Michael, at 96, last king of Romania, war hero

BUCHAREST, Romania — Former Romanian King Michael, who was forced to abdicate by the communists in the aftermath of World War II, died yesterday. He was 96.

King Michael, who played a pivotal role in Romania’s switch to the Allied cause after a coup in 1944, spent decades in exile working as a chicken farmer and aircraft pilot. He got his citizenship back in 1997, eight years after the collapse of communism.

His death leaves only two people alive who headed their nations during the war — former King Simeon II of Bulgaria, and the Dalai Lama of Tibet, both of whom were children at the time.

In a statement, the Romanian royal house said Michael died in his residence in Aubonne, Switzerland. He had been suffering from leukemia and another type of cancer and last year withdrew from public life, handing over his responsibilities to his oldest daughter.

President Klaus Iohannis declared “days of mourning,” saying Michael “wrote the history of Romania.”

British Ambassador Paul Brummell said in Romanian that Michael “fought against communism; he fought against fascism.”

Michael’s body will be flown to Romania next week and will lie in state for two days at the Royal Palace in Bucharest.

His eldest daughter Princess Margareta, who succeeds her father as head of the royal house, vowed to “serve the fundamental interests of the Romanian people with the same principles and sentiments as my father.”

Alluding to what many consider a tragic destiny, she said: “for our tomorrow, he sacrificed his today.”

His reign is best-remembered for his coup on Aug. 23, 1944, against pro-Nazi leader Marshal Ion Antonescu, which took Romania into the war on the side of the Allies. For this, he was awarded Chief Commander of the Legion of Merit by U.S. President Harry S. Truman and was decorated with the Soviet Order of Victory.