RUMANIA'S ROYALTY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 103, 3 May 1930, Page 7

RUMANIA'S ROYALTY.

SETBACKS TO DYNASTiC PRESTIGE. REGENT AND QUEEN DISLIKED. BUT LITTLE KING IN FAVOUR. (By LINDSAY HOBEN.) The Royal family is not popular in Rumania. Dynastic prestige has waned greatly and in the last few months has suffered severe setbacks. This does not mean that the country is restless, except as it always is with local polities. It does not even mean, in all probability, that the dynasty is jeopardised. Bat it does mean that the Royal family is ever less important to Rumania.

I know of no other monarchy where the Press dares speak of and to its royalty as it does here. Little King Michael is out of the picture. He doesn't count yet. The three figures 011 the Royal scene are Queen Marie, her son Nicholas, and the exiled son, Carol. Carol has more hold on the people than the others. There is 110 actual enthusiasm for him, but should he return and be backed by a few soldiers he could probably be king. It is Nicolas who is strongly disliked. He is one of the three regents. He is notorious for reckless driving and several times has injured persons. The last occurrence, October -15, caused 011 outburst of caustic comment and a wave of sentiment for the blameless taxi driver who was beaten and kicked by the prince. Adeverul, the day following, wrote thus sarcastically:— '"Yesterday, while the Prince Regent. Nicolas, was passing through Caniek'J Street he suffered a little accident followed by ail incident with the driver ct a taxi. The accident was not serioui, only the mudguard of the prince's car being hit. . "The incident became graver, however. The driver, apparently without cause, fell to the ground in order that the noble feet might caress him. After that, the driver, 1011 Damian—that is the name of the happy man who received the princely caresses —was taken to the first aid station. "If this had been the first accident ol such a nature of Prince Nicolas' we might have said that Mr. Milozi (a Bucharest police official recently convicted of beating up suspects most vicously) was just practising, but we know of several other deeds of the most noble regency's triumvirate, so we are compelled to state that Mr. Milozi is but a modest disciple." All papers have commented and printed the story —some wjtli and some without names. 111 C'uvantul, which supports Prirce. Carol and the dynasty in general, the taxi driver's story was given a few days later. He was an illiterate twenty-year-old youth. After the accident, he said, "I got out. He (.the prince) hit me on the back and told me to free his mudguard from the bumper. I bent down and did it. When I got up he kicked me again and then I was taken to the doctors in the ambulance." Bitter comments were made when lawyers, because of- fear, refused to defend a contributor to Viasta Politika who wrote a sarcastic letter to the prince, telling him taxi drivers ought to be run into and beaten up. The writer was convicted of lese niajeste and sentenced (the Court gave him the minimum) to four months m prison and a 3000 lei fine. Rebuff for Queen Marie. But this mess came only a few days after, the queen had tried to become a Regent and had been rebuffed by the able National-Peasant party leader, Juliu Maniu. Her defeat was a great loss of prestige. One of the three Regents (for minor King Michael) Buzdugan, by name, had died. Queen Marie, who, since the death of her husband, has had no actual power, sought the vacancy. But the Prime Minister told her two members of the Royal Family could not be tolerated in the Regency, and to the surprise of everyone he announced that Parliament would choose the third Regent. It picked a civilian, Constantine Sarateseanu. The Queen was mortified. Maniu had told her that if she wished to be Regent she could take the place of her son, Nicolas, who could resign. The angered Queen called this amazing proposal a slight to the dignity of the Royal Family and issued the following statement:— "It is inadmissable to even think of replacing my son Nicolas, still more that the substitution be made an object of bargaining. We, the Royal Family, cannot conceive what it means to strive for honours or privileges. We do not need one or the other. We are where we are to our duty and that is all. "If a Government reckons that it means danger to have the Royal Family predominate in the Regency, that can only mean that the Government itself aspires to dominate the Regency. If that is .so it has only to say so clearly. Inasmuch as I am concerned, I keep this point of view, that it is not possible nor well for the country that, besides the Royal Family, other families may step up, assuming the aspect of the second dynasty. "I do not doubt that had my son and myself been together in the Regency we would have strengthened it and given it increased prestige. ... I do not consider that my entering the Regency would have been a concession on the part of anybody—only on my own part. If it had been necessary I would have sacrificed liberty, spiritual quietness and tranquillity in private life to be beside my child, who still needs me, as he is involved in a life of labour and serious conflicts and intrigues. . . . "We Could Make Any Sacrifice." "The Nicolas situation has been hard enough, because no matter what their goodwill may be those who do not belong to a monarchy cannot assume the objectiveness which is an integral part of monarchical tradition. For us there are no advantages and benefits, and we do not want any other privileges than the Royal prerogatives. "Nicolas and I could never work against one another, but both for the Crown. We Qould make any sacrifice. But I could never be anybody's tool nor accept any position which was hot at the height of my career at the end of my life. I am here solely for the good of my people. . . . But if political men believe that I can be changed by a gesture or a promise or a threat they are mistaken. "If the Almighty allows me to be in this world when the young King (Michael is to take the throne when he is 18) ascends the throne, then I can rest quietly, because my son will be beside the 18-year-old youth whom, he can and support. No, no, never! with Queen Marie,

no concession for small consideration. . . To have bargained would have been to sacrifice the honour of the Royal Family. Noblesse Oblige." No Homage for Queen. This created excitement. Maniu demanded that the Queen deny the interview. Three days later her minister of the Royal House made a vague denial. Luiversal reasserted the interview, saying that only the Queen herself was competent to deny that interview, and added: "We know that the blood that flows in her veins will not allow her to give such a denial." She did not do so. Thus the Queen was openly attacked, and by some papers called a liar by cir- | cumstance. But there are other things of a more private nature that have also undermined the dynastic prestige. The way army officers speak of their Queen does not show much reverence. When the Queen attends the theatre there is no homage paid her. When processions of state are held people gather to watch, with a mild curiosity, but there is no enthusiasm for the royal family. There would be considerably more if Carol were to come back. A few weeks ago a paper here, "C'uvantul," printed documents purporting to prove the common belief in Rumania that Prince Carol was run out of the country because he disapproved of his mother's conduct, and because he had threatened to lock her up in a monastery if he ever came to power. He also is said to have been an enemy of the erstwhile allj powerful dictators, the Bratianus. The King's English. King Michael is growing up. He's eight. He's got long pants —not just for show occasions, but every day. But growing up is not all sugar. The king has to- bother his head about learning j Rumanian now. The only language he speaks at present is English—and with a bit of a cockney accent. His nurse is English. She is an old friend of the family, having raised Michael's aunt, the Princess Irene of Greece. The king doesn't have to bother with French and German —yet. Later he will. He has riding lessees every day to add variety to the long hours of tutoring at the palace. He likes riding. A former aide-de-camp of the late king instructs Michael in horsemanship. He takes gymnastic lessons with other children. It is about the only time he is allowed playmates. His mother. Princess Helen, doesn't like Iym to play with many children. Also she doesn't want him exploited. She doesn't wish him spoiled. She is afraid that if the king attends many functions to which other members of the Royal Family have to go he will cease to be a little boy. But Queen Marie sees more than her grandson. She sees in this serious-eyed little fellow the King of Greater Rumania; and. after all, there are certain relations the king must have with the world and with his people. Michael is a modern boy and with modern tastes. Best of all he likes to play around machinery, to "monkey" with it and putter ""ith it—like any boy of his age and of this age. A Happy Little King. In almost every store in Bucharest are pictures of King Michael. There are very few of Queen Marie, almost none of anybody else in the royal family. But Bucharest likes Michael. And Rumania likes to have his clean-cut, serious, but boyish face on its postage stamps. The picture on the stamps is one. of the best of the king. So he lives happily, despite the hard Rumanian lessons and the arithmetic and history, and he has the most wonderful toys. But the most womfrfu] aren't always the 'most attractive. Christmas Day he went to his grandma's palace at Cotroceni, just at the edge of Bucharest. He had every fine toy one could imagine. But as the family was admiring the Christmas tree, the king said: "There is something I would like." "What?" "That thing up there." and he pointed to an ugly little tinsel crescent, which he received and which he treasured all day. Yes, the king lives happily and boyishly, undisturbed by the political tempests and the economic storms that often rage outside his peaceful precincts in the palace. He takes a motor apart to see what makes the wheels -go round, while bitterness and struggle surge around the regency; while his father. Carol, tries to return and is not allowed to return. "Poor little fellow," says a lady of the court, "I hope there won't be much trouble ahead for him." But the king plugs into the arithmetic and wishes summer were here so he could live the whole day long, as he did last summer, in a bathing suit on the pleasant beaches of the Black Sea.