Was Queen Marie of Romania a Bahai or Russian Orthodox adherent?

Answer 1

Queen Marie's daughter, Ileana, who became a Greek Orthodox nun (Reverent Mother Alexandra) has denied that her mother ever became a Baha'i. In the Baha'i Faith, however, there is no formal rite of entry such as baptism or other ritual ceremony. To "be" a Baha'i, one only has to proclaim a sincere belief in Baha'u'llah and accept/follow the tenets of His Faith. Queen Marie not only made pilgrimage to the Baha'i holy shrines in Israel, she was a vocal advocate of the Baha'i Faith and wrote a number of personal letters, as well as articles in the syndicated newspaper series "Queen's Counsel," championing its cause. These are of record and in the international archives of the Faith on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel. Based upon the following and similar writings by the queen, it's accepted amongst the Baha'i community that she was, indeed, a Baha'i...

"It is like a wide embrace gathering together all those who have searched for words of hope. It accepts all great Prophets gone before, it destroys no other creeds and leaves all doors open....The Bahá'í teaching brings peace to the soul and hope to the heart. To those in search of assurance, the words of the Father are as a fountain in the desert after long wandering....It is a wondrous message that Bahá'u'lláh and His son 'Abdu'l-Bahá have given us. They have not set it up aggressively, knowing that the germ of eternal truth which lies at its core cannot but take root and spread....It is Christ's Message taken up anew, in the same words almost, but adapted to the thousand years and more difference that lies between the year one and today....If ever the name of Bahá'u'lláh or 'Abdu'l-Bahá comes to your attention, do not put their writings from you. Search out their books, and let their glorious, peace-bringing, love-creating words and lessons sink into your hearts as they have into mine." (Queen Marie of Rumania, "Queen's Counsel," 1927)