The body of Queen Anne, the wife of Romania’s former King Michael I, was brought to Romania on Tuesday afternoon, with a Tarom aircraft. The plane landed at the Otopeni airport at around 15:15.

After a military and religious ceremony at the airport, attended by Crown Princess Margareta, Prince Radu, Princess Elena, Alexander Nixon, Princess Sofia, Elisabeta Maria Biarneix, the coffin was taken to the Peles Castle in Sinaia mountain resort by car.

The coffin was placed in the Castle’s Hall of Honor after another ceremony. It will remain there until Wednesday, 18:30. After that, Queen Anne’s body will be taken to the Royal Palace in Bucharest.

President Klaus Iohannis went to the Peles Castle on Wednesday morning, to present condolences to the Royal Family. He laid a wreath, lit a candle and wrote a message in the condolence book. The Prime Minister is also expected to arrive at the Castle in the afternoon.

King Michael wasn’t present at the ceremonies and will not attend the funeral scheduled for August 13, at the doctors’ recommendation. The King was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year and operated in a clinic in Lausanne. He will stay at the residence in Switzerland during the funerals, with friends, relatives, employees, and two Orthodox nuns, according to a statement from the Royal House.

Queen Anne died on August 1 in Switzerland and will be buried at Curtea de Arges in Romania on August 13. A day of mourning has been proclaimed in both Romania and neighboring Moldova.

The official program of the funerals here.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Romaniaregala.ro; Photo credit: Daniel Angelescu)