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“King Michael’s speech delivers a historic message on the Romanians that we ought to be,” headlines Jurnalul Naţonal, in the wake of the former king’s address to the Romanian parliament on the occasion of his 90th birthday. Most of the country’s press was expecting a critique of the current government and a call for more ethics, however, King Michel, who has been exiled in Switzerland since the communists demanded his abdication in 1947 chose Romanian identity for his theme: “After liberty and democracy, the most valuable things we can gain are identity and dignity.”
President Traian Băsescu did not honour the assembly with his presence. In June of this year, he referred to the king’s abdication “not as an act of patriotism, but as a betrayal of Romania’s national interest.” King Michael made no comment in response to the remark, which was widely criticised in the press.
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