铆a (c) Chicago Tribune, 10 de junio de 1921 |
La princesa Margarita de Borb贸n-Parma (1895-1992) fue la 煤nica hija del pr铆ncipe Valdemar de Dinamarca (1858-1939) y su esposa, la princesa Mar铆a (1865-1909; de soltera Orleans), hija del pr铆ncipe Roberto, duque de Chartres (1840-1910), y de la princesa Francisca de Orleans (1844-1925). En 1921, la princesa Margarita de Dinamarca se cas贸 con el pr铆ncipe Ren茅 de Borb贸n-Parma (1894-1962), uno de los hijos del duque Roberto de Parma y de la infanta Mar铆a Antonia de Portugal.
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| La reina madre Helena de Ruman铆a y la princesa Margarita de Borb贸n-Parma en el Vaticano |
Adem谩s, estas damas reales fueron las madres del rey Miguel de Rumania (1921-2017) y su esposa, la reina Ana (1923-2016; de soltera Borb贸n-Parma). Miguel y Ana se enamoraron en 1947. Sus madres apoyaron enormemente a la joven pareja: de hecho, Helena y Margarita se unieron para tratar de resolver un problema particular que planteaba la uni贸n de su hijo y su hija: la religi贸n. El rey Miguel de Rumania era miembro de la Iglesia Ortodoxa Rumana y la princesa Ana de Borb贸n-Parma era miembro de la Iglesia Cat贸lica Romana. La Reina Madre Rumana y la Princesa Borb贸n-Parma decidieron ir al Vaticano para solicitar al Papa en persona una dispensa para la uni贸n de sus hijos.
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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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