King Charles meets Queen Marie.

On Monday 29 September, His Majesty King Charles made a private visit to an exhibition co-curated by Romanian art and architecture specialist Dr Shona Kallestrup for the Romanian Cultural Institute in London in collaboration with the University of St Andrews. Held in the King’s Foundation Garrison Chapel Gallery, Marie of Romania, Artist Queen, celebrates 150 years since Queen Marie’s birth. The exhibition showcases Queen Marie’s watercolours in conversation with the botanical plates of The Transylvania Florilegium, commissioned by His Majesty.

Marking 150 years since the birth of Queen Marie of Romania (1875-1938), the exhibition explores Romania’s remarkable botanical landscape through two collections of flower paintings created by members of the British Royal Family. Romania’s remarkable floral biodiversity, today acutely vulnerable to changing farming practices and other environmental pressures, is a core part of the country’s cultural identity. 

Following her arrival in Romania in 1893, Marie became one of the most charismatic royal consorts of the early twentieth century. A great promoter of Romanian art and culture, she developed a keen interest in the landscape of her country and painted several unusual flower albums, two of which are displayed in reproduction in the exhibition. They offer a glimpse into Marie’s early interest in Romania’s flora, as well as her wider tastes.  

A century later His Majesty, then Prince of Wales, visited Romania for the first time. Deeply interested in its unspoiled hilly landscape and the traditional farming methods that have preserved its extraordinary biodiversity, he invited an international team of botanical artists to create the Transylvania Florilegium. Published in 2017-2019, this follows in the tradition of historical florilegia, which are illustrated books aiding the identification of plants, and recorded the wildflowers of the region. The artists worked under the guidance of botanist Dr John Akeroyd and botanical painter Helen Allen. Both collections communicate Romania’s remarkable floral diversity and demonstrate strong links between British Royalty and Romania.  

The exhibition and the King’s visit have generated significant media interest in both Britain and Romania. There have been several reports on Romanian national TV and a 45-min documentary about the exhibition will be broadcast on Queen Marie’s birthday, 29 October.