On 31st May 2026, Princess Sveva della Gherardesca (1930-2026), died at the age of 95.

Born Countess Sveva della Gherardesca in Tuscany, Italy, she is a representative of the famous aristocratic Italian family, a member of the Romanov family by marriage, widow of Prince Nicholas Romanovich (1922-2014) – who served as Head of the House of Romanov and President of the Romanovs Family Association.

She was born on 15th July 1930, together with her twin brother Manfredi (1930-1955) to the family of Count Walfredo della Gerardeski (1894-1953) and his wife Countess Nicoletta, born di Picoletti (1898-1970). Through her paternal line, she is a descendant of the famous Italian aristocratic family of counts della Gerardesco, known since the 10th century and sung about in Dante’s famous poem “The Divine Comedy“. Through her maternal grandmother, she is a descendant of the American President Martin Van Buuren.

Countess Seva’s childhood was spent on a family farm in rural Tuscany, where her father was engaged in cattle breeding and winemaking. She recived a private home education with her brother. She spoke three languages: French, Italian and English. During a party in Rome in 1950, she met her future husband Prince Nicholas Romanovich, the eldest son of the Prince of Imperial Blood Roman Petrovich and Princess Praskovia Dmitrievna, born Countess Sheremeteva.

PHOTO: Prince Nicholas Romanovich and Countess Sveva della Gherardesca married in St. Michael the Archangel Church in Cannes, France on 21st January 1952

The couple married on 21st January 1952 in St. Michael the Archangel Church (Russian Orthodox) in Cannes, France, while a civil marriage took place on 31st December 1951 in Florence, Italy.

Prince Nicholas and his wife had three daughters:

• Natalia Nikolaevna (b. 1952), who married Giuseppe Consolo (b. 1948) in 1973, and had two children;
• Elisabeth Nikolaevna (b. 1956), who married Mauro Bonacini (b. 1950) in 1982, and had two children;
• Tatiana Nikolaevna (b. 1961), who married Gian Battista Alessandri (b. 1958) in 1983, divorced in 1988, remarried Giancarlo Tirotti (b. 1947), and had one child.

From 1955, Princess Sveva lived with her husband and their children on the family farm in Tuscany.

“My husband had to take over the management of our large family farm in Tuscany. Imagine, the heir to the Russian Imperial House, who had never worked in agriculture, had to learn to be a farmer, a real peasant! We grew vegetables, fruits, we made wine. . . . Oh, what a difficult time it was… At the time in Italy, the “Fascists” were popular, and the mayor of our commune was a communist! He was constantly putting sticks in Nikolai’s wheels – constant bans and money collectors. When the children were grown and we got got older, we said to ourselves: “That’s it, let’s retire!” We sold the farm in Tuscany and moved to Switzerland.”

Since 1980, the couple lived seven months of the year in the towns of Ruzmont, Switzerland and the other five months in Italy with their daughters. Princess Sveva first visited Russia in June 1992, when her husband acted as a translator for a business group. In July 1998, she took part in the ceremony of the burial of the remains of Emperor Nicholas II and his Family in the SS Peter and Paul’s Cathedral, and in September 2006, attended the reburial ceremony of Empress Maria Feodorovna in Copenhagen and St. Petersburg. Up until her death, she lived in the town of Bolgeri, near Tuscany.

“She lived a full life surrounded by the love of family and friends. We were fortunate to have her as part of our family, and her example enriched our lives in countless ways. Today, we mourn the passing of an extraordinary woman, a living link to another era, a true princess, and one of the last representatives of a generation defined by dignity and a profound sense of duty.

“She leaves behind countless cherished memories and a legacy of love that will live forever in the hearts of all who had the privilege of knowing her,” wrote her niece, Foteini Filippovna, wife of Prince Rostislav Rostislavovich of Russia.

© Paul Gilbert. 1 June 2026