[1] A descendant of Prince Constantin Brâncoveanu,[2][3] he was born in Bucharest on 3 November 1923.
In February 1945 he married Ioana Berindei (1922–2008), the daughter of historian and politician Ion Hudiță [ro].
Their daughter, Ruxandra, was born in 1951 at Văcărești Prison, while her mother was incarcerated there by the communist authorities;[5] Berindei only saw his daughter after 11 months, while her mother was still detained at Mislea Prison.
[6] He obtained a doctorate in history from the University of Bucharest in 1969, with thesis "Orașul București, reședință și capitală a Țării Românești (1459–1862)".
Berindei died in Bucharest on 23 December 2021, at the age of 98,[2] and was buried in the city's Bellu Cemetery.