International reactions over ex-Romanian King’s retirement from public life

Former Romanian King Michael’s retirement from public life has garnered international attention. The Washington Post reported that “Romania’s royal family says former King Michael has leukemia and will withdraw from public life and hand over his responsibilities to his oldest daughter.”

They further mentioned the former king’s past in exile, where “he lived in exile in Switzerland and Britain until 1997, and worked briefly as a chicken farmer and commercial pilot.”

Bloomberg also talked about the former monarch’s health and the fact that his daughter, Princess Margaret of Romania, will take over his public responsibilities. They further added that “Michael is the last king of the eastern European nation, whose royal family holds a ceremonial role.”

In a speech published on the Royal House’s website, that both the Washington Post and Bloomberg cited, the former King Michael said that he is “convinced [his] daughter Margareta will find the wisdom and strength to represent [him] and fulfill all [his] public duties.”

Last year, the former king expelled his grandson, Prince Nicholas, from the line of succession. At the time, the Guardian reported that “the decision set off speculation in Romania and beyond about what had gone wrong.” The royal family’s spokesperson at the time, Ioan Luca Vlad, said of the move that it was preventive and that it “stops this distinction between what he [Nicholas] wants and what the royal family is, from blowing up into something that would be irreparable.” He further added that “it was a decision taken in harmony.”