Magda Lupescu

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Magda Lupescu
Magda Lupescu, Rumunii Karola II.jpg
Magda Lupescu and Carol II of Romania
Born 15 September 1895
Died 29 June 1977 (aged 81)
Spouse Ion Tmpeanu
(m. 1919; div. c.?1923)
Carol II of Romania
(m. 1947; d. 1953)
House Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
(by marriage)
Father Nicolae Lupescu
Mother Elise Falk
Religion Roman Catholic
Elena Lupescu (15 September 1895[1] in Iai (Jassy), Kingdom of Romania 29 June
1977 in Estoril, Portugal)[2] better known as Magda Lupescu, was the mistress of
King Carol II of Romania and married him after his abdication.

Contents [hide]
1 Early life and family
1.1 Speculations about origins
2 Royal mistress
3 In exile
4 Notes
5 References
6 External links
Early life and family[edit]
Precise details of Lupescu's life are often difficult to ascertain. This is due
partly to the circumstances of the time and place, partly to unintentional mistakes
and typographical errors, and partly to outright fabrications and obfuscations by
her friends and enemies, and by herself.

Elena Lupescu was the daughter of Elise (or Eliza)[3] and Nicolae Lupescu, an
apothecary. Her mother, ne Falk, was an Austrian-born Jew who converted to the
Roman Catholic Church prior to her marriage. Most sources agree that Nicolae
Lupescu was born Jewish and adopted his name upon conversion to Orthodox
Christianity, the established religion in Romania. There are three different
versions as to his surname prior to conversionit may have been Grnberg (variant
spellings Grunsberg, Grmberg, etc.); or it may have been Wolff (variant
spelling Wolf); or it may have been originally Grnberg and it was later changed
to Wolff. The latter version is the most common, but, on balance, the first is the
most probable.[4] The origin of her nickname Magda, by which she was later known,
is obscure. According to Elena Lupescu herself, it was originally a mistake of an
Italian journalist;[5] but according to an alternative version, Magda was, at the
time, Bucharest slang for reformed prostitute.[6]

She had a younger brother, Constantin Schloim Lupescu.[7]

Lupescu was raised from birth as a Catholic. She was educated at the Diaconesele,
a Bucharest boarding school run by Bavarian nuns of the Institute of Mary from
Nymphenburg,[8] and one of the best schools for girls in the country.

According to Arthur Quinlan, at some point during Lupescu's childhood, her family
moved to Sulina, a port on the Danube, where Nicolae Lupescu opened an apothecary.
In 1912 they moved back to Ia?i, and her father started a novelty shop. There is no
information about Lupescus life during Romanias participation in World War I
(19161918), when much of the country, including Bucharest, was occupied by the
Central Powers and a temporary capital was established at Ia?i.

On 17 February 1919, in Iai, Lupescu married Ion Tmpeanu, an officer[9] of the

Romanian Royal Army. There are few details of their life together; according to
Quinlan, Elena did not adapt well to garrison life and had several affairs. The
marriage ended in divorce, but it is not clear when; Quinlan places it in 1920.
According to Easterman, she was still married to Tmpeanu in 1923, when she first
encountered Carol. After the divorce, Elena resumed her maiden name, Lupescu.

Speculations about origins[edit]

Some (e.g., Easterman, p. 8185), suggest something mysterious about Lupescus
origins and early life; that, indeed, she may have been of royal blood, an
illegitimate daughter of King Carol I, and thus a cousin of Carol II. There are
three main arguments: that Romanian law at the time barred Jews from owning
apothecaries, and hence there was something unusual about Elenas father owning
one; that it was unusual for a girl of Lupescus parentage to be accepted at one of
the best schools in Bucharest; and that it was highly unusual for a Romanian army
officer to be allowed to marry someone of Jewish background.

There is little merit to any of these arguments. As far as Romanian law of the time
went, Nicolae Lupescu ceased being a Jew upon his conversionthere was nothing
preventing him from owning an apothecary. But even before his conversion, the law
could have been easily circumvented in a country as rife with corruption as
Romania, especially in Ia?i, where Jews were close to half of the citys
population.

As to Lupescus education, she was a German-speaking Catholic daughter of a

Catholic mother, that is, the very student who would have been most readily
admitted at a school run by German nuns. But even her being Jewish would not have
necessarily constituted a major obstacle. For instance, between 1890 and 1916, Jews
constituted, on average, 7% of the student body of the Lyce Gheorghe Lazr of
Bucharest, a boys school described as the school of the Romanian lite.[10]

Finally, her marriage to an army officer would not have been problematic, because
neither she nor her parents were legally Jewish, and most Romanians would not have
regarded her as such. That came later, during the Big Economic Crisis, when the
character of Romanian anti-Semitism gradually changed and her parents Jewish
origins were stressed for political reasons.

Royal mistress[edit]
The circumstances of the first encounter between Lupescu and Crown Prince Carol
(later King Carol II of Romania) are obscure. According to Paul-Philippe
Hohenzollern, who cites Carols diaries, they first met in March 1923,[11] when she
was still married to Tmpeanu. It may have been a chance encounter at a car race,
[12] or it may have been arranged, at Elenas request, by a photographer named
Posmantir[13] employed by Funda?ia Carol I, a charitable organisation founded by
Carols grand-uncle.[14] A second meeting may have been arranged by one of Carols
friends, Tutu, a Romanian Navy Captain.[15] At any rate, two years later, in
February 1925,[16] Carol and Lupescu began a serious relationship, which endured
until his death in 1953.
Lupescu was a witty and outspoken woman; a tall, perhaps fleshy, redhead with
milky-white skin and green eyes.[17] Other sources are less flattering, describing
her features as coarse and her conversation as vulgar.[18] All sources agree that
she walked with a peculiar swing of the hips, which, depending on ones point of
view, was either sexy or crude, and that she was, in almost every respect, the
opposite of Crown Princess Helen, Carols spouse at the time.

Carol made no effort to hide the relationship; on the contrary, he flaunted it, and
it was that, rather than his marital infidelity or Elena Lupescus character or
background which caused the ensuing scandal. The scandal was aggravated by Carols
earlier behavior (during the war he had contracted a morganatic marriage to Ioana
Zizi Lambrino, although Romanias Constitution forbade Crown Princes to marry
Romanian citizens), as well as by the enmity between Carol and the very powerful
Brtianu clan. It was supporters of the latter who fostered the first anti-Semitic
attacks against Elena Lupescu.[19] But, initially, knowledge of the royal scandal
was restricted to the Bucharest lite and to the foreign press; the Romanian press
was prevented by censorship from reporting it.

Matters came to a head in December 1925, when Carol, having represented the
Romanian royal family at the funeral of Queen Alexandra, eventually ended up in
Milan in company of Elena Lupescu, making the front page of almost every Italian
newspaper.

Carol was aware that, as Crown Prince, his marrying Lupescu, or, as he called her,
Duduia[20] was, on constitutional as well as social grounds, out of the question.
He renounced his rights to the succession to the Romanian throne, as well as his
membership in the royal family (he had done so once before, in connection to his
first marriage, but that renunciation had been later rescinded), and adopted the
name of Carol Caraiman. The renunciation was ratified by Parliament on 4 January
1926, and four-year-old Michael, Carols son with Crown Princess Helen, became heir
apparent; Carol was banned from returning to Romania. Helen, by that time Queen
Mother, divorced Carol in 1928.

King Ferdinand, Carols father, died in 1927; Michael succeeded to the throne and a
regency headed by Prince Nicholas, Carols younger brother, came into being. The
regency proved unstable, and the political instability increased when Ion I. C.
Brtianu, head of the Brtianu clan and leader of the National-Liberal party, died
unexpectedly. His younger brothers lacked both his strength of character and his
political acumen, and their hold on power weakened. In late 1928 the Liberal
government was replaced by a coalition headed by Iuliu Maniu; Carols return seemed
now to be only a matter of time. Negotiations were carried out through various
intermediaries, while Carols supporters, including Prince Nicholas and a number of
Army officers, tried to pressure the government into speeding his return. Although
no written evidence exists, it is likely that eventually Carol made two promises to
Maniu: that he would join the regency, rather than lay claim to the throne, and
that he would give up Elena Lupescu.[21] He intended to keep neither.

Carol returned unopposed to Romania on 7 June 1930, and immediately mounted what
was essentially a constitutional coup. His renunciation was declared invalid by
Parliament with an overwhelming majority, and he was proclaimed king in short order
on 8 June. When he brought Lupescu back is not clear; it may have been as early as
the end of June, or it may have been August, but she was definitely in Bucharest by
October.[22] From then on, she was, in all but name, Carols wife and his partner
in his political enterprises.

During the reign of King Carol II (19301940), corruption and political intrigue in
Romania rose to unprecedented heights. Carol and Magda weathered economic crisis,
labour unrest, the rise of Fascism, assassination attempts and military plots, to
become the master manipulators of Romanian politics.[23] Those Carol could not
bribe, he forced into retirement (Maniu) or imprisoned (Ion Antonescu); those he
could not bend to his will, he suppressed ruthlessly (the Legion of the Archangel
Michael); and, in the process, the couple accumulated an impressive fortune.

Lupescu is sometimes described as the power behind the throne, especially by those
close to the extreme right.[24] Lupescu undoubtedly enjoyed a great deal of
influence of the king, but Carol's actions were entirely consistent with his
behaviour prior to meeting Elena Lupescu. Moreover, the speed with which, upon his
return, when she was still abroad, he outmanoeuvred any opposition to his plans is
ample demonstration of his political abilities. Their relationship is perhaps best
viewed as a partnership, with Elena the junior, but very influential, partner.

Lupescu did not enjoy official status and until 1938 did not accompany the king on
state functions. However, she entertained at her Aleea Vulpache[25] villa in
downtown Bucharest the cream of Romanian high society: politicians, industrialists
(Max Auschnitt, Nicolae Malaxa), press magnates (Pamfil ?eicaru), and blue-blooded
aristocrats (Marthe Bibesco). It was even rumoured at some point (but never proved)
that the leader of the violently anti-Semitic Iron Guard, Corneliu Zelea Codreanu,
might have been hiding there from the police.[26]

In 1938, Carol put an end to parliamentary democracy[27] and proclaimed himself a

dictator. But international developments were beyond his control. By the summer of
1940, France had fallen and the Versailles system had collapsed, leaving Romania
friendless and almost completely surrounded by enemies. In quick succession,
without firing a shot in her own defence, Romania was forced to make painful
territorial concessions to the USSR, to Hungary, and to Bulgaria. Whether any
government could have survived such a catastrophe is doubtful; but to survive both
it and Hitlers personal enmity was impossible.

By early September, Carol was out of options. He was forced to abdicate in favour
of his son Michael (6 September); General Antonescu assumed dictatorial powers with
the support of the Army and most political parties. A few days later, Carol, Magda,
their faithful aide, Ernest Urdreanu, and as many belongings as they could pack in
a hurry, left Romania aboard a special train. They crossed the border in a hail of
bullets: the Legionnaires were trying to revenge their leader, assassinated on
Carols orders.

In exile[edit]
They travelled to Spain, then to Portugal, and eventually they settled in Mexico
City. When Romania joined the war on Hitlers side, Carol explored the possibility
of setting up a Romanian government in exile; but his proposals were rebuffed by
both the British and the Americans.[28] In 1944 he contacted the Soviets with a
similar purpose,[29] but Stalin never answered and developments in Romania made
Carols proposal moot.

Lupescu did not tolerate well Mexico Citys high altitude, so in 1944 they moved to
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. But her health did not improve; by early 1947 her condition
was diagnosed as pernicious anaemia. After 22 years together, Carol and Elena
Lupescu were finally married in a hotel room in Rio de Janeiro, either on 3 June
1947[30] or on 5 July 1947;[31] it was Carols third marriage, and Elenas second.
Henceforward, she would be known as Princess Elena of Romania.[32]

Lupescus health improved,[33] but they were advised to move to a more temperate
climate. Carol and Elena finally settled in Estoril, Portugal. There Carol died
suddenly of a heart attack in 1953. His coffin, draped with the Romanian royal
standard, was placed inside the royal pantheon of the Monastery of Sao Vicente de
Fora in Lisbon. Elena survived him by 24 years, and her coffin was eventually
placed next to his.[34]
In 2003, the coffins of King Carol II and Princess Elena of Romania were brought
back to the country of their birth at the request and expense of the government of
Romania. They were interred in the Curtea de Arge? Monastery complex, the
traditional burial ground of Romanian royalty; but, not being of royal blood, Elena
was buried in the monasterys cemetery, rather than in the Royal Chapel.[35]

Notes[edit]
Jump up ^ Estimates of her birth date range at least from 1895 to 1902:
"At Long Last", Time magazine, 14 July 1947. Online version accessed 21 March 2007:
"In 1947, the ex-king was 53 years old. Magda never told anyone her age, but it was
at least 50."
Magda Lupescu, Encyclopadia Britannica online, accessed arch 21, 2007. Only the
first portion of the article can be accessed without subscription. Says "1896?"
Lupescu, Magda Archived 2007-04-15 at the Wayback Machine., Columbia Encyclopedia,
Sixth Edition, 2001-05. Accessed online 21 21 March 2007. Says "1896?"
Elena Lupescu, ThePeerage.com, states a birthdate of 15 September 1895, for which
they cite Marlene A. Eilers, Queen Victoria's Descendants (Baltimore, Maryland:
Genealogical Publishing Co., 1987). Accessed online 21 March 2007.
"The Lupescu Issue Echoes in the Realm of King Carol", The New York Times, 6 May
1934, p. XX5: Her age is between 35 and 40.
"Magda Lupescu, Woman behind Rumanias Throne, Is Dead at 81", The New York Times,
30 June 1977, p. 73
"Magda Lupescu Dies at 81; Mistress, Wife of Former King of Romania", The
Washington Post, 1 July 1977, p. C10
"Attacks Are Renewed on Red-Haired Magda", The Washington Post, 25 December 1934,
p. 3 refers to "his 36-year-old friend".
"Carol Marries Lupescu, Ill", The Washington Post, 6 July 1947, p. M1: Magda, who
is 50
(in Romanian) Carol al II-lea, despartit dupa moarte de Duduie, Jurnalul Na?ional,
16 February 2004, accessed online 21 March 2007, gives the date 2 September 1899.
"Slight Gain Shown by Magda Lupescu", The New York Times, 8 July 1947, p. 12: On
the [marriage] petition Mme. Lupescu gave her year of birth as 1902
Jump up ^ Profile of Elena Lupescu
Jump up ^ Many sources give her name as Elizei. That is an misunderstanding,
caused probably by an original author who did not speak Romanian. In Romanian,
Elizei is the genitive case of Eliza; thus, the phrase Elizas daughter is in
Romanian fiica Elizei
Jump up ^ It is unclear why Elena Lupescus father should have changed his name
from Grnberg to Wolff. It appears more likely that the name Wolff, which is
the approximate German or Yiddish equivalent of Lupescu, was an invention of Elena
Lupescus detractors.
Jump up ^ Easterman, p. 75
Jump up ^ St. John, p. 114
Jump up ^ Quakes and Carol - TIME
Jump up ^ See Congregatio Jesu Romnia for a short history of the Institute of Mary
(Institutul Sfnta Maria) in Romania, and Institute of Mary for an overview of this
Catholic institution.
Jump up ^ His rank is variously described as Lieutenant, Captain, or Major; the
first is the most likely version.
Jump up ^ Livezeanu, pp. 197198
Jump up ^ p. 86
Jump up ^ Cosma, pp. 5051
Jump up ^ Variant spellings Postmantir, Posmartir.
Jump up ^ Easterman
Jump up ^ Cosma, pp. 5152
Jump up ^ Paul of Hohenzollern-Romania, p. 86
Jump up ^ Quinlan
Jump up ^ Pakula, p. 326; Cosma, p. 50
Jump up ^ Paul of Hohenzollern-Romania, p. 88
Jump up ^ An approximate English equivalent would be the Mrs.
Jump up ^ Paul of Hohenzollern-Romania, p. 148
Jump up ^ Paul of Hohenzollern-Romania, p. 153 Lupescu's return led to the
resignation of the Prime Minister, Iuliu Maniu. It has been argued that her return
was a mere pretext, the resignation being caused by Maniu's authoritarian
ambitions. However, Maniu's reputation for personal probity and strict morality was
unparalleled among Romanian politicians of the day.
Jump up ^ Carol's task was facilitated by the fact that, constitutionally as well
as by tradition, Romanian monarchs were more closely involved in political life
than their Western counterparts.
Jump up ^ Ernest Urdreanu was supposed to have said, I control the king, because
I control Mrs. Lupescu. The statement is likely apocryphal, and there is no
evidence that Urdreanu exercised anything other than the control every able and
loyal secretary exercises over his employer.
Jump up ^ Today Strada Ankara (Ankara Street).
Jump up ^ It was also said that Lupescu had established her own intelligence
service (e.g., Cosma, p. 161), but that is probably a wild exaggeration. The same
was said about virtually every prominent Romanian politician. For instance, Iuliu
Maniu's private spy service was supposedly run by none other than Eugen Cristescu,
later (19401944) head of Serviciul Secret de Informa?ii, Romania's Secret
Intelligence Service (Cosma, p. 177).
Jump up ^ Romania's system was closer to a directed or guided democracy than to
Western European constitutional monarchies (Fischer-Gala?i).
Jump up ^ Paul of Hohenzollern-Romania, p. 206214
Jump up ^ Paul of Hohenzollern-Romania, p. 217
Jump up ^ royalsportal.de
Jump up ^ Paul of Hohenzollern-Romania, p. 223
Jump up ^ Paul of Hohenzollern-Romania, p. 223; Cosma, p. 302
Jump up ^ It has been suggested that Lupescu's illness had been feigned to force
Carol into marriage (Cosma, p. 302), but Paul of Hohenzollern-Romania finds this
unlikely and attributes the improvement to a successful medical treatment (p. 223).
Whatever the truth, it seems unlikely that Carol would have married her as long as
he still entertained any hope of returning to the throne.
Jump up ^ Cosma, p. 302
Jump up ^ Carol al II-lea nu mai ncape; Find-A-Grave
References[edit]
Cosma, Neagu. (1998) Culisele Palatului Regal. Edi?ie revzut ?i adugit. Bucure?
ti: Editura Globus. ISBN 973-49-0099-4.
Easterman, A.L.. (1942) King Carol, Hitler, and Lupescu, London: Victor Gollancz
Ltd., especially the chapter Who is Magda Lupescu, p. 6985.
Fischer-Gala?i, Stephen Alexander. (1991) Twentieth Century Rumania. 2nd ed. New
York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-07463-8
Ionescu, ?erban N. (1994) Who Was Who in Twentieth-Century Romania East European
Monographs, No. 395. Boulder, New York: East European Monographs. ISBN 0-88033-292-
1.
Livezeanu, Irina. (1995) Cultural Politics in Greater Romania: Regionalism, Nation
Building, and Ethnic Struggle, 19181930. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. ISBN 0-
8014-8688-2.
Pakula, Hannah. (1984) The Last Romantic: A Biography of Queen Marie of Roumania.
New York: Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0-671-46364-0.
Paul, Prince of Hohenzollern-Roumania. (1988) King Carol II: A Life of My
Grandfather. London: Methuen. ISBN 0-413-16570-1.
Quinlan, Paul D. (1995) The Playboy King: Carol II of Romania, Contributions to the
Study of World History, No. 52. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-
29519-0.
St. John, Robert. (1957) Foreign Correspondent. 1st ed. Garden City, N.Y.:
Doubleday.
External links[edit]
Magda Lupescu at Find a Grave
GENEALOGIES Dethroned Houses Greece Genealogy on royalsportal.de. Accessed 23
Jan 2006.
Congregatio Jesu Romnia Includes a short history of the Institute of Mary in
Romania, in Romanian.
Police Report Bucharest police report on Elena Lupescu and her political influence,
dated 1935/06/29, published by the Bucharest newspaper Ziua on 2003/02/15, in
Romanian. Of questionable authenticity.
Institute of Mary The history of the Institute of Mary, from the Catholic
Encyclopedia.
Carol al II-lea nu mai ncape[permanent dead link] Report on the arrangements to
transfer the remains of Carol II and Elena Lupescu from Portugal to Romania,
published by the newspaper Adevarul on 2003/01/22, in Romanian.
Was Elena Lupescu a beautiful woman? More images for Elena Lupescu, in Romanian.
Authority control
WorldCat Identities VIAF: 28129146 LCCN: n84146022 ISNI: 0000 0000 2653 2364 GND:
128653582
Categories: 1895 births1977 deathsPeople from Ia?iRomanian JewsRoyal
mistressesHouse of Hohenzollern-SigmaringenRomanian Roman CatholicsBurials at
Curtea de Arge CathedralMoldavian JewsBurials at the Monastery of Sao Vicente de
Fora
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