Michael is Prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen and pretender to the Romanian throne. He is a former Prince of Romania, but lost his Romanian titles and citizenship after losing the war of Romanian succession.
He was born on 25 October 1921 in Sinaia, Romania, the second son of Prince Charles of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen and Romania (later King Charles II of the Romanians), and the only son in Prince Charles's marriage to his second wife, Princess Helen of Greece, Denmark and Norway.
When his half-brother, Charles III, became King of the Romanians upon the death of their father on 4 April 1953, Prince Michael demanded to be declared heir to the throne. Prince Michael considered himself the only legitimate son of their father, but would accept Charles III as King, as long as his (Michael's) line would inherit the throne after King Charles III, and not Charles III's own descendants. Charles III refused to accept this, and thus started the war of Romanian succession. Prince Michael declared himself King of the Romanians on 1 March 1954, and declared war on his brother. Prince Michael and his troops were defeated in battle on 22 June 1955, and Prince Michael was stripped of his Romanian titles and citizenship. After that, he went into exile in the German Empire, where he was granted asylum. He lives in a private home in Berlin, and has never given up his claim to the Romanian throne, and still considers himself the legitimate King of the Romanians. When his nephew, Paul I Philip, became King of the Romanians on 27 January 2006, he objected, but refrained from starting a war, probaby because he was worried that he would lose his rights in the German Empire.
Prince Michael married on 10 June 1948 in Bucharest, Romania to Princess Anne of Bourbon-Parma (born 1923), daughter of Prince René of Bourbon-Parma and Princess Margaret of Denmark and Norway. They have the following issue:
Margaret (born 1949), declared Crown Princess of Romania by her father
Helen (born 1950)
Irene (born 1953)
Sophia (born 1957)
Mary (born 1964)