Carol Lambrino
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| Prince Carol | |
|---|---|
| Spouse | Helene Henriette Nagavitzine Thelma Williams Antonia Colville |
| Issue | |
| Paul-Philippe Hohenzollern Alexander Hohenzollern |
|
| Full name | |
| Mircea Grigore Carol Hohenzollern | |
| Father | Carol II of Romania |
| Mother | Zizi Lambrino |
| Born | January 8, 1920 Bucharest |
| Died | January 27, 2006 (aged 86) London |
Mircea Grigore Carol Hohenzollern (8 January/9 January 1920 – 27 January 2006), also known as Mircea Grigore Carol of Romania (al României in Romanian) according to his amended Romanian birth certificate[1][2][3] or as Carol Lambrino according to his original Romanian birth certificate, self-styled HRH Prince Carol of Romania,[4] was the eldest son of King Carol II of Romania, a great-great-grandson of Queen Victoria, and a third cousin of Queen Elizabeth II.
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[edit] Early life
Carol was born in Bucharest as the eldest son of the then Crown Prince Carol of Romania from his first marriage to Zizi Lambrino. At the time of his birth he was registered with the name Mircea Grigore Carol Lambrino.[4] Although his grandfather King Ferdinand forced the annulment of his parents marriage in January 1919 in the Supreme Court of Romania, Carol was born within the 300-day period allowed to permit legitimacy.[4] The legality of the annulment has also been questioned.[5][4]
After his birth, Carol and his mother were forced to leave Romania and settled in Paris. Never during his reign, not even during his personal dictatorship (1938–1940) when he held absolute power in Romania, did King Carol II recognize Carol Mircea as a prince or grant him the right to bear the family name "Hohenzollern."
[edit] Legitimisation
He was first successful in his quest to prove his legitimacy in 1955 in a Portuguese court, which ruled that he was the legitimate first born son of King Carol II and allowed him to claim the surname Hohenzollern in place of Lambrino. The Portuguese ruling was subsequently confirmed by a Parisian court, which also awarded him rights of inheritance to his father's properties. No title (i.e. no "von" or "of" particle adjoined to the family name "Hohenzollern") or dynastic rights were awarded to Carol by any European court. Furthermore, he has never been recognized or referred to as prince by the Romanian Royal Family. These rulings have cast some doubt over the legitimacy of King Carol II's later marriages. In October 1995 a Romanian court ruled that he was the legitimate son of King Carol II.[6] His half brother King Michael appealed this ruling, but lost the case in an upper court of appeal in 1999. In March 2002 the Supreme Court of Romania ruled that there should be a retrial and in July 2002 a lower court ruled again in Carol's favour. King Michael again appealed and in January 2003 he again lost the appeal.[7] King Michael again appealed in December 2003 and is currently awaiting the result of the appeal regarding the original verdict.[4]
Carol Mircea died in London and was buried in Romania after a funeral held at the Cozia Monastery. He never claimed the defunct throne of Romania,[8] unlike his son Paul.
[edit] Marriages and children
Carol was married three times, firstly on 22 March 1948 in Paris to Helene Henriette Nagavitzine/Navagatzine (b. 26 May 1925 Paris), with whom he had one son before divorcing in 1958.
- Paul-Philippe Hohenzollern (born 1948 in Paris, France)
He was married secondly to Thelma Jeanne Williams (Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee, 15 November 1930 – Rutland, Rutland County, Vermont, 5 June 1988) on 20 December 1960 in Paris, with whom he had one son before divorcing in 1977.
- Ion George Nicholas Alexander Lambrino, or (von) Hohenzollern (born 1 September 1961 in Poole, Dorset, England), unmarried and without issue
He married his third wife Antonia Colville (Bracken, Church Crookham, Hampshire, 29 May 1939 – 13 June 2007), the great granddaughter of Charles Colville, 1st Viscount Colville of Culross at Fulham Town Hall on 27 June 1984, without issue. Carol and his third wife settled in Parsons Green and led a quiet life.
[edit] References
- ^ Carol's birth certificate, The "Prince Paul of Romania" website, January 20, 2008
- ^ "General", Evenimentul Zilei
- ^ "Romanian court recognizes Briton as Carol II's grandson". The Washington Times. 1995-10-31. pp. A14.
- ^ a b c d e "HRH Prince Carol of Romania", The Daily Telegraph, February 10, 2006
- ^ Prince Paul of Romania, Genealogy page 3
- ^ 'Bastard' Romanian prince goes legitimate
- ^ Prince Paul of Romania, Genealogy page 8
- ^ "An Innocent Had Gone," Jurnalul National, January 30, 2006
