The Peleș National Museum invites you to visit the temporary exhibition "Princes and Princesses of Romania", which aims to capitalize on the rich collection of photographs from its heritage. The cultural initiative is dedicated to the only daughter of the Carol I-Elisabeta couple, Princess Maria of Romania (1870-1874) and the descendants of the Ferdinand I-Maria couple, Princesses Elisabeta (1894-1956), Maria (1900-1961) and Ileana (1909-1991) and Princes Nicolae (1903-1978) and Mircea (1913-1916). Several temporary exhibitions organized at the Peleș National Museum were dedicated to Prince Carol (1893-1954), who became King Carol II of Romania in the period 1930-1940, and then toured museums in the country, in the 2010s, 2020, 2023. Prince Michael (1921-2017), who became King Michael I of Romania between 1927-1930 and 1940-1947, was dedicated to temporary exhibitions in 2021 and 2023.
The princes and princesses of Romania have also become important historical figures, contributing profoundly, through their presence and activities, to the prosperity and affirmation of the Kingdom of Romania, as well as the Balkan area. Princess Elisabeth was Queen of Greece (1922-1924), after her marriage in 1921 to the Diadochi George of Greece. Princess Maria (1900-1961), known in the family as Mignon, after her marriage in 1922 to King Alexander I of Yugoslavia, became Queen Maria of Yugoslavia (1922-1934). The childhood of the royal offspring took place under the careful supervision of governesses and teachers committed to perfecting their education and preparing them for the role they would play on the stage of life and history. The Great War accelerated their maturing process and brought to their attention the ephemerality of life – through the loss of the youngest son of the family, Prince Mircea – and the value of responsibility and involvement in the daily life of the Romanian people. Having reached maturity, taking the example of their predecessors, the princes and princesses of Romania selflessly fulfilled the role that fate had destined for each of them, especially after the unexpected passing into eternity of King Ferdinand I of Romania, in 1927. While Mignon shared royal responsibilities with her husband in Yugoslavia, contributing to the good relations between the two kingdoms, Elisabeta and her husband settled in Romania after the abolition of the monarchy in Greece, and Prince Nicolae became a member of the Regency during the minority of King Michael.
In 1937, Prince Nicolae left his native country for good, being excluded from the Romanian Royal Family, following in the footsteps of his younger sister, Princess Ileana, who had been removed only 6 years earlier, after her marriage to Archduke Anton of Habsburg. After the abdication of King Michael in December 1947, all members of the Romanian Royal Family went into exile, sporadically maintaining family ties.
The panels with photographic reproductions displayed within the exhibition illustrate aspects of the private and public lives of the princes and princesses of Romania, throughout their childhood, adolescence and adulthood, starting from snapshots of everyday life to official photographs immortalizing important moments in Romanian history.
The exhibition is open from September 5 to October 5, 2025 and can be visited free of charge from Wednesday to Sunday, between 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM (last entry).
