join the regency, rather than lay claim to the throne, and that he would give up Elena Lupescu. He intended to keep neither. Carol returned unopposed to Romania on 7 June 1930, and immediately mounted what was essentially a constitutional coup. His renunciation was declared invalid by Parliament with an overwhelming majority, and he was proclaimed king in short order on 8 June. When he brought Lupescu back is not clear; it may have been as early as the end of June, or it may have been August, but she was definitely in Bucharest by October. From then on, she was, in all but name, Carol's wife and his partner in his political enterprises. During the reign of King Carol II (1930–1940), corruption and political intrigue in Romania rose to unprecedented heights. Carol and Magda weathered economic crisis, labor unrest, the rise of Fascism, assassination attempts and military plots, to become the master manipulators of Romanian politics. Those Carol could not bribe, he forced into retirement (Maniu) or imprisoned (Ion Antonescu); those he could not bend to his will, he suppressed ruthlessly (the Legion of the Archangel Michael, also known as the Iron Guard); and, in the process, the couple accumulated an impressive fortune. Lupescu is sometimes described as the power behind the throne, especially by those close to the extreme right. Lupescu undoubtedly enjoyed a great deal of influence of the king, but Carol's actions were entirely consistent with his behavior prior to meeting Elena Lupescu. Moreover, the speed with which, upon his return, when she was still abroad, he outmaneuvered any opposition to his plans is ample demonstration of his political abilities. Their relationship is perhaps best viewed as a partnership, with Elena the junior, but very influential, partner. Lupescu did not enjoy official status and until 1938 did not accompany the king on state functions. However, she entertained at her Aleea Vulpache villa in downtown Bucharest the cream of Romanian high society: politicians, industrialists (Max Auschnitt, Nicolae Malaxa), press magnates (Pamfil Șeicaru), and blue-blooded aristocrats (Marthe Bibesco). It was even rumored at some point that the leader of the violently anti-Semitic Iron Guard, Corneliu Zelea Codreanu, might have been hiding there from the police. This rumor was never confirmed; Codreanu was a rival of Carol's and would have been an risky person for Lupescu to shelter. In 1938 Carol orchestrated Codreanu's arrest and, soon after, ordered his