"I am really the rightful crown prince," the man known to his friends as Prince Paul tells Miles Johnson of the Financial Times. It's near the end of a rollicking, made-for-the movies tale of Paul's attempt to reclaim what he views as his rightful place in the Romanian monarchy, which is technically defunct. In Paul's view, he's Prince Paul Philippe al Romaniei. But to "his enemies, he is simply Paul Lambrino, a fantasist who, even after everything that happened, claims heirship to a nonexistent throne," writes Johnson. It requires a lot of unpacking to understand the difference between those two extremes. But one thing not in dispute is that Paul, now in his late 70s, is indeed the grandson of former Romanian King Carol II, who fled the country ahead of Hitler in 1940.
Carol II was a young playboy and heir to the throne when he wed a woman who gave birth to Paul's father. The marriage was quickly annulled by the royal family. But Paul, who was born in France, has spent his life working to reclaim what he views as his rightful place in royalty—and his claim to a potentially vast inheritance. In the course of doing so, he began working with a shady cast of international characters to regain control of properties in Romania, only to wind up charged with money laundering and bribery. However, Paul has successfully avoided extradition to Romania to face punishment there. One potential silver lining for the "fugitive prince": Paul may be able to reclaim ownership of royal paintings spirited out of the country in the 1940s—and thus "may finally receive some small piece of his inheritance." (Read the full story.)
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