Magda Lupescu

Magda Lupescu
Magda Lupescu and Carol II of Romania
Born	(1895-09-15)15 September 1895
Died	29 June 1977(1977-06-29) (aged 81)
Spouse	Ion Tâmpeanu (m. 1919; div. c. 1923) Carol II of Romania (m. 1947–1953; his death)
House	House of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (by marriage)
Father	Nicolae Lupescu
Mother	Elise Falk
Religion	Roman Catholic

Elena Lupescu (15 September 1895 (?) in Iaşi (Jassy), Romania – 29 June 1977), better known as Magda Lupescu, was the mistress of King Carol II of Romania and later, after his abdication, his wife.

Precise details of Lupescu's life are often difficult to ascertain. This is due partly to the circumstances of the time and place, partly to unintentional mistakes and typographical errors, and partly to outright fabrications and obfuscations by her friends and enemies, and by herself.

Elena Lupescu was the daughter of Elise (or Eliza) and Nicolae Lupescu, an apothecary. Her mother, née Falk, was an Austrian-born Jew who converted to the Roman Catholic Church prior to her marriage. Most sources agree that Nicolae Lupescu was born Jewish and adopted his name upon conversion to Orthodox Christianity, the established religion in Romania. There are three different versions as to his surname prior to conversion—it may have been Grünberg (variant spellings “Grunsberg”, “Grümberg”, etc.); or it may have been Wolff (variant spelling “Wolf”); or it may have been originally Grünberg and it was later changed to Wolff. The latter version is the most common, but, on balance, the first is the most probable. The nickname “Magda” by which she was later known is obscure. According to Elena Lupescu herself, it was originally a mistake of an Italian journalist; but according to an alternative version, “Magda” was, at the time, Bucharest slang for “reformed prostitute”.

She had a younger brother, Constantin Schloim Lupescu.

Lupescu was raised from birth as a Catholic. She was educated at the “Diaconesele”, a Bucharest boarding school run by Bavarian nuns of the Institute of Mary from Nymphenburg, and one of the best school for girls in the country.

According to Arthur Quinlan, at some point during Lupescu's childhood, her family moved to Sulina, a port on the Danube, where Nicolae Lupescu opened an apothecary. In 1912 they moved back to Iași, and her father started a novelty shop. There is no information about Lupescu’s life during Romania’s participation in World War I (1916–1918), when much of the country, including Bucharest, was occupied by the Central Powers and a temporary capital was established at Iași.