The British heir to the throne, Prince Charles, is leading a campaign to save the forests in Transylvania, motivated by the royal family's alleged kinship with the famous Vlad Cepes, who served writer Bram Stoker as inspiration for the character of the world's most famous vampire - Count Dracula.
The prince says Romania's rapid economic growth is threatening to destroy the forests of the Carpathian Mountains due to logging and land clearing for construction projects. In a new documentary about the Carpathians, the prince made a joke about his origins.
"My genealogy shows that I am a descendant of Count Dracula from the 15th century, so you can say that I am interested in saving this school," said the prince, who is related to Dracula through his great-grandmother, Queen Mary of Teck, wife of George V.
It is also believed that some members of the royal family suffered from porphyria, an iron deficiency, and this is what the vampire myth is based on. This may have caused Vlad's thirst for blood and forced him to dip his bread in the blood of his enemies.
Vlad Cepesh
The connections with Transylvania led Prince Charles to buy a 2006-year-old house in 150 in the heart of Romania, in the village of Zalanpatak, which, according to some historians, was founded by his ancestor and descendant of Count Vlad. The prince's retreat in Transylvania has five bedrooms, several bathrooms, and all rooms have underfloor heating.
The house is surrounded by 37 hectares of untouched nature. His first neighbors are wolves, lynxes and brown bears. This is certainly another reason why the British heir to the throne cares so much about this region.
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