After the Potsdam Conference and the reaffirmation by the Allies of the need to establish democratically elected governments in Europe , Michael I demanded the resignation of Petru Groza , who refused . Faced with this insubordination , the sovereign began a " royal strike " on 23 August 1945 during which he refused to countersign the acts of the government . With his mother , he locked himself in the Elisabeta Palace for six weeks before departing to Sinaia . The resistance of the monarch , however , was n't supported by the West , who after the Moscow Conference of 25 December 1945 , asked Romania to allow two opposition figures to enter the government . Disappointed by the lack of courage of London and Washington , the sovereign was shocked by the attitudes of Princesses Elisabeth and Ileana , who openly supported the communist authorities . Disgusted by all these betrayals , Helen , in turn , encouraged fewer meetings with Soviet officials and worried every day for the life of her son
Potsdam Conference
Potsdam Conference
Helen of Greece and Denmark