Princess Elena of Romania

2.1. Parents

Princess Elena is the second daughter of King Michael I and Queen Anne of Romania. King Michael I, the last King of Romania, was forced to abdicate by the communist regime in 1947. Queen Anne, born Princess Anne of Bourbon-Parma, married Michael I in 1948. Their experiences in exile deeply influenced Princess Elena and her siblings, as their father often shared "fascinating tales of a homeland they couldn't visit," instilling in them a connection to Romania despite their displacement.

2.2. Siblings

Princess Elena has four sisters: Margareta, Irina, Sofia, and Maria. Margareta, as the eldest, is the current Custodian of the Romanian Crown. The sisters collectively represent the Romanian Royal Family, often participating in official engagements and supporting various charitable initiatives.

2.3. Childhood and Education

Princess Elena's formative years were spent primarily in Switzerland and the United Kingdom, where she received her early education while her family lived in exile.

2.3.1. Birth and Childhood

Princess Elena was born on November 15, 1950, at Clinique de Montchoisi in Lausanne, Switzerland. She was baptized into the Romanian Orthodox Church. Her godmothers were her paternal grandmother, Helen, Queen Mother of Romania, who was also her namesake, and Queen Mary of the United Kingdom. Elena spent her childhood residing at her family homes in Lausanne, Switzerland, and at Ayot House, St Lawrence, Hertfordshire, in the United Kingdom. During holidays, she and her sisters frequently visited their grandmother, Helen, Queen Mother, at Villa Sparta in Florence, Italy, and also spent time in Denmark with Princess Margaret of Denmark and Prince René of Bourbon-Parma.

3.1. Teaching and Art Restoration

In the mid-1970s, Princess Elena dedicated a period to teaching handicapped children in London. Following this, she pursued a two-year course in art restoration. Upon completing her training, she worked for an art restoration firm also located in London, applying her skills in the preservation of artistic heritage.

4.1. Humanitarian and Social Projects

In the 1980s, Princess Elena, alongside her first husband, Robin Medforth-Mills, initiated a project focused on providing vocational training to 45 handicapped Ethiopian refugees. This initiative equipped them with skills in printing, bookbinding, and leatherwork, aiming to support their self-sufficiency. In 1982, she founded an international school in Gezira, Sudan, further expanding her efforts in education and community development.

In 1990, Princess Elena, her first husband, the then-Lord Mayor of Newcastle upon Tyne, Terry Cooney, and Harry Charrington, became a co-founder of the North-East Relief Fund for Romania. This organization was established to provide assistance to the victims of the Ceaușescu regime following the Romanian Revolution of 1989. On June 26, 2011, Princess Elena and her second husband, Alexander Nixon, visited the Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College in Darlington, County Durham, England. During their visit, they presented awards to students who had undertaken voluntary work in Romania, contributing to the construction and repair of housing in Brașov, particularly within the Roma community.

On October 3, 2011, Princess Elena attended the 100th commemorative anniversary of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá's historic Western travels in London. As a great-granddaughter of Queen Marie, who had converted to the Baháʼí Faith, Princess Elena spoke at the event, reflecting on how her great-grandmother's Baháʼí legacy had inspired her own dedication to helping those in need.

4.2. Royal Engagements and International Representation

Princess Elena has participated in various official royal ceremonies and diplomatic events, representing the Romanian Royal Family on the international stage. On April 25, 2012, as part of the Diamond Jubilee festivities of Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Elena and her second husband inaugurated "Royal Teas," the United Kingdom's only Royal Tea room, located in Stanhope, County Durham. Following this, on May 19, she attended a Military parade at Windsor Great Park and a Garden party at Windsor Castle alongside King Michael I, Crown Princess Margareta, Prince Radu, her husband Alexander Nixon, and her son Prince Nicholas. The events were hosted by Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex. Princess Elena also regularly attends the Guildhall banquet of the Guild of Freemen of the City of London and participates in the delegation of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George in London.

4.3. Activities in Romania

Following the end of communist rule and the Romanian Revolution in December 1989, which led to the overthrow of Nicolae Ceaușescu, the Romanian royal family began to re-engage with their homeland after 50 years of exile. Princess Elena's sisters, Crown Princess Margareta and Princess Sophie, were among the first to visit in 1990, and the entire royal family became involved in aiding the Romanian people during this period of transition.

Princess Elena's first official appearance in Romania occurred on April 19, 1992, on Easter Day. She arrived with her father, King Michael I, her mother, Queen Anne, her first husband, Robin Medforth-Mills, and her son, Nicholas. They were met by hundreds of thousands of supporters. Notably, Princess Elena and her son Nicholas famously waved the Royal Flag from a balcony in Revolution Square. She returned to Romania on Christmas Day in 1997, marking the first time the entire royal family had entered the country together after five decades of exile.

Since her initial visits, Princess Elena has continued to make occasional trips to Romania for family gatherings, including the 60th birthday celebration of Crown Princess Margareta and the 90th birthday celebrations of King Michael I. Beginning in 2013, her activities in Romania increased significantly. She has attended various official events, such as investiture ceremonies, where she has also presented awards. Her engagements have included participating in book launches and Christmas gatherings, further solidifying her presence and involvement in the country's public life.

Princess Elena was present for the Lying in state of King Michael I in December 2017 and Queen Anne in August 2016. Both lying-in-state ceremonies were held first at Peleș Castle and then in the Throne Room of the Royal Palace of Bucharest. She also attended their public funerals in Bucharest and their burials in Curtea de Argeș. Princess Elena currently divides her time between her estate in Easington, County Durham, United Kingdom, where she resides with her second husband Alexander and her daughter Elisabeta-Karina, and Elisabeta Palace in Romania.

5.1. Marriages and Children

Princess Elena has been married twice and has children from her first marriage.

Her first marriage was to Robin Medforth-Mills (1942-2002). They were married in a civil ceremony on July 20, 1983, in Durham, England. A royal ceremony followed on September 24, 1983, at a Greek Orthodox church in Lausanne, Switzerland. The wedding party included King Michael I, his cousin former King Constantine II of Greece, and his wife Queen Anne-Marie, all serving as Koumbaros. Her youngest sister, Princess Maria, her second cousins Princess Alexia of Greece and Denmark and Princess Mafalda of Savoy, and Fabiola Fruchaud served as bridesmaids. Elena and Robin had two children:

• Nicholas Michael de Roumanie Medforth-Mills was born on April 1, 1985, at La Tour Hospital in Meyrin, Geneva, Switzerland. He was formerly styled as HRH Prince Nicholas of Romania. Nicholas married Alina Maria Binder, a Romanian journalist, in a civil ceremony on October 6, 2017, in Henley-on-Thames. They had a religious ceremony on September 30, 2018, at Saint Elijah Church in Sinaia, with the reception held at Sinaia Casino. Nicholas has three children:
  • Iris Anna Cîrjan (born February 9, 2016), from a previous relationship with Nicoleta Cîrjan.
  • Maria Alexandra Medforth-Mills (born November 7, 2020).
  • Mihai de Roumanie-Medforth-Mills (born April 15, 2022).
• Elisabeta Karina de Roumanie Medforth-Mills was born on January 4, 1989, at Princess Mary Maternity Hospital in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England. She is the goddaughter of the novelist Dame Catherine Cookson and Margareta, Custodian of the Romanian Crown. She married Kurt Matcalfe in a civil ceremony on April 26, 2024, at Barnard Castle. They have one son:
  • Augustus Mihai de Roumanie Metcalfe (born May 23, 2024).

  Princess Elena and Robin Medforth-Mills divorced on November 28, 1991, after eight years of marriage.
  
  Her second marriage was to Alexander Philips Nixon McAteer, born on October 22, 1964. They were married in a civil ceremony on August 14, 1998, in Peterlee. This was a private ceremony attended by the Romanian royal family, the groom's mother, and close friends. Alexander was accorded the style His Excellency Domnul Alexander McAteer and later changed his surname to Nixon. He is a Knight of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George and holds several Romanian decorations, though he has consistently declined to take any royal title. Princess Elena and Alexander also had a religious marriage ceremony at the Coronation Cathedral, Alba Iulia, on September 11, 2013, which was a private event.

6.1. National

• House of Romania: Knight Grand Officer of the Order of Carol I
• House of Romania: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown
• House of Romania: Knight of the Royal Decoration of the Custodian of the Crown, Special Class

6.2. Foreign honours

• Two Sicilian Royal Family: Recipient of the Sacred Military Constantinian Meritorious Medal of Saint George, Special Class
• Two Sicilian Royal Family: Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Francis I (awarded July 29, 2012)
• Montenegrin Royal Family: Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Prince Danilo I, Special Class