The King and I

In December, I interviewed Michael I, King of the Romanians, at his palace in Bucharest. It was a fascinating evening. He is a very gentle soul.

The Romanian photographer I was working with took these pictures of the king and I. Here, he is standing beside a portrait of himself in his air force uniform around the time that he first met Hitler. He was forced into an alliance with the Germans by the fascist dictator, Antonescu, who actually ran Romania in those days.

He eventually betrayed Hitler, arrested Antonescu and joined the Allies, but Churchill traded Romania for Greece in negotiations with Stalin a few months later. The Soviets eventually forced Michael to abdicate. He told me about a meeting with Stalin's envoy, Andrey Vyshinsky, at the desk where we were sitting. Vyshinsky sat where the king was sitting in this picture and the king sat where I was.

This is the outside of the palace. The Romanian government has given him use of the palace for life, though they have refused to return most of the royal properties.

It was fascinating to talk to someone who had met Hitler, Mussolini and Churchill. He described them very well: Hitler as obsessed and glassy eyed, Mussolini as ebullient and charming, Churchill as haughty.