Princess Ileana of Romania was born on January 5, 1909, an event celebrated with twenty-one cannon salutes. Queen Marie affectionately described her as “without a doubt, the one who completed me,” considering her her favorite child. Rumors circulated that Ileana was the daughter of Barbu Știrbey, a close confidant of the royal family, but no evidence from correspondence supports this claim. 

The childhood of a big hearted princess

In reality, Prince Știrbey treated Ileana just like the other children of King Ferdinand and Queen Marie. A story from her childhood tells how her sister, Princess Elisabeth, once called her to the window, saying, “Come quickly, to see your father,” as Știrbey arrived at the palace to meet the king — a teasing remark that reflected the gossip of the time.

Ileana’s childhood was marked by both joy and sorrow. The First World War cast its shadow over her early years, and she later endured the heartbreak of losing her younger brother, Prince Mircea, whom she called “the great love of my heart.”

 During the war, Ileana and Queen Marie took refuge in Iași, where the young princess, despite being only ten years old, helped care for wounded soldiers. Among those she met during that time was a young officer, Ion Antonescu, who would later become the leader of Romania. 

Serving then under Marshal Prezan, Antonescu became a close and lasting friend. When Ileana later studied in England, he visited her often in his role as military attaché at the Romanian Legation in London.

“ He was a man of integrity and great seriousness,” Ileana would later recall. “I always felt I would be deeply ashamed if my friend Antonescu found out I had done something wrong.” In her youth, she was also very close to her brother, Prince Carol, who would later become King Carol II. She fondly remembered his affection for children and his tenderness toward her. In 1925, Carol left Romania, but the siblings continued to exchange letters. When he returned five years later, Ileana was overjoyed.

Love, marriage, and a new beginning

During a stay in Spain, Princess Ileana met Archduke Anton of Habsburg, whom she would later marry. Their paths crossed again in 1931, largely thanks to King Carol II’s involvement. Their wedding, a grand event attended by prominent personalities from across Europe and even beyond the Atlantic, took place at Pelișor Castle, with the religious ceremony held at nearby Peleș Castle.

In 1934, the couple purchased Sonnberg Castle, located about 50 kilometers from Vienna. Though in poor condition at the time, they restored it to serve as their family residence. Over the next decade, the family grew, welcoming three children: Dominic, Maria Magdalena, and Elisabeth.

In 1944, following Hitler’s decision to remove all former aristocrats from the German army, Archduke Anton returned to Romania. The family’s life was soon thrown into turmoil when he and other members of the Habsburg family were placed under house arrest at Bran Castle, forbidden to leave the premises.

Courage in dark times

As the communist regime took control of Romania, Princess Ileana became involved in small acts of resistance. She used Bran Castle as a refuge for those at risk of arrest and persecution. In the harsh winter of 1945, she began advocating for political prisoners, pressing government officials to respect their rights — an act of bravery that could have cost her freedom or even her life.

That same year, she met Emil Bodnăraș, an influential member of the Communist Party, who visited Bran with General Vasiliu Rășcanu. Ileana passionately presented her plan to expand the local hospital, and her sincerity impressed Bodnăraș so deeply that he promised to help her when his party came to power — a promise he would later honor.

The first time she sought his help was when the chief surgeon at the Brașov hospital was arrested. Upon receiving her letter, Bodnăraș intervened immediately to secure his release.

 Later, as the trials of war criminals began, Ileana met Bodnăraș in secret, at night, to plead with him not to begin the new regime with bloodshed. Thanks to her persuasion, several death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment.

Bodnăraș introduced her to leading communist figures — including Petru Groza, Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej, Ion Maurer, Teohari Georgescu, and Ana Pauker — in an attempt to protect her. But soon after, the political climate shifted, and Ileana realized her position was no longer tenable.

The pain of exile

When the time came to leave Romania, Ileana’s heart broke. She bid farewell to her hospital, her friends, and the people who had stood by her through war and hardship. Crowds gathered to see her off, and she handed out fir branches, symbols of eternal love, life, and faith. 

As her group’s carriage got stuck in the snow, local villagers rushed to help them continue their journey. When Ileana offered them money, one of them refused, saying, “No, Princess. We cannot take your money today. Did you not answer our calls, day or night? No one ever came to your door without being received. We only did you a small kindness, though it is so sad, even the earth does not want to let you go. But we have one request: will you kneel with us to pray for the King, for our country, and for your safe return?”

It was one of the most emotional moments of her life — a farewell filled with love, loyalty, and sorrow. Ileana left for Switzerland with her family, where she was reunited with King Michael. From there, they traveled to Argentina, where she established a home for Romanian refugees.

In 1950, she moved to the United States, settling in Boston. Over the following decade, she traveled extensively throughout America, meeting members of the Romanian diaspora and advocating for those displaced by war and communism.

From princess to nun

Exile took its toll on her personal life as well. In 1954, she divorced Archduke Anton and later married Dr. Ștefan Isărescu. The marriage, however, did not last — they divorced in 1961. That same year, she made a life-changing decision: to take religious vows and dedicate herself entirely to faith.

She entered an Orthodox monastery in France, leaving behind her royal past and taking the name Mother Alexandra. After six years of monastic life in Europe, she returned to the United States in 1967, where she founded the Orthodox Monastery of the Transfiguration in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania — a spiritual home for Orthodox nuns and a symbol of her enduring devotion.

The return home and the end of a journey

After more than four decades in exile, Mother Alexandra finally returned to her homeland in September 1990. She visited several convents and the royal burial grounds at Curtea de Argeș, paying homage to her parents, King Ferdinand and Queen Marie. Her return was emotional and deeply symbolic — a reconciliation with the past and a gesture of love toward the country she had never stopped serving.

Tragically, in January 1991, on the eve of her eighty-second birthday, she fractured her pelvis in an accident. Complications followed, and she passed away shortly afterward, on January 21, 1991. Mother Alexandra, formerly Princess Ileana of Romania, was laid to rest at the Orthodox Monastery of the Transfiguration in Pennsylvania, the very monastery she had founded.

She was the last surviving child of King Ferdinand and Queen Marie, a princess whose beauty, courage, and faith transcended the trials of history. From the grandeur of royal palaces to the simplicity of monastic life, her journey remains one of the most remarkable and moving stories in Romanian history, a life defined by sacrifice, compassion, and unwavering devotion to her people.

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