BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) - Romania’s royal house said Wednesday it has filed a complaint with Swiss police alleging that the estranged grandson of the ailing ex-King Michael I tried to force his way into his grandfather’s home.
The royal house said that Nicholas Medforth-Mills attempted “to violate the home of His Majesty” in Switzerland.
It alleged in a statement that Medforth-Mills “physically and verbally aggressed” three staff members.
Medforth-Mills, 32, accused his relatives of doing their “utmost to stop me seeing my grandfather and discredit my name.”
The royal house announced this week that the former monarch’s health had deteriorated. He is suffering from leukemia and a form of skin cancer.
The 96-year-old Michael was Romania’s last king and is one of the few leaders from the years of World War II still living. He occupied the throne during 1927-1930 and again from 1940 until 1947, when communists forced him to abdicate.
He stripped Medforth-Mills of his royal title in 2015. Stunned Romanians speculated a jealous relative wanted to edge the grandson out of the prestigious family.
The popular Medforth-Mills was third in the line of succession. In real terms, the title means little, as Romania became a republic when Michael abdicated.
The head of the royal house bestows honors and looks after the family’s properties, which include castles.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.