Michael I, former King of Romania passes away

Michael I (96), the former King of Romania, has passed away in Aubonne, Switzerland on December 5, 2017. He ruled Romania twice – first in the 1920s, when he was just five years old and then again from 1940 to 1947. He was one of the last people alive to have served as a head of state during World War Two. King Michael was known for ousting fascist ruler Antonescu and ending his country’s alliance with the Nazis in 1944, switching sides to the Allies. However, in 1947 he was forced to abdicate by the country’s communists, who ruled until the revolution of 1989. He went into exile until the 1990s when he returned to Romania after the fall of the country’s communist leader, Nicolae Ceaucescu. After being diagnosed with cancer in 2016, he retired from public life.