Radio România Internațional

Tag: Helen

  • October 18, 2019 UPDATE

    October 18, 2019 UPDATE

    SUMMIT Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis attended the European
    Council’s autumn summit on Thursday and Friday. According to a Romanian
    presidency communiqué, during his speech, Iohannis has hailed the agreement,
    which ensures Britain’s orderly withdrawal from the EU and reiterated the
    crucial importance of maintaining the EU 27 unity for further negotiations. As
    for the Multiannual Financial Framework for 2021-2027, Iohannis stood for an
    ambitious budget underlining the need for balanced and realistic approach in
    the negotiation process of the Union’s future multiannual budget. Iohannis has
    underlined the importance of unity at the EU level for the implementation of
    the future Strategic Agenda. In another move, the Romanian president has voiced
    regret that in spite of the active support from most of the EU members, Romania
    included, no consensus has been reached in the process of opening accession
    negotiations with Albania and Northern Macedonia. Iohannis has underlined the
    tight connection between the credibility of the enlargement process and the
    EU’s ability of assuming the role of a strong global player.










    TALKS Dan Barna, head of the Save
    Romania Union said after the talks he had with representatives of the National
    Liberal Party on Friday that there was an ‘explicit openness’ of the designated
    Prime Minister Ludovic Orban to the measures supported by the USR. According to
    Barna, that was a ‘first round of talks’ and a new round is going to be held
    early next week. In turn, Orban said that Liberals cannot be asked things they
    cannot offer, adding that from his point of view, there is an understanding.
    The designated Prime Minister has so far held talks with Parliament parties
    which backed the no-confidence vote that brought down the cabinet led by the
    country’s former Prime Minister Viorica Dancila. On Friday, Orban received the USR
    representatives after a first round of talks he had a day before with the
    representatives of ALDE, UDMR and PRO Romania. MPs of the national minorities
    have already announced their support for the future cabinet. Romania’s new
    Prime Minister will have to present the structure of the future cabinet next
    week and the name of the candidates proposed to head the ministries. Social
    Democrats have announced their unwillingness to go to Parliament to ensure the
    quorum for the new cabinet.








    QUEEN The remains of Queen Mother Helen were brought to Romania on Saturday to
    be reburied in Curtea de Arges, southern Romania, on Saturday. The coffin is to
    stay for a while at the Elisabeta Palace in Bucharest, and then carried to
    Curtea de Arges. Queen Helen, born into the Greek royal family, married prince
    Charles of Romania, the future King Carol II, but seven years later she
    divorced him and focused on the education of her son, King Mihai I. In January
    1948, Queen Helen left Romania for good, together with her son, who was forced
    by the communists to abdicate. A communique issued by the Royal House of
    Romania reads that, after seven decades, Queen Mother Helen returns to Romania
    for eternity.








    MISSION The Romanian frigate ‘King Ferdinand’, a Puma Navy helicopter and
    a Navy Special Task Force are taking part in a new NATO mission in the
    Mediterranean. According to a press release by the Romanian Navy, the main goal
    of the ‘Sea Guardian 19’ operation is to deter illegal activities on NATO’s and
    the EU’s eastern flank, through sea traffic monitoring activities. As a first, Romania’s
    Navy with support from the Foreign Ministry and the Ministry for Romanians
    Abroad, has invited members of the Romanian communities in Egypt, Israel and
    Cyprus to visit the frigate during its stopovers in the ports of Alexandria,
    Haifa and Limassol.






    (translated by
    bill)





  • Repatriation of Queen Mother Helen

    Repatriation of Queen Mother Helen

    “The Queen of the four exiles, as Queen Mother Helen has been dubbed, will be brought back to Romania, the adoptive home country that she will never again leave. The Queens remains were disinterred in Switzerland and brought to be reburied in the royal burial site in Curtea de Arges, southern Romania, alongside her son, King Michael I, and the other members of the Royal Family—Carol I, Ferdinand I and Carol II, and queens Elizabeth, Marie and Anne.



    Helens first exile began in 1910, when the entire Greek Royal family, including Princess Helen, born on May 3, 1896, was forced to leave Greece following a coup against her grandfather, King George I. Seven years later, in 1917, Helens family was once again forced into exile.



    In 1921 she married Crown Prince Carol II of Romania and gave birth to her only son, Michael, but 7 years later she divorced Carol following an infidelity scandal. Helen was sent into her 3rd exile by her former husband, King Carol II, so in late 1931 she moved to Germany and then to Italy, where she lived until 1940.



    In January 1948, Queen Mother Helen left Romania for good, together with her son, King Michael I, who had been deposed by the new communist power in Bucharest. Helen spent the last part of her life in Italy and Switzerland, close to her sons family. She passed away on November 28, 1982, and was buried in Bois-de-Vaux cemetery in Lausanne.



    The troubled history of the Greek and Romanian royal houses turned Helens life into a tragic destiny. However, those who knew her say the Queen Mother was a prototype of integrity, dignity, honour and wisdom. She was also a fascinating, discreet and elegant woman, with a refined sense of humour. It was her who taught King Michael and his daughters to have faith, to love their family and to have compassion for those in need.



    In the 1940s, Queen Mother Helen saved many from the Nazi persecution. This is why in 1993 Israel gave her the title of Righteous among the Nations, in recognition for her efforts to prevent the extermination of Romanian Jews. Queen Mother Helen equally opposed the abuses of the Soviet occupation in Romania, and struggled, together with King Michael I, to make Romania a part of the free world again. Unfortunately, she had to witness the Soviets increasingly tight grip on the country.



    It is only now, 30 years after the fall of the communist regime, that Helen returns to her adoptive country.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • September 3, 2019

    September 3, 2019

    REPATRIATION The remains of Queen Helen, mother to King Michael I of Romania, will be repatriated this autumn and taken to the new Archdiocesan and Royal Cathedral in Curtea de Argeş, following a decision of the Custodian of the Romanian Crown, Princess Margareta, made public on Tuesday. Seventy-one years after Queen Helens exile and 37 years after her death, Princess Margareta decided to bring back to Romania the remains of her grand-mother. Princess Helen of Greece and Denmark was the daughter of King Constantine I of Greece and Queen Sophia of Prussia. In 1921 she married crown prince Carol in Athens, whom she divorced in 1928. In 1940 she became Queen Mother of Romania. She died in November 1982, in Lausanne, Switzerland. Unlike King Michael I, Queen Helen never saw her country again after her forced exile.




    EXERCISE The Romanian Navy organises as of today the Romanian-Ukrainian exercise “Riverine 2019, on the River Danube, the segment between Tulcea (Romania) and Izmail (Ukraine), with approx. 300 marines from the 2 countries taking part. The exercise is designed to improve cross-border cooperation between Romania and Ukraine in the naval field on the River Danube. Until September 7, inspection and towing exercises as well as emergency intervention drills will be organised.




    FESTIVAL In Bucharest the George Enescu International Festival continues with a concert by the London Philharmonic Orchestra together with the Academic Choir of the Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation. Two other performances take place in Cluj-Napoca and Sibiu. The central theme of this years edition of the festival is “The World in Harmony, and the artistic director is Vladimir Jurowski. Until September 22, Bucharest and 10 other cities in Romania and 5 other countries (Germany, France, Italy, Canada and the Rep. of Moldova) will host performances associated to the Festival. In Bucharest, over 2,500 of the most valuable musicians of the world will hold 84 concerts and recitals.




    PROGRAMME The EU programme designed to encourage children to eat fruit, vegetables and dairy at school continues in 2019. Of the total budget of 250 million euro, Romania will receive this academic year over 17 million euro. Last year, more than 20 million children in the EU benefited from this programme implemented in schools, whose goal is to promote healthy eating habits.




    EARTH Romanian students won one gold and 3 silver medals in this years edition of the International Earth Science Olympiad held in Daegu, South Korea between August 26 and September 3. The International Earth Science Olympiad encourages cooperation between students from various countries, by setting up international teams that receive research topics on environment issues in a specific geographic area and must come up with a project with proposed solutions to the respective issues. Taking part in this 13th International Earth Science Olympiad were 163 students from 41 countries.




    SPENDING EU citizens spent an average 377 euro for a holiday, and Romanians rank at the bottom of the list with around 135 euro earmarked for a vacation, according to data released by Eurostat on Tuesday. The biggest holiday spenders in the EU are the citizens of Luxembourg, with an average 769 euro for a holiday in 2017.




    TENNIS The young Canadian tennis player Bianca Andreescu, of Romanian descent, qualified into the quarter-finals of the US Open, the last Grand Slam of the year, after defeating the American Taylor Townsend in 3 sets. It is the first time that Andreescu (aged 19, number 15 in the world) takes part in the US Open, and also her first Grand Slam quarter-final. Taylor Townsend (116 WTA), had previously outplayed 2 Romanians, Simona Halep and Sorana Cîrstea. In the quarter-final Andreescu will take on Belgiums Elise Mertens (26 WTA).


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)