Figure 1.--This is Queen Marie with her eldest son Prince Peter. The portrait is undated, but looks to have been taken about 1933, just beore the assasination of King Alexande.

Romanian Princess Maria Hohenzollern was born in Gotha, Thuringia in Germany, during the reign of her maternal grandfather Duke Alfred of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Maria's father was Crown Prince Ferdinand of Romania. Her greatuncle was King Carol I of Romania. She was calle Mignon within the family to differentiate her from her namesake mother. King Alexander after his accession married Princess Marie (Mignon) Hohenzollern of Romania (1922). Princess Marie was a daughter of Queen Maria, the Queen Consort of Romania. The marriage choices are interesting. Note that Montenegro, Romania, and Serbia all joined the allied side in World War I. Her mother was Princess Marie, a daughter of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, a son of Queen Victoria. Her maternal great-grandfather was Tsar Alexander II of Russia. She was well educated and spoke several languages fluently. Two of her favorite hobbies were painting and sculpting. She liked to drive at a time when it was not common for women to drive--especially queens. After marrying King Alexander, she emersed herself in charitable work and became highly regarded within Yugoslavia for her humanitarian work. After her husband's assasination (1934), Queen Marie became Queen Mother of Yugoslavia. Her her eldest son Prince Peter became Peter II and Queen Marie participated in the regency. Queen Marie died in exile in London (1961). She is interred at the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore next to Windsor Castle.

Created: 3:18 AM 7/27/2008
Last updated: 3:19 AM 7/27/2008