King Charles III arrived in Romania, in Bucharest, on Friday. The British sovereign coming to make a five-day private visit to our country, the first of a British monarch. Before going to Transylvania (central Romania), the king was received by the president of Romania, Klaus Iohanni at the Cotroceni palace, where a reception was organized. “I have always felt at home in Romania”, King Charles said in a speech that began in Romanian, in which he inserted verses from the Romanian national poet Mihai Eminescu.
King Charles III declared that he came to love Romania, culture and art, heritage, history, landscapes and biodiversity. He said in Romanian: “Country of glory, country of longing!”, being applauded by the officials present at the event. Our bonds of friendship are stronger today than at any time in history, and I can’t wait to play my part in making them even stronger in the future, the king said.
“I cannot describe the pleasure I have visiting Romania once again, thank you, Mr. President, for your kind words and for the immense generosity you showed by organizing this reception. 25 years have passed since my first visit to this remarkable country and when I came here I felt a deep connection with Romania”, said King Charles. He showed that “the King of Romania was the cousin of the King of Great Britain and Queen Maria was also a descendant of the British royal family”.
“My father was King Mihai’s cousin and I had memories of our common childhood spent here and I can say that I have always felt at home in Romania”, said the King. Charles III also said that in all these years he had the joy of traveling throughout the country and met Romanians from all fields.
He specified that “he was inspired by the people he met, who work tirelessly for others” and showed that since the 90s he supported young people and became their friend and is still a friend of the Monuments Association, which trains architects in the conservation of monuments.
“It is so impressive to see how many young volunteers work year after year, with so much love and attention to detail for historical monuments, to help preserve Romania’s diverse architecture”, he added.
“I came to love Romania, culture and art, heritage, history, landscapes and biodiversity. Land of glory, land of longing”, said King Charles III, citing in Romanian the expression “Land of glory, land of longing”.
“Romania has preserved its forests, rural landscapes and models of sustainable agriculture. Furthermore, here, there are numerous species that have disappeared in other areas of Europe and the world. The more precious this country becomes. But above all I value my friends from Romania. I am very grateful for the many people who are also here in the room who have supported me in projects that do good for communities across the country, said King Charles.
“I came to Romania for so many years because I felt close to the Romanian people, because of the suffering after the Second World War, I especially wanted to remind the world of all the things that made Romania such a country special. Today there is no need to remind people, because more and more British people come to Romania every year and millions of Romanians represent an important element of life in Great Britain. Our bonds of friendship are stronger today than at any time in history, and I look forward to playing my part in making them even stronger in the future,” King Charles concluded.
Charles III began his visit to the interior of Romania, where he owns several properties, including one in Valea Zălanului (Covasna county), which is open to tourists, and another in the village of Viscri (Braşov county). Casa de la Viscri is also the headquarters of the Prince of Wales Foundation, where a Training Center is opened that benefits apprentices, craftsmen, students and architects from all over the country.
