I went to Transylvania and spent the night in King Charles’s bed
Little did I realise at the time that I was sleeping in the bed of the future King Charles III.
I should have done. I was, after all, staying in the personal quarters of the then Prince of Wales in the lovingly-restored Transylvanian house to which – when he really wants to get away from it all – he retreats.
But like so many who have known nothing else in life, I simply could not imagine a time when we would no longer have the Queen.
No, my accommodation for that night was in the ‘Prince’s Room’ in what ranks as the most extraordinary guesthouse I’ve ever stayed in – the collection of dwellings owned by King Charles in the Transylvanian village of Zalanpatak which, when he is not in residence, can be rented by members of the public for between £100 and £150 a head per night. The proceeds support his local charity foundation.
It was spacious, warm and welcoming. But beyond that it was utterly resonant of the man who is now our king. Free of the distractions of radio, TV and the internet, I could picture him sitting at the solid desk topped by green felt penning his thoughts on how to live more harmoniously with nature (or indeed within a family). I could imagine him after a long walk through the meadows and valleys of the surrounding countryside relaxing in one of the two crimson chairs and reflecting on the wildflowers that had occasioned such delight before repairing to one of the twin beds, complete with large wooden headboards. Of course it was comfortable – there was also a small separate dressing area and bathroom with a stand-alone tub. But there was nothing ostentatious about it. I felt very at ease.
The Romanian region of Transylvania occupies a very special place in the affections of our new monarch. Shortly after his first visit in 1998 he said he was “totally overwhelmed by its unique beauty and its extraordinary heritage”.
It does indeed have a special beauty. Bounded in the south and east by the Carpathian Mountains, it is fertile territory, full of virgin forests, pristine meadows and wildlife (it is one of the few spots in Europe where you might see a bear in the wild).
It harks back to another, almost pre-industrial age. This is a place where many still travel by horse and cart and you can see people working the land using ancient-looking hoes and scythes (the King, I was told, has had a go). It is also celebrated for its fortified churches, magnificent constructions put in place by the “Saxon” Germans who 800 years ago were invited to come and settle here and provide protection from incursions by Turks, Tatars and Mongols.
The King celebrates and champions all these aspects of Transylvania – a land that within just over a century has been ruled by Habsburg emperors, Romanian royalty, Communist dictators and, since 1990, elected politicians.
And he claims a very special link – distant kinship with Vlad “The Impaler” Tepes, the 15th-century Wallachian ruler who was the inspiration for the Dracula character in the works of novelist Bram Stoker. “You could say I have a stake in the country,” the King once quipped.
He does indeed. A few years after that first visit, he purchased the manor house with outlying dwellings at Zalanpatak, where I stayed. To that he added a smaller house in the village of Viscri. He teamed up with a Hungarian nobleman, Count Tibor Kalnoky, to set up a unique sustainable tourism project which enables travellers to immerse themselves in both the nature and culture of this extraordinary region and provides local employment.
And for that he is well regarded. One woman I spoke to in Viscri said that his visits tended to be low profile and that he was not a man with airs and graces. “You’d never know who he was to look at him but he’s the only person who really appreciates Transylvania,” she said. “He sees the value of the way of life here. Charles should be King of Romania!”
That of course is not going to happen. But he has now become our king. And it is almost certain that his many visits to Transylvania – the most recent in May this year – have helped to equip him with some of the equanimity and poise with which he has stepped into the role.
He has found solace in this part of the world and he has found strength. My trip 10 years ago came shortly after the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. The then Prince of Wales had also visited that summer.
“We had a really special celebration,” recalled Count Kalnoky. “One beautiful evening we sat outside and 120 schoolchildren came to sing and dance for him. He was on good form. A recent opinion poll had shown that a majority of people in Britain wanted him to be the next sovereign. He was really happy.”
How to stay there
A stay in King Charles’s Transylvanian guesthouses can be arranged through zalan.transylvaniancastle.com from around £150 per night including meals, a welcome drink and excursions. See website for room-only rates (from around £110) and extras such as a ride in a horse and cart. Transfers from locations including Bucharest and Brasov can be arranged. Stays can also be booked through Green Pearls (greenpearls.com).
A number of airlines including British Airways (ba.com) and Ryanair (ryanair.com) fly between the UK and Bucharest.
