London’s Romanian Cultural Institute was host to royalty as it exhibited photography by Princess Sophie of Romania.
The Tuesday 29 October event in Belgravia saw the fourth daughter of the late King Michael of Romania showcasing her work in a photography exhibition entitled ‘Of Stone and Steel – A Voyage into the World of Urbex’.
The director of the Romanian Cultural Institute, Aura Woodward, and Romanian Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Laura Popescu, were also present to view the photographs and hear the princess a give a speech on her project.
Princess Sophie said: “In the words of my father King Michael, one cannot have a future without respecting one’s past.
“It took me two years to get my photography project off the ground, from ensuring the funding to speaking to the necessary local authorities and providing travel and accommodation for all those involved.”
Princess Sophie’s photographs cover a wide range of dilapidated buildings throughout the Romanian countryside which have fallen into disrepair.
The buildings being photographed were mostly in and around the Romanian county of Brașov.
The state of decay was the main focal point of the exhibition, which was intended to showcase how local authorities could get involved to bring these buildings back to their former glory.
Most were historic landmarks abandoned by the general populace and in no fit state to be used for anything, which inspired the princess to embark on her project.
Princess Sophie said: “The project was motivated by a desire to bring to light the untold stories of historic buildings, which have at one point in history housed many great things.
“But by the slow decay of time are now only a shadow of their former glory.”
Picture credit: Alex Covaci
