Queen Marie of Romania

“Your Majesty, Paris loves you and will always love you, this is what the French writer Gabrielle Collette told Queen Marie of Romania a century ago.

Daniela Budu, 16.10.2019, 13:50

A street on the left bank of the
river Seine in Paris has been named after Queen
Marie of Romania. The plaque reading The Queen Marie of Romania promenade was
unveiled by the Custodian of the Crown of Romania Margareta, who paid tribute
to her grandmother in a speech on this occasion:

For us, Europeans, Queen Marie of
Romania is a precious example of patriotism, strength and professionalism,
competence and loyalty. Thanks to her humanitarian and diplomatic efforts in
the service of her country, during the First World War and the Paris Peace
Conference, we gained the recognition and affection of the entire world. It is
all the more important that France and Paris pay homage to Marie of Romania, to
her personal example, the love for her country and her attachment to the values
of humanity.

Princess Marie Alexandra Victoria
was born on the 29th of October 1875 in England. She was the
daughter of Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, and the Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna
of Russia. In January 1863 she married Ferdinand, the crown prince of Romania,
whom she gave six children. She was queen of Romania between 1914 and 1927 and
took an active involvement in political life. Before and after WWI, she
dedicated her time and energy to the soldiers wounded in battle, coordinating
the collaboration with the Red Cross, organising field hospitals and raising
funds for the ambulance service, all of which earned her the nickname the soldier
Queen and mother to the wounded. Historians recognise her enormous
contribution to the achievement of the Great Union of 1918, when all Romanian
historical provinces that had until then been part of the Russian and
Austro-Hungarian empires came together under Bucharest’s control. Queen Marie
died on the 18th of July 1938 in Sinaia.

The initiative to name a street
after her in Paris belonged to Romania’s embassy in the French capital with the
help of the France-Romania friendship parliamentary group in the National
Assembly and the Paris City Hall.