Update: Prince of Wales ends visit to Romania after tight visiting agenda, touching episodes

Prince Charles have visited the National Theatre of Bucharest (TNB) on Friday, the last day of his visit to Romania, meeting the actors and the theatre’s management and attending a 35-minute mixed theatre performance.

The Prince of Wales also gave a call in the Bucharest’s historical center, admiring Manuc Inn, one of the oldest in Europe and Stavropoleos Church, another iconic building in the Romanian Capital. Prince Charles was interested in how the tourist sights have been preserved in time. While crossing the Franceza street, he asked for further information about the architectural monuments in decay in this area.

His Royal Highness attended a short religious music moment in the Stavropoleos Church, visited a photo exhibition, admired the church’s old art collection and received a book about Oltenia region from priest Iustin Marchis.

The highly reported embrace and the Daily Mail’s ‘Budapest’ blunder

During the stroll in the city’s historical center and while discussing with the initiators of the “Ambulance for Monuments” project, a boy wearing a t-shirt featuring the logo “Volunteer-Ambulance for Monuments” gave His Royal Highness a warm welcome and rushed to embrace him. Reporting the episode, the British Daily Mail newspaper mistook the Romanian Capital Bucharest for Budapest, titling “Prince Charles breaks royal protocol as he embraces young boy in Budapest“.Moving meeting patients with incurable diseases

Prince Charles also visited the Hospice House of Hope headquarters, the foundation established in 1992 to improve the quality of life for persons with incurable diseases, both adults and children. He talked to the adult patients, but also the children that benefit from the services of the daycare centre, sitting with them at the table where they were decorating Easter eggs.

Visiting the paediatrics section of the foundation at the third floor, the Prince met Maria, a girl who offered him Easter eggs decorated by her.

‘If you’re Prince Charles, know that I made these for you. […] They’re not what I expected, but they’re beautiful, I want to give them to you‘, said the girl, pointing to five decorated Easter eggs.

Charles thanked her and the girl replied that she knows “only a few words in English” like ‘milk’ or ‘cow’, but also that she is familiar to counting to twelve. Maria told the Prince of Wales: “By the way, I’m eleven”.

Another boy aged six gave the Prince of Wales an Easter greeting card.

The first centre providing integrated services of palliative in Romania care was opened in 2002 in Brasov, and in 2005 the Hospice services extended to Bucharest, first through mobile teams that used to provide the patients with home care. The current modern centre for palliative care was commissioned in 2014, and two years later the paediatrics section with integrated care services came along.

A social-medical center will be opened near Bucharest at Adunatii Copaceni.

The brooms from the Vizuresti community center

HRH ended his visit to Romania with a visit to Vizuresti village school, a community project including a school, a kindergarten, a community home, a sports pitch and a dispensary. Prince Charles talked to the pupils, to the school staff, made jokes and even spoke French while attending a French class for several minutes. He also received many gifts, including a flower made of corn leaves, a wooden casket, a photo album, while the village mayor offered HRH…three brooms, about which Charles said “they are very useful”, while “brushing up” the mayor’s coat.

Thursday night events

A reception was held on Thursday evening in the honor of the Prince of Wales, on the second day of his official visit to Romania.

The reception took place at the Athenee Palace Hilton in Bucharest and was co-chaired by Paul Brummell and Aura Woodward, the executive director of the Prince of Wales Foundation Romania. The Prince of Wales Foundation’s mission is to preserve Romania’s architectural, cultural and natural heritage and to provide the locals with job opportunities or with advice to open up small businesses.

The Prince of Wales was welcomed at the reception by the Ambassador of the United Kingdom in Bucharest, Paul Brummell, by Aura Woodward, executive director of the Prince of Wales Foundation Romania and by Aykut Korkmaz, CEO, Hilton Hotel.

“The purpose of the visit is to celebrate the very close ties between the United Kingdom and Romania,” said British Ambassador Paul Brummell in the opening of the reception.

Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu, Foreign Affairs Minister Teodor Melescanu, Minister-delegate for European Affairs, Ana Birchall, Romanian Ambassador in London, Dan Mihalache, the chief prosecutor of the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) Laura Codruta Kovesi and Princess Marina Sturdza were among guests.

Also on Thursday evening, Prince Charles had a meeting with Crown Princess Margareta of Romania and other members of the Romanian Royal Family. He was welcomed for tea on Thursday night at Elisabeta Palace by Crown Princess Margareta and Prince Radu.

According to a Royal Family’s press release, the ties with the British Royal Family had been constant for 150 years, based on admiration, affection and respect, both officially and privately.

The Prince of Wales has been present, since 1998, almost every year in Romania.

“The Prince of Wales visited Elisabeta Palace in 2011 and 2016. The Crown Princess and Prince Radu meet every spring with Prince of Wales in Romania,” the press release of the Romanian Royal Family further states.

According to representatives of the Royal House, Prince Charles wanted to see the maple in the Elisabeta palace gardens, planted in 2011.

Crown Princess Margareta is the goddaughter of Prince Philip’s, Duke of Edinburgh.