We celebrate HM King Michael of Romania's 95 birthday by exploring the beloved monarch's extraordinary life and achievements, as well as the rich historical connections between the Romanian and British Royal Dynasties in the company of film-maker John Florescu, Reverend Professor Peter Galloway, historian Matthew Hughes, architecture professorAugustin Ioan, and historian Filip Iorga.
Don't miss the eye-opening 'King's War' (2016, producer/writer Trevor Poots, executive producer John M. Florescu), a documentary following the young king's heroic, and eventually frustrated, attempts to save his country from the Soviet Union's deadly embrace, and the exhibition 'Architecture and Royalty', examining the most beautiful buildings erected in Romania at the instigation and support of the Romanian Royal Family.
John Florescu is the producer of the film 'King's War' and the author of several interviews with HM King Michael I of Romania.
Reverend Peter Galloway OBE was appointed Chaplain of The Queen's Chapel of the Savoy in 2008. Reverend Galloway read history at Goldsmiths College, London, and did postgraduate research at King's College, where he was awarded a PhD in 1987. He is currently working on a revised edition of his book on the Order of the British Empire, published in 1996.
Matthew Hughes studied History at the School of Oriental and African Studies and International Relations. He completed his PhD in 1995 in the Department of War Studies at King's College London. Among other publications, he is the author of 'Allenby in Palestine: The Middle East correspondence of Field Marshal Viscount Allenby' (2004), 'Allenby and British strategy in the Middle East, 1917-1919' (1999) and 'Fanaticism and Conflict in the Modern Age' (2005, with G. Johnson). Professor Hughes currently teaches history and politics at the Brunel University in London.
Augustin Ioan is professor of architecture at the Ion Mincu University of Architecture and Urbanism and the author of numerous articles and essays. His latest project, 'Architecture and Royalty', is developed together with historians Răzvan Teodorescu, member of the Romanian Academy, and Marius Marcu Lapadat. Professor Ioan is the author of 'Architecture and Power' (1992), 'Politics of Modernization in Central and Eastern European Architecture' (1999), and 'Return into the Sacred Space' (2004).
Filip Iorga is a Romanian historian who has authored several studies on the Royal House of Romania. His publications include 'Chosen Ancestors: A journey into the genealogic imaginary of Romanian aristocracy' (2013) and 'Royal Childhood' (2014). He was decorated by HM King Michael with the Medal for Loyalty.
Where: Romanian Cultural Institute - 1 Belgrave Square London SW1X 8PH
When: Thursday, 27 October 2016, 7pm. The exhibition 'Architecture and Modernity' can be visited until 10 December, Monday to Friday between 10am-6pm.
Free entrance. Please book your ticket on Eventbrite.
