Carol I, the Romanian king and owner of Peles Castle in Sinaia, had no bodily heirs. Therefore, when his nephew Ferdinand married the British Princess Marie of Edinburgh, he was ordered to build the Pelisor Castle for the newlyweds. Created at the very beginning of the 20th century, this castle still looks more like an alpine hunting manor. Its facades mix Art Nouveau and stylized timber framing. This combination was designed by the Czech architect Karel Liman, while the interior was mainly created by Ferdinand’s wife Marie. She was actively engaged in decorating the interiors. For example, she made drawings and schemes of a Golden Bedroom, a Golden Room, and a chapel. Marie also kept the Viennese designer Bernard Ludwig on the hop until the appearance of all the premises conformed to her ideas about fashionable and modern interiors. Having a noble background and unerring taste, the wife of the heir to the Romanian throne filled the Pelisor Castle with Art Deco objects, and decorated the rooms in Celtic and local Wallachian Renaissance styles.

Princess Marie of Edinburgh could have claimed the English throne, but her mother forced an 18-year-old girl to get married to the heir to the Romanian throne, Ferdinand. According to contemporaries, their marriage was not happy. The spouses never became soulmates. Marie devoted her whole life to children (there were 6 of them, including the future Carol II of Romania, the Queens of Greece and Yugoslavia Elizabeth and Maria) and residence improvement. During the First World War, she worked as a nurse in a hospital and wrote a book about Romania named "My Country". In 1938, Marie of Edinburgh died in the Pelisor Castle, spending her last days in the Golden Room.

The Pelisor Castle is much more modest than Peles. There are only 70 rooms. Besides, they are quite small, which is unusual for royals. The largest rooms are a three-stories-high Great Hall and a large dining room. The rest of the rooms are elegantly and tastefully decorated. But the interior is quite modest especially for such noble persons as the future Queen of Romania.

Although the Pelisor Castle is located 7 minutes walk from Peles, tourists overall prefer to spend time in the second castle. So you can explore Pelisor without the queues and fuss, imagining the usual everyday life of royalty.