"A peculiar enchantment lingered within my grandmother’s rooms. They breathed an unspoken sweetness of orange blossoms, even when no such flower was anywhere to be seen."
— Queen Marie of Romania
sursa foto Google
A ROYAL OBSESSION WITH VIOLETS
For me, the first of December carries the scent of violets, because I always associate our National Day with Queen Marie - the queen who made the Great Union of Romania possible. "Beauty opens every door and almost every heart," Queen Marie used to say, and I couldn't agree more, for every beautiful heart reflects the splendor of the world, a beauty that can be found everywhere.
Queen Marie adored violets and the color violet - the ultimate symbol of royalty. Thus, the Queen herself requested that at her funeral, the somber tones of black be replaced by the hue of her deeply cherished flowers: violet. Romantic, a dreamer, endowed with an artistic spirit and a profound love for beauty, art, and music, Queen Marie remains one of the great figures of history - perhaps the only one - whom I truly admire and with whom I deeply identify.
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE QUEEN
Two years ago, I embarked on a journey of the soul, traveling both through my own country and to our Bulgarian neighbors, following the footsteps of the Queen. I wanted to walk where she walked, to discover her bohemian, artistic universe, her spirit, and the very place where her heart rests.
Thus, I began with Balchik, a town situated so close to Romania, in Bulgaria. It is a town that instantly reminded me of Malta - another country that Queen Marie loved deeply and where she spent a part of her youth. Tenha Yuva in Turkish, or The Lonely Nest, is the Queen's castle in Balchik, which also embraces the superb suspended gardens. Just like me, the Queen loved the sea, she loved flowers, and she loved stillness. I felt a sense of belonging there, an active energy that still lingers, a melancholy interwoven with the harmony and serenity of the sea and the music of its waves.
Afterward, I journeyed to Bran Castle, another sanctuary of relaxation for the Queen, and finally to Pelișor Castle - the place where she spent the final chapter of her life, and the Golden Room, the very chamber where the Queen passed away and where her heart truly belongs.
THE MYSTERY OF THE ROYAL BOUDOIR
I also visited the Curtea de Argeș Monastery, the place where she now rests alongside her beloved Nando, King Ferdinand. While exploring Pelișor Castle, a story I overheard made me stop and listen with absolute fascination. It is said that every year after the Queen's passing, around her birthday, an inexplicable scent of violets fills the rooms.
Mystery or mere myth, it seems Queen Marie still makes her presence felt through her most cherished fragrance, using the flowers she adored to return in the same romantic, bohemian, and artistic manner that defined her nature.
The Queen loved pearls and flowers; she loved to paint blossoms, and above all, she believed in people and the inherent goodness of the human heart. I find so much of myself in her that I simply had to experience and love Houbigant’s fragrance, Mon Boudoir, which was relaunched after a century in memory of Queen Marie.
Originally created in 1919 by the perfumer Robert Bienaimé, Mon Boudoir was a rich blend of resins, amber, patchouli, and animalic notes, intertwined with her signature violet. Queen Marie fell in love with the scent immediately, and by 1922, the house of Houbigant invited the Queen to become the official face of the fragrance.
sursa foto Google
sursa foto Google
sursa foto Google
A CENTURY OF REVERENCE
In 1938, upon her passing, Mon Boudoir was withdrawn from the market as a tribute to the Queen. However, a century later, perfumer Luca Maffei reorchestrated the scent into a modern and contemporary register, bringing back the fragrance that was once the Queen’s absolute favorite. In its current formulation, Mon Boudoir is an amber-woody perfume, rich in patchouli, myrrh, benzoin, and vanilla. In place of the original violets, notes of heliotrope and iris are used, masterfully recreating that same creamy, powdery effect.
We also know that the Queen wore Quelques Fleurs L'Original, another fragrance belonging to the French house of Houbigant. It is an explosion of white and yellow blossoms - a fragrance detached from another era, elegant and profoundly feminine, yet carrying a beautifully subtle vintage touch.
You can discover the fragrances of the house of Houbigant at Beautik Haute Parfumerie or on their website, www.beautik.ro.
