Maria von Hohenzollern was the second of six children of Romanian King Ferdinand. She was born in 1900 in the German city of Gotha, and spent her childhood at a Romanian court. Mary's maternal great-grandmother was Britain's Queen Victoria.
She was nicknamed Mignon early on - some say because she was as cute as a minion, and some claim that they called her that after the opera that her mother watched just before she gave birth to her. Little Mignon grew into one of the most beautiful princesses in Europe, adorned with a rich education. She was educated at the most prestigious institutions, and in addition to Romanian, she spoke fluent English, German and French.
When the horrors of the First World War slowly began to fade and when the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes was created, Aleksandar Karađorđević was already 34 years old and since 1921 he has been a king, but without a queen. That is why the matter of his marriage soon became not only a personal matter of the young monarch, but also a serious state issue. Since the monarch's wedding is never just his personal matter, the political leadership of the newly created state also joined the choice of a wife for the Yugoslav king. The main question was whether the queen should be "from the people" or it is better to choose a princess or a princess from European courts. As in the Karadjordjevic dynasty, the custom of marrying Serbian women prevailed until then, it was concluded that it would be good for King Alexander to choose a "foreigner" and thus at the same time "ennoble the dynasty" and raise the international reputation of the kingdom.
In addition to beauty, she was a very educated lady - she was educated in the most prestigious schools, and in addition to Romanian, she spoke fluent English, German and French. She soon spoke Serbian. She married the Yugoslav "unifier" king - Aleksandar Karadjordjevic. They say that the popularity of the people began to gain even before the wedding, when from the balcony of the Old Palace, after she came to her new homeland for the first time, she greeted the gathered, saying: "I thank you from the bottom of my heart!" Queen Mary and King Alexander soon became role models for all European royal couples. They lived in harmony and seclusion, and the marriage was crowned by three sons - Peter, Tomislav and Andrej. It didn't take long for Queen Marija to buy the hearts of the ladies of Belgrade with her elegance and sophistication. But even more than that ... she was loved by ordinary women, citizens as well as villagers, and she gave them back by opening schools, hospitals, kindergartens and donating money to charities.
Many countries sent their envoys to the royal wedding in Belgrade. Representatives were sent even by Persia, and even distant Japan, and a guest from Austria arrived, with whom Serbia was at war until four years ago. 24 hours before the wedding, more than 20,000 people arrived in Belgrade!
Queen Mary and King Alexander soon became role models for all European royal couples. They lived in harmony and seclusion, and the marriage was crowned by three sons - Peter, Tomislav and Andrej. One October day in 1934, when King Alexander was assassinated in Marseilles. The queen endured her pain with dignity and silence, becoming a widow with three sons at the age of 34, of whom the eldest had 11 and was to become king.
She wore black for two years, completely turning to her sons' education and charity work during that time. In the years that followed, she took care of the Red Cross Society, signed the Charter of the Rights of the Child and donated to dozens of humanitarian organizations. Queen Marija helped build the Children's Clinic in Tirsova Street and the Institute of Oncology with personal funds. Another event that did not irreversibly change the life of the "people's queen" was the beginning of the Second World War and the departure from Yugoslavia.
By that time, Queen Mary's life had already changed radically. She lived with her sons Tomislav and Andrej in a small country house on the "Old Mill" estate near London. When it became certain that they would never return to Yugoslavia when the new government took away all their privileges and property, the family retired to the property in Kent.
She was beautiful for those time.Sad,she can not be with love of her life.Today I many times heard about cruiser named by Queen Mary.