Queen Marie of Romania
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Princess Marie Alexandra Victoria of Edinburgh, Queen of Romania (29 October 1875 – 18 July 1938) was the first member of a royal family to embrace the Bahá’í Faith.
Early Life and Before Becoming a Bahá’í[edit]
The Princess Marie of Edinburgh was born in Kent on October 29, 1875. Her father was Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, the second son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Her mother was Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna of Russia, the only surviving daughter of Tsar Alexander of Russia and his German consort Marie. Regarded as a beauty in her youth she was seen as a good match for marriage to European royals. As a very young teenager her cousin Prince George of the United Kingdom, future King George V, fell in love with her and proposed marriage. Marie was forced to refuse and instead was married to Ferdinand of Romania at the age of eighteen. Although the couple had six children, they had a unhappy and difficult marriage.
Marie proved to be a good and loving Queen for the Romanian public. Her husband ascended the throne in 1914. After her husband's death in 1927 her eldest son Carol was made King. Whilst in Romania, Marie was paid a visit by Bahá’í teacher Martha Root. Following this visit, and after reading some Bahá’í literature, Marie accepted the Faith.
