sources are less flattering, describing her features as coarse and her conversation as vulgar. All sources agree that she walked with a peculiar swing of the hips, which, depending on one's point of view, was either sexy or crude, and that she was, in almost every respect, the opposite of Crown Princess Helen, Carol's spouse at the time. Carol made no effort to hide the relationship, which was, rather than his marital infidelity or Elena Lupescu's character or background, the cause of the ensuing scandal. The scandal was aggravated by Carol's earlier behavior (during the war he had contracted a morganatic marriage to Ioana "Zizi" Lambrino, although Romania's Constitution forbade Crown Princes to marry Romanian citizens), as well as by the enmity between Carol and the very powerful Brătianu clan. It was supporters of the latter who fostered the first anti-Semitic attacks against Elena Lupescu. In December 1925, Carol, having represented the Romanian royal family at the funeral of Queen Alexandra, eventually ended up in Milan in company of Elena Lupescu, making the front page of almost every Italian newspaper. As marriage between the monarch and Lupescu was unconstitutional and questionable on social grounds, Carol renounced his rights to the Romanian throne, as well as his membership in the royal family, adopting the name of "Carol Caraiman". The renunciation was ratified by Parliament on 4 January 1926, and four-year-old Michael, Carol's son with Crown Princess Helen, became heir apparent; Carol was banned from returning to Romania. Helen, by that time Queen Mother, divorced Carol in 1928. King Ferdinand, Carol's father, died in 1927; Michael succeeded to the throne and a regency headed by Prince Nicholas, Carol's younger brother, came into being. The regency proved unstable, and the political instability increased when Ion I. C. Brătianu, head of the Brătianu clan and leader of the National-Liberal party, died unexpectedly. His younger brothers lacked both his strength of character and his political acumen, and their hold on power weakened. In late 1928, the Liberal government was replaced by a coalition headed by Iuliu Maniu; Carol's return seemed now to be only a matter of time. Negotiations were carried out through various intermediaries, while Carol's supporters, including Prince Nicholas and a number of Army officers, tried to pressure the government into speeding his return. Although no written evidence exists, it is likely that eventually Carol made two promises to Maniu: that he would