On 4 April 1928, Rupert Gunnis wrote to his parents about the visit of Queen Maria of Romania and princess Ileana. He described their arrival to Cyprus and their escapades:
“Well, the Governor and I proceeded down to Larnaca to meet the Royal party and went on board in the Customs launch. We found the Queen on the bridge with the Princess, the Queen retains very marked traces of her good looks and except for rather scarlet lips, is not made up, she has strange sandy eyebrows and I believe hair of the same colour, but as she never removes her widow’s head-dress it is impossible to say. She has a rather attractive voice and is an excellent mimic, but her mouth and voice both become strangely cruel when she describes someone or something she doesn’t like. Her jewels are magnificent and she is roped in pearls all day long, some of incredible size like cherries, but malformed and not matched. Her diamonds are perfect and one single one is nearly as big as a two-shilling piece. To talk to, she is not really very interesting, having no other subject but herself and her charms, her visit to America, her war work and her “Reminiscences” which she reads to us in the evening. Should anyone talk to her daughter she at once chips in and really likes the rest of the table to be silent while she talks. The Princess (Ileana) is an attractive, good-looking girl, almost completely English, rather unconventional and, to put it very mildly “a bit of a handful”. The staff are uninteresting and include a private detective. The Queen’s chief amusement is walking through the town rushing into any house she sees and buying endless pottery, H.E. has completely thrown in his hand and I have to take them about the whole time and try to prevent her doings anything too foolish; as an example of what she does we were walking down a street and she met a filthy old priest on a donkey and insisted on leading the donkey, and priest, to a sunny spot where she could be photographed, all this mark you in front of a vast crowd. No door-step is sacred to her and I have to be firm at intervals with her or heavens knows what dens of vice she would penetrate. She insists that I should go in her car with her, she sitting in front and the Princess and I behind. Poor Lady Storrs following in another car.”
© Costas and Rita Severis Foundation
