King Charles II of Romania (1930–1940) was born on 15 October 1893 in Sinaia, Romania. His father was King Ferdinand I of Romania and his mother was Queen Maria of Romania. He was born into the House of Hohenzollern–Sigmaringen. His children, including Michael, later also became king. He renounced his right to the throne in 1925, partly because of his scandalous private life (his affair with Magda Lupescu caused great outrage). He returned to Romania in 1930, abolished the regency, and officially ascended the throne on June 8. At first, he ruled as a constitutional monarchy, but gradually transformed the system into a one-man, corporatist dictatorship. In 1938, he introduced a new constitution that abolished political parties and created the National Rebirth Front, of which he became the leader. He admired Mussolini's methods and tried to build a similar authoritarian system in Romania. On the eve of World War II, Romania's geopolitical situation was shaken. He was forced to abdicate in 1940 after the country suffered territorial losses (e.g. the transfer of Northern Transylvania to Hungary). His successor His son became Michael I. After his abdication, he lived in exile in Portugal, where he died on 4 April 1953 in Estoril. His remains were later repatriated and reburied in Curtea de Argeș.

II. Charles' reign (1930-1940) marked a turbulent period in Romania's history, full of political instability and economic difficulties. This is also reflected in the coinage of the time.Coins: 1, 2, 5 and 10 lei: These coins were made of aluminium, bronze and silver. They featured the portrait of the king and the Romanian coat of arms. 25 lei: Silver commemorative coin, minted in 1930 on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the king's accession to the throne. 100 lei: Gold commemorative coin, minted in 1938 on the occasion of the king's 40th birthday. Banknotes: 10, 20, 50, 100, 500 and 1000 lei: The banknotes were issued by the Romanian National Bank. The portrait of the king and the Romanian coat of arms appeared on them. During his reign, the new currency "leu" was introduced in 1930, with the ratio of 1 leu = 100 old "lei". In 1937, the value of the leu was devalued. The II. Coins and banknotes minted during Charles' reign are still sought after by collectors.