Custodian of the Crown of Romania, Her Majesty Margareta, and His Royal Highness Prince Radu began a public visit to the UK on Wednesday.
During the first part of the day, the royal couple visited the Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS); they were accompanied by Romania's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Laura Popescu, Master of the Royal Household Andrew Popper, Chancellor of Her Majesty's House Traian Sarca, and the Crown Custodian's Chief of Staff Liana Greavu.
The royal couple were greeted by Lieutenant General Sir George Norton, Commandant of the Royal College of Defence Studies, and Major-General Stephen McMahon, after which the Crown Custodian and Prince Radu engaged in a dialogue with RCDS students on current European and Euro-Atlantic topics.
In Romania, NATO and the EU are two highly regarded organizations, and over 80 percent of the country's population would not see the country otherwise but as a member of the two organizations, Prince Radu emphasized in his speech, pointing out that "pro-Western values have always been in the fiber of the Romanian nation.''
His Highness highlighted the role of the Royal Family in the development and promotion of Romania's stability, bringing to mind the personality of King Michael and the sovereign's ties with London.
"We are an active Royal Family in a country that, from a constitutional point of view, is a republic. In Romania, the head of the state is the elected President. Nowhere else in Europe or elsewhere in the world is there a Royal Family so prominently active and at the forefront of public life as in Romania. And this needs to be explained, because this is in fact the key to the question why we are here today (...). The way we see things is very original because, first of all, we are not carrying out a four-year term. Secondly, we are not politically appointed. And thirdly, what we do adds to the efforts of the Romanian and European institutions, it does not run counter to them and does not overlap with them in any way,'' Prince Radu explained to this year's RCDS students.
In a different thread, the Prince Consort opined that the degradation of competencies is one of the reasons why situations such as the current global health crisis are increasingly difficult to overcome.
In February 2017, the Royal College of Defence Studies received the visit of the Royal Family of Romania, and in May the following year the members of the College visited the Elisabeta Palace in Bucharest.
The Royal College of Defence Studies is part of the UK Defence Academy and is the institution's most advanced form of education. It was founded in 1927 by Winston Churchill, under the name of Imperial Defence College, and functioned like this until 1971 when it took its current name.
Every year, a number of 90-100 personalities are admitted to the RCDS course which lasts one year and is intended for senior members of the military, the diplomatic corps, civil servants and officials in important positions in the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and other countries. The course focuses on high-level political, diplomatic, security, social and economic issues that are subject to government decisions both at national level and within the international community. The topics are analyzed in the light of their implications in terms of strategy and leadership. Participation in the RCDS course is by invitation only.
Next, Prince Radu was the guest of the British Paralympic Association, where he met with the organization's president and CEO, Mike Sharrock. Also on Wednesday, the Crown Custodian and Prince Radu met with the Lord Mayor of the City of London, Vincent Thomas Keaveny, at his residence, Mansion House. Vincent Thomas Keaveny is the 693rd Lord Mayor of London. Romania's ambassador in London, Laura Popescu, also attended.
The connection between the royal family of Romania and the Lord Mayor of London has a long tradition that starts in 1874 with King Carol I and Queen Elisabeta being the guests of the Lord Mayor, who offered them an official dinner at the Guildhall. King Mihai met with three successive Lords Mayor of London in 2011, 2012 and 2013 and was also awarded the honorary title of 'Freeman of the City of London'. Her Majesty Margareta and Prince Radu met with the Lord Mayors in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2017 at Mansion House and Guildhall.
On Wednesday evening, Her Majesty the Crown Custodian and the Prince Consort were received at Windsor Castle by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in a private meeting.
This is the sixth foreign presence of the Royal Family of Romania in 2021, after Princess Sofia's visit to Poland in September, Prince Radu's online participation in the 24th Eurasian Economic Summit in Istanbul in July, Princess Sofia's visit to Italy and Germany - both in October - and Prince Radu's visit to Slovakia during this month.
During the first visit of the Royal Family of Romania to London in 1874, Sovereign Prince Carol I and Princess Elisabeta (Carmen Sylva) met with the Prince and Princess of Wales (later King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra). The first British royal visit to Romania occurred in 1888, when the future King Edward VII was the guest of King Carol I at the Peles Castle. The most recent Romanian royal visits to Great Britain took place in December 2018 and December 2019.
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