Princess Maria
Maria in 2015
Born (1964-07-13) 13 July 1964
Gentofte Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
Spouse
Kazimierz Wiesław Mystkowski
​
​
(m. 1995; div. 2003)​
HouseRomania (since 2011)
Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (until 2011)
FatherMichael I of Romania
MotherAnne of Bourbon-Parma
ReligionRomanian Orthodox

Princess Maria of Romania (born 13 July 1964[1]) is the fifth and youngest daughter of King Michael I and Queen Anne of Romania.

Since 2015[2] Maria has lived in Romania and carried out a public role on behalf of the Romanian royal family.

Early life

Maria was born on 13 July 1964 at Copenhagen University Hospital Gentofte in Gentofte, Copenhagen, Denmark as the youngest of five daughters of King Michael I and Queen Anne. Maria was born while her father was in the United States on business for the New York Stock Exchange. Michael was informed by telephone that he'd become a father for the fifth time.

Maria was baptised by the Orthodox Church, with her eldest sister, Princess Margareta, as godmother. Queen Marie, her paternal great-grandmother, was her namesake.[3]

As a young girl, Maria and her sisters were told "fascinating tales of a homeland they couldn't visit" by their father.[4]

Maria was educated at public school Rydal Penrhos (then Penrhos College) and in Switzerland where the family lived during exile, and spent most her early adult life living and working in the United States,[5] including New York and New Mexico.

Careers

Maria's teenage years were spent in Switzerland with her family, where she received her primary and secondary education. She later moved to the United States to pursue her studies in childcare.[6] After completing her studies, Maria worked briefly in the childcare field.

After Maria's brief career in childcare, she pursued a career in New York, doing public relations for private companies. During the Romanian Revolution of 1989, she, along with the rest of the royal family, worked to help the victims of those affected. In New York, she helped console the many U.S relatives of those killed in the uprising.[4] When the situation in Romania eventually calmed down she left her public relations career and moved to New Mexico where she worked in private consulting until she moved to Romania in 2015.[7]

Activities in Romania

Maria visited Romania with her parents and other members of the family in 1997, and from this point onwards began visiting the country regularly for Christmas or family events such as her parents' 60th Wedding Anniversary and King Michael's 90th Birthday celebrations.[8]

On 7 May 2014, Maria was invested with the Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown in a ceremony conducted by Crown Princess Margareta at the Elisabeta Palace[9] to mark Maria's upcoming 50th birthday. This was followed by a dinner at the Palace attended by the Prime Minister of Romania (Victor Ponta) and other guests.

On 21 April 2015 it was announced by the Romanian cosmetic company Farmec that Maria is an official ambassador of the company, where she will participate in projects to promote products created in the research lab of the company, as well as social responsibility activities undertaken by Farmec.[10]

In January 2015 it was announced that Maria would move to Romania permanently to take on activities in support of the royal family, and she was present in the public commemorations in Bucharest of 25 years since the royal family's return later the same month. Maria has represented the royal family at events across the country, acted in support of Margareta, Custodian of the Crown and taken on a number of patronages[11] including Concordia Humanitarian Organisation.[12]

During her father's illnesses, Maria and her elder sisters took turns to be with him at his home in Switzerland and it was during her stay that King Michael passed away.[13]

Marriage and divorce

On 16 September 1995, Maria married Kazimierz Wiesław Mystkowski (b. 13 September 1958 in Łaś-Toczyłowo), a Polish nobleman from the Mystkowski family and a computer engineer.[14] Raised in a Catholic family, he is the son of Eugeniusz Mystkowski and his wife, Janina Wadelowska. The wedding celebration was held at the Greek Orthodox Holy Trinity Cathedral in New York, and was attended by the Romanian royal family, the parents of Kazimierz, the newly married Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Greece. King Michael I served as koumbaros to the couple. In December 2003, the couple subsequently divorced without producing any children.

Patronages

  • Congress of the Romanian Society of Rhinology.[15]
  • Concordia Humanitarian Organization.
  • National Recycling Patrol Program, developed by the Romanian Recycling Association RoRec.
  • The International Chinological Exhibition in Alba Iulia.
  • Annual Equestrian Event organized by the Equestria Club.
  • The Caolin Contemporary International Ceramic Festival.
  • The Badminton Romanian Federation.
  • The 42nd Conventus Latin ENT.
  • The National Agency for Equal Opportunities for Women and Men.[16]
  • The Children in Distress Foundation.[17]

National honours

Dynastic

Ecclesiastical

References

  1. ↑ "Biography of Princess Marie". Familia Regala (in Romanian). Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  2. ↑ "Principesa Maria se mută definitiv în România". Casa Regală a României (in Romanian). Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  3. ↑ "Principesa Maria, mezina Regelui Mihai, se mută definitiv în România - Flux24.ro". Flux24.ro. 6 January 2015. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  4. 1 2 "Romania's Exiled King Longs to Take His Family Home—after 42 Years—and Reclaim His Throne". People.com. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  5. ↑ New York Magazine. New York Media, LLC. 21 July 1997. Princess Marie of Romania Interview.
  6. ↑ "Princess Maria, decorated with the Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown of Romania". Agerpres.ro. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  7. ↑ "ASR Principesa Maria". Familia Regala. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  8. ↑ "În anul 2011 | Familia Regală a României / Royal Family of Romania". Romaniaregala.ro. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  9. ↑ "Imagini de la seara Palatului Elisabeta, 7 mai 2014 | Familia Regală a României / Royal Family of Romania". Romaniaregala.ro. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  10. ↑ "Comunicate de presă". Farmec.ro. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  11. ↑ "ASR Principesa Maria". Familia Regala (in Romanian). Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  12. ↑ "Organizația Umanitară CONCORDIA: Copiii din CONCORDIA au oferit un mărțișor Alteței Sale Regale Principesa Maria a României". Concordia.org.ro (in Romanian). Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  13. ↑ "His Majesty King Michael of Romania has died | Familia Regală a României / Royal Family of Romania". Romaniaregala.ro. The Royal House of Romania refers to the Princess as Marie in English and Maria in Romanian. Retrieved 1 January 2018. Her Royal Highness Princess Marie{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  14. ↑ Niewalda, Marcin. "Mystkowski - Genealogia rodziny, herbarz, rodowód..." Genealogia.okiem.pl. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  15. ↑ "Principesa Maria, Înalt Patronaj Congresului Societății Române de Rinologie". Royal Family of Romania. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  16. ↑ "Anes.gov.ro". Anes.gov.ro. 11 May 2018. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  17. ↑ "Gala of the Children in Distress Foundation ("Copii în dificultate")". Familiaregala.ro. 17 April 2019. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  18. ↑ "Ordinului Coroana României". Familiaregala.ro. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  19. ↑ "Ordine și decorații". Familiaregala.ro. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  20. ↑ "Images from the Elisabeta Palace, 7th May 2014 | Familia Regală a României / Royal Family of Romania". Romaniaregala.ro. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  21. ↑ Romania Regala
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