Charles and Romania

[gardendream]

Had no idea King Charles was so enamoured with Romania, did anyone else? This was interesting…

I tried to watch that video but he just droned on and I couldn't. But, yes, I read a long time ago about him buying property in Transylvania. He got a lot of criticism for it at the time but I can't remember why. Probably just because it's the national sport. Lol. Nothing changes.

Charles is also close to Margareta, the Custodian of the Crown of Romania (that’s her official title, bestowed by the government, by the way, and for whom she has a sei-offical diplomatic role - if she’d followed the route of the Greeks she’d style herself Queen, but she doesn’t) - she attends a lot of functions.

They are related as both descend from Queen Victoria. The famous Queen Marie of Romania* was Victoria’s granddaughter.

(*well, I very much doubt she’s famous now! But she was a very well-known celebrity in the pre WWII period 😀)

I knew he had a house there. Quite an ordinary looking one iirc

I knew he had a house there. Quite an ordinary looking one iirc

A traditional farmhouse, with guest cottages:

King Charles owns a Romanian guest house, and you can stay there for less than £100 a night | House & Garden (houseandgarden.co.uk)

It was the idea he has of this tiny slow-paced, technology-free, old fashioned place in Romania being a vision of how we should live as humans, and how he thinks in Britain we’re so disconnected from that that fascinated me.

I’m torn between thinking he’s absolutely right and that he’s so out of touch with how hard it is to have to toil for survival.

This vision reminds me of Marie Antoinette who created a garden like a rural idyll with sheep and so on and where she dressed as a shepherdess. All a fantasy of course and nothing like the grind of poverty the real peasants endured.

We'd all love a simple lifestyle in amazing places but it's never the reality just an illusion. All we can do is try to reduce our environmental impact while still enjoying modern amenities.

Rural Romania captured my heart when I visited too.

I've got an ex relative from there so my of my ex in laws go regularly, I'm going in a few weeks, it's amazing apparently.

😂 oh yes to emulate the incredible simple life he leads 🙄. Jesus Christ, we out of touch doesn’t come close to describing what a prick he is.

As in Dorothy Parker-

Oh, life is a glorious cycle of song,
a medley of extemporanea,
And love is a thing that can never go wrong,
and I am Marie of Romania.

Apparently Margareta had a "thing" with Gordon Brown.
Strange World!

There was a link between this property and some other traditional properties and villages in Transylvania owned by a local count, but I’m not sure if there is still a formal connection. I stayed at one of the latter places several years ago and it was magical.

I agree that there is something very special about rural Romania.

However, I also saw elderly people cutting the grass verges with hand scythes. That is the reality of not having modern technology in the countryside.

My cousin has a holiday home there and it's gorgeous. Personally against holiday homes, but there you go.

Asnt there an international outcry at what was happening in Romania under Ceaucescu? Didn't he actually help preserve the village (Viscri(?)), where he ultimately bought a house, from the communists who wanted to destroy all the villages? He restored the house and it's now a UNESCO site.

I know he established a foundation in the region which planted trees, saved villages, trained craftsman and promoted tourism.

I don't know why people are always so sniffy about whatever Charles does. He's a king and hes rich. We get it. But that doesn't mean that everything he does needs to be automatically ridiculed because you can't be bothered to look into more detail at the contribution he's made. Certainly the area he helped save aren't ridiculing him.