| Event Name: | Funeral of Michael I of Romania |
| Participants: | See |
| Type: | State funeral |
| Time: | 10:25–18:40 EET |
| Duration: | 384 minutes |
| Venue: | Royal Palace of Bucharest (religious service) Royal Palace Square (military and religious service) Romanian Patriarchal Cathedral (Funeral Mass) Curtea de Argeș Cathedral (burial service) Mausoleum of the Royal Family (resting place) |
| Blank2 Label: | Lying in state |
| Blank2 Data: | Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Lausanne (11 December – 12 December) Peles Castle (13 December) Royal Palace of Bucharest (13 December – 16 December) |
On 5 December 2017, Michael I of Romania, former King of Romania from 1927 to 1930 and 1940 to 1947, died at his private residence in Switzerland at the age of 96, in the presence of his youngest daughter Princess Maria.[1] [2] [3]
On 13 December at 11:00 am, King Michael I's coffin, draped by his Royal Standard, was brought back to Romania, arriving at the Otopeni Airport in Bucharest from Lausanne, via Payerne Air Base, escorted by his second daughter, Princess Elena with her husband Alexander Nixon, fourth daughter Princess Sophie and also members of the Royal Household, were transported by the Romanian Air Force's Alenia C-27J Spartan Military Plane, which was flanked by four Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 Military Combat Jets.[4] [5] The coffin was first taken to Peleș Castle at Sinaia in the Carpathian Mountains. Then, it was brought to Bucharest, where it was laid and displayed at the Royal Palace for two days.[6]
Michael was buried on 16 December with full state honours in the Mausoleum of the Royal Family, on the grounds of the Curtea de Argeș Cathedral together his wife, Queen Anne, who died in 2016. The funeral ceremony was led by Patriarch Daniel of Romania.[7] A period of national mourning was declared for 14–16 December.[8]
Important Romanian politicians, including President Klaus Iohannis, Prime Minister Mihai Tudose, former President Ion Iliescu, as well as Liviu Dragnea, Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu, Gabriela Firea, Victor Ponta, Ludovic Orban, Dacian Cioloș, Adrian Năstase, Vasile Dîncu and Victor Ciorbea, participated in the funeral or expressed their condolences.[9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] A delegation of Moldovan politicians, led by Andrian Candu, also attended the funeral.[18] Candu also proposed for 16 December to be declared a day of national mourning in Moldova, but President Igor Dodon refused, arguing that "King Michael led another state", but expressed his condolences.[19]
His body was transferred from Bucharest to Curtea de Argeș with the help of a funeral train, the Royal Train, and a repainted domestic-traffic carriage, being led by a diesel locomotive. His funeral is stated to have been one of the largest in Romania, with almost a million Romanians flocking to the capital to pay their respects and watch the funeral, with it being comparable to the one of Corneliu Coposu in 1995.
A copy of the Steel Crown of Romania was placed on the coffin of the late king during the funeral.[20]
Prince Rashid bin Khalifa Al Khalifa
Princess Astrid, Archduchess of Austria-Este and Prince Lorenz, Archduke of Austria-Este
Princess Muna al-Hussein Princess Rym al-Ali
Princess Isabelle, Princess Philipp of Liechtenstein
The Grand Duke of Luxembourg
King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia of Spain
The King and Queen of Sweden
The Prince of WalesOn 8 December 2017, German conductor conducted a worldwide broadcast memorial concert for Michael with the National Radio Orchestra of Romania and the Academic Radio Choir at Sala Radio at the Romanian Radio Broadcasting Company in Bucharest.[25] Manasi conducted the Requiem by Gabriel Fauré with the soloists Veronica Anușca and Ștefan Ignat and pieces by Beethoven, Chausson and Massenet with the Romanian violinist Alexandru Tomescu as the soloist.[26]