Princess Ileana of Romania
| Princess Ileana | |
|---|---|
| Princess of Romania | |
 |
|
| Born |
5 January 1909 Bucharest, Kingdom of Romania |
| Died | 21 January 1991 (aged 82) Youngstown, Ohio, United States |
| Spouse |
Archduke Anton of Austria (m. 1931 - div. 1954) Dr. Stefan Nikolas Issarescu (m. 1954 - div. 1965) |
| Issue |
Archduke Stefan Archduchess Maria Ileana Archduchess Alexandra Archduke Dominic Archduchess Maria Magdalena Archduchess Elisabeth |
| House | Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen |
| Father | King Ferdinand I of Romania |
| Mother | Princess Marie of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Edinburgh |
| Religion | Romanian Orthodox |
Princess Ileana of Romania, also known as Mother Alexandra (5 January 1909 – 21 January 1991), was the youngest daughter of King Ferdinand I of Romania and his consort, Queen Marie of Romania. She was a great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria and of Tsar Alexander II. She was born as Her Royal Highness Ileana, Princess of Romania, Princess of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen.
Ileana was born in Bucharest on 5 January 1909, the youngest daughter of Queen Marie of Romania and King Ferdinand I of Romania. Although it was rumored that Ileana's true father was her mother's lover, Prince Barbu Ştirbey, the king admitted paternity. Ileana had four older siblings: Carol, Elisabeth – later Crown Princess of Greece, Princess Maria – later Queen of Yugoslavia – and Nicholas. Her younger brother Mircea was also claimed to be the child of Prince Ştirbey even though the king also claimed to be his father.
Before her marriage, Ileana was the organizer and Chief of the Romanian Girl Guide Movement.
Later, Princess Ileana was involved in Guiding in Austria and served as president of the Austrian Girl Guides from 1935 until Girl Guiding and Scouting were banned in 1938 after the Anschluss.
Ileana was the organizer of the Girl Reserves of the Red Cross, and of the first school of Social Work in Romania.
She was an avid sailor: she earned her navigator's papers, and she owned and sailed the "Isprava" for many years.
In Sinaia on 26 July 1931, Ileana married the Archduke Anton of Austria, Prince of Tuscany. This marriage was encouraged by Ileana's brother, King Carol II, who was jealous of Ileana's popularity in Romania and wanted to get her out of the country. After the wedding, Carol claimed that the Romanian people would never tolerate a Habsburg living on Romanian soil, and on these grounds refused Ileana and Anton permission to live in Romania.
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