Princess Helen of Greece and Denmark, Queen Mother of Romania, known by those close to her as Sitta, 1925

Helen’s husband, King Carol II of Romania, abdicated to be with his lover Magda Lupescu in 1925. Their son, Michael, age six, became king in 1927, and Helen filed for divorce in 1928. 

In 1930, Carol came back to Romania and proclaimed himself king once again. The people expected Helen and Carol to be reunited, and Helen to be known as Her Majesty The Queen of Romania; Carol, however, proclaimed her Her Majesty Helen, not queen, as he continued his affair with Magda Lupescu. Helen did not oppose the Romanian government’s annulment of their divorce, and so Carol began turning the screws: placing guards around her home, having her guests prosecuted. In the face of such treatment, Helen went into exile, spending much of her time in Florence with her mother. 

She was officially allowed to spend six months of the year in Romania with her son, Michael, but Carol frowned on her presence, spreading rumors about her through the press, and she really spend closer to two months a year with her son. 

Carol also refused his sister Ileana permission to give birth on Romanian soil, after promoting her marriage to Archduke Anton of Austria, Prince of Tuscany, claiming the Romanian people would never tolerate a Habsburg living on Romanian soil. It’s believed he was jealous of her popularity in Romania. His mother he treated in a similar manner, sending her in his place to an independence day parade after hearing of a planned assassination attempt and trying to drive her out of the country.

In 1940, at age 19, Michael was restored to the throne when his father abdicated a second time, and Helen was asked to return to Romania, to reside as Queen Mother. She became known for her support of the Jewish plight during the second world war.