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King Mihai is presented the Romanian Army's Badge of Honour
Defence Minister Corneliu Dobritoiu on Wednesday awarded the Badge of Honour of the Romanian Army with peace insignia to King Mihai, at a ceremony in the Kings' Hall of Elisabeta Palace in Bucharest.
The award was bestowed under an order of the minister as a token of high esteem for the entire activity and special merits of the king that contributed to improving the prestige of the Romanian Army.
'It is an honour to me, as a defence minister, to be able to bestow on Your Majesty, 68 year later, on your 91st birthday, the highest distinction of the Romanian Defence Ministry for your former capacity as head of the army,' Dobritoiu said in a laudation speech at the presentation ceremony, mentioning the last battle in the calendar of the liberation of Northern Transylvania fought by Romanian troops on October 25, 1944, the day when King Mihai turned 23.
'His Majesty is a man bent on tradition, on values and is particularly sensitive to the military insignia,' said Dobritoiu, who added that these insignia were bearers of values and tradition. He added that King Mihai was the last Head of State that survived the Second World War and the last marshal alive of the Romanian Army.
Also attending the ceremony were Princess Margareta, Prince Radu and Prince Nicolae, national leader of the National Liberal Party (PNL) Crin Antonescu as well as Minster of Culture and National Heritage Puiu Hasotti.
The Badge of Honour of the Romanian Army is the highest honorary military decoration in Romania.
The badge and a certificate are awarded by the defence minister for special actions that contribute to the boosting of the Romanian Army's prestige to the troops or the civilian staff of the Defence Ministry, reserve troops, war veterans and other Romanian individuals, as well as to foreign individuals and servicemen.
The same award was presented on Wednesday to Romania's former presidents Ion Iliescu and Emil Constantinescu as well.
King Mihai and Princess Margareta on Wednesday morning bestowed decorations on Romanian and European personalities, including poetess Ana Blandiana, journalist Cornel Nistorescu, film director Cristian Mungiu and orchestra conductor Horia Andreescu.