Maria of Yugoslavia

Maria was born on January 6, 1900, at Friedenstein Palace in Gotha, a town in Thuringia, in the German Empire.[2] She was named after her maternal grandmother, Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia, and was known as Mignon in the family to distinguish her from her mother. Her parents were Princess Marie of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and Prince Ferdinand of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. In 1914, after the death of Carol I, they became King and Queen of Romania. She had three brothers and two sisters: King Carol II of Romania; Prince Nicholas of Romania; Princess Elisabeth of Romania and future Queen of Greece; Princess Ileana of Romania and future Archduchess of Austria (Tuscan line); and another brother, Prince Mircea of Romania, who died at age three. Although plump, Maria was a noted beauty in her youth and resembled her sister Elisabeth.

During World War I, she worked as a nurse with her mother, along with her two sisters.

Maria married Alexander I, second King of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, in Belgrade on 8 June 1922, and had three sons:

• King Peter II (1923–1970) ∞ Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark
• Prince Tomislav (1928–2000) ∞ Princess Margarita of Baden ∞ Linda Mary Bonney Van Dyke
• Prince Andrej (1929–1990) ∞ Princess Christina Margarethe of Hesse-Cassel ∞ Princess Kira Melita of Leiningen ∞ Princess Eva Marija Karadjordjevic

Following the assassination of her husband, King Alexander I, in Marseille in 1934, her oldest son, then only 11 became Peter II of Yugoslavia, the last reigning Yugoslav king. She was given the title Queen Mother of Yugoslavia in 1941. She moved to a farm in England and lived a relatively normal life without royal extravagance. Maria was well educated. She spoke several languages fluently and enjoyed painting and sculpting under the guidance of artist Iva Despić-Simonović. She also drove a car by herself, which was very unusual for royalty at the time.[3]

She died in exile in London on 22 June 1961 and was interred at the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore, which adjoins Windsor Castle, before her remains were transferred to Serbia in April 2013 and re-interred on 26 May 2013 in Oplenac, Serbia.[2][4]

Queen Maria was popular and respected by the Serbian public, and is still well thought of in the region. She was regarded as an ideal wife and mother according to the contemporary Serbian ideal and described as a humble person. She was engaged in several social projects. In the eyes of the Serbian people, she remains one of the greatest patrons of charities in Serbia.

Streets are named in her memory, such as "Ulica kraljice Marije" or "Queen Maria Street", and numerous schools and other organizations still carry her name.

• Royal House of Yugoslavia
• The Mausoleum of the Serbian Royal Family