On 3 January 1948 King Michael I and his mother, Queen Elena were forced into exile by the newly installed Communist authorities. After a thorough luggage search for values, the King left Romania (from Sinaia) for Austria, in the Royal Train, with tightly closed windows and under strict supervision. The Royal Family was in exile until 1997, when the post-1989 government of Victor Ciorbea revoked their loss of citizenship.