I was reading some of the stories about Otto von Habsburg and how he had to earn a living and pay off some debts after WWII. Same for King Michael of Romania, who did various things to earn a living.
Question: why did monarchs who were deposed not see it coming and store up wealth so that they'd be well off after they became private citizens?
Surely they could have all stashed some cash away in a Swiss bank account or something.
The Habsburgs and Hohenzollerns were clearly some of the most prestigious and wealthy families around. King Carol of Romania left with apparently train car after train car of assets when he was deposed in 1940, but there must have been enough left to keep King Michael well-heeled while he was King, and the Habsburgs stayed in Austria, in one of their palaces, for a while after Austria became a republic, so they had access to wealth. Both families should have prepared for some turbulence, with WWI not going well for Austria in the final months, and the Russian invasion of Romania in 1944.
Thoughts?
Question: why did monarchs who were deposed not see it coming and store up wealth so that they'd be well off after they became private citizens?
Surely they could have all stashed some cash away in a Swiss bank account or something.
The Habsburgs and Hohenzollerns were clearly some of the most prestigious and wealthy families around. King Carol of Romania left with apparently train car after train car of assets when he was deposed in 1940, but there must have been enough left to keep King Michael well-heeled while he was King, and the Habsburgs stayed in Austria, in one of their palaces, for a while after Austria became a republic, so they had access to wealth. Both families should have prepared for some turbulence, with WWI not going well for Austria in the final months, and the Russian invasion of Romania in 1944.
Thoughts?
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