Princess Marie of Edinburgh was born into the British royal family, spending her early years in England, Malta, and Germany. After refusing a marriage proposal from her cousin, future King George V of the United Kingdom, she married Crown Prince Ferdinand of Romania in 1893. As Crown Princess and later Queen of Romania from 1914 until her death, Marie gained popularity among Romanians and wielded significant influence over her weak-willed husband King Ferdinand even before his ascension to the throne.

1. Born into the British royal family, she was titled Princess Marie of Edinburgh at birth.
Her parents were Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh (later Duke of Saxe-Coburg and
Gotha) and Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia. Marie's early years were
spent in Kent, Malta and Coburg. After refusing a proposal from her cousin, the
future King George V, she was chosen as the future wife of Crown Prince Ferdinand of
Romania, the heir apparent of King Carol I, in 1892. Marie was Crown Princess
between 1893 and 1914, and became immediately popular with the Romanian people.
Marie had controlled her weak-willed husband even before his ascension in 1914,
prompting a Canadian newspaper to state that "few royal consorts have wielded
greater influence than did Queen Marie during the reign of her husband".
Toader Marian-Maricel,
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Marie of Romania