Ferdinand I (1865-1927) and Marie of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (1875-1938)

[Warren]

I wasn't assigning blame, I was pointing out what they had in common.

[Cory]

Missy never liked Willy (Vicky's eldest son) and she preferred Nicky (Nicholas II).

[Russophile]

Originally Posted by Cory

Missy never liked Willy (Vicky's eldest son) and she preferred Nicky (Nicholas II).

NOBODY liked Willy.
Well, except Agusta.

[Vasillisos Markos]

Marie loved Eastwell in Kent but disliked London. She also lived at Clarence House but did not enjoy her stay there, except she liked to visit the gardens at Buckingham Palace. However, it was so dirty in London that their clothes would be covered in soot when they returned home from the parks and gardens.

[Vasillisos Markos]

Does anyone know the color of King Ferdinand's eyes? I ask this because I finished reading the serialization of Queen Marie's biography, My Story of My Life and My Life as Crown Princess which ran in the Saturday Evening Post. Marie is quite descriptive of her eyes (blue) and those of her children, except for Mircea. The color of his eyes is not mentioned.

If Ferdinand had blue eyes, then all of Marie's children should have had blue eyes, as blue eyed parents can only pass on the recessive gene for their children's eye color. I should know, being one of seven children, all blue eyed, from two blue eyed parents. I assume Stirbey had brown eyes -- if Mircea had brown eyes, but Ferdinand had blue eyes, then Marie had to have been unfaithful. Scandalo!

[Odette]

Mircea died when he was 4 from typhoid. Prince Barbo Stirbey who was widely rumoured to be Marie's lover kept constant vigil in the little boy's room with Marie.
Accrording to the Queen Prince Stirbey was the one to lift the little boy's head while she passed the chain and cross around his neck. After the bombing of the Cotroceni Palace Marie returned there with Prince Stirbey, and again according to her...We were not supposed to say we were there for the last time. The hardest parting she wrote was for her to go to her son's grave. "Barbo has promised to come to be with me. Barbo who more than any other shared with me the sorrow and pain and joy the parting from my poor little grave"....
She goes on...The last person to say goodbye to was Prince Stirbey who was returning to be with the King. " As we clasped hands we wondered when and where we would meet again. There were no words with which to express our despair"...
I suppose it is safe to draw our own conclusions.
However even Ileana born in 1909 was born two years after Prince Stirbey became an intimate friend and he was rumoured to be the father of both her and Baby Mircea, although Stirbey's concern for Ileana was not the same as the one he showed for the baby.
I am sorry I have no clue what colour eyes K Ferdinand had. The only mention was that his eyes were so protruding his parents had asked to be bandaged when he was a baby to "correct" the problem...

[Cory]

Prince Barbu Stirbey was a very close friend both to Queen Maria and to King Ferdinand and there is no evidence at all he had an affair with the Queen.

[Odette]

We can all read the books and interpret them any way we want. However Marie made no effort to hide anything and her relationship with the Prince was widely known. The Queen was a free spirited woman and she never tried to shield herself from gossip and rumours.
Her marriage to Ferdinand was not a love match.
However she worked very hard for her adopted country and this no one can dispute.

[Cory]

The fact Queen Maria spoke so much about her friendship with Prince Barbu Stirbey is not a proof of an affair.

[Vasillisos Markos]

It is not proof positive of an affair and unless the parties involved admit to having an affair, or there is DNA evidence showing Barbey was the father, then of course it is mere speculation on the part of historians and others.

However, as dear Odette sets forth, Queen Marie's moving description of being at the grave with Barbey shows that he was intimately involved and deeply moved by the child's death, which suggests that he may have been the father and probably was. If so, it does not lessen either person in my eyes.

[IloveCP]

Did Marie take an interest in the future George V?

[Russophile]

Originally Posted by IloveCP

Did Marie take an interest in the future George V?

George was in love with Marie however Marie of Edinburgh, her mother, wanted Marie as Queen of a different country so she brokered her to Rumania. Queen Victoria was miffed as she was hoping the love match would work out. You can read about that in "Born to Rule" by Gelardi, Queen Marie's memoirs and "A Fatal Passion" by John Michael Sullivan which has more to do with Ducky than Marie, however they sisters were always close and their lives always intertwined.

[Vasillisos Markos]

From what I've read, Marie was very fond of George but never fell in love with him or even considered him as a possible match. It appears that her involvement with George occurred during her time on Malta, a couple of years before she was introduced to Ferdinand. Marie was very young, being only 17 when she became engaged, and was surprised at the behind the scenes intrigue and plotting to betroth her to a foreign crown prince. She was very naive and did not even dream that she was pregnant when she recounted feeling ill and out of sorts to a lady in waiting.

In addition, dear Russo is right that Mama Marie did not want another connection to the British royal family through any of her children. She would have made sure that if Marie showed any affection towards George, this undesired effect would have been quashed quickly.

[IloveCP]

Thank you Russo and Markos.Markos,you do seem to know your royal history!

[Vasillisos Markos]

Originally Posted by IloveCP

Thank you Russo and Markos.Markos,you do seem to know your royal history!

My dear IloveCP,

You are very welcome. I love to read (not as voraciously these days) and I was a history major in college, so I enjoy biographies and historical books and seem to gravitate to books on royals. I just wish my recall was better.

[Cory]

During the I world war Queen Maria wrote to her cousin about the difficult situation of her country but he couldn't really help her .

[Vasillisos Markos]

No, Romania was too far away for many of the allied countries to render her assistance but the country survived the war.

[Cory]

The Russian "Revolution" put in danger the Romanian Kingdom during the war.

[Cory]

A temporary exhibition dedicated to King Ferdinand I is opned till september at peles Castle;

Expozitia Ferdinand I | Muzeul National Peles

[Daisiesforever]

Thank you Cory for this very interesting link.