PHOTO: Princess Vera Konstantinovna seated in front of a framed portrait of her beloved father Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinoivich (1858–1915). This photo was aken at the Tolstoy Foundation’s elderly care home in Valley Cottage, New York. 1988.
Today – 11th January 2026 – marks the 25th anniversary of the repose of Princess of the Imperial Blood Vera Konstantinovna, at the age of 94
It was on this day – 11th January 2001 – that Princess Vera Konstantinovna died at the Tolstoy Foundation’s elderly care home in Valley Cottage, New York in the United States.
Princess Vera was born at Pavlovsk on 24th April (O.S. 11th April) 1906, the youngest of nine children born to Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich (1858-1915) and his wife, Grand Duchess Elizabeth Mavrikievna (1865-1927).
In exile, Princess Vera served as honorary chairman of the Association of the Members of the House of Romanov. In addition, she was an honorary member of the Russian Imperial Union-Order, and an honorary member of the Supreme Monarchical Council.
photo: In happier times . . . Princess Vera surrounded by her dolls and toys in her playroom in Pavlovsk Palace. 1910
Vera Konstantinovna was the only surviving Romanov who remembered pre-revolutionary life and her legendary relatives. She was a living embodiment of the best traditions of the House of Romanov, earning great respect in the circles of the Russian emigration.
Princess Vera recalls the February 1917 Revolution in Petrograd – she was 11 years old at the time:
“In the spring of 1917, I came home from a walk and saw a red bow on the livery of my personal lackey: “Shame on you, this is against the Tsar!” I was indignant. Then the footman replied: “The Tsar is no more!” So I learned that he had abdicated”…
“On another day, I walked with my teacher across the Field of Mars. We went to the church in the Engineers Castle. A sailor was walking towards us, he had a look of horror on his face. And on his chest he wore the St. George’s Cross. He was, of course, brave. But this image of a revolutionary wearing the St. George’s cross, made such an impression on me that I remembered it all my life …”
Princess Vera died at the Tolstoy Foundation’s elderly care home in Valley Cottage, New York, on 11th January 2001, at the age of 94.
PHOTO: rincess Vera was buried next to her brother Prince Georgy Konstantinovich (1903-1938) at the cemetery of the Russian Orthodox Monastery of Novo-Diveevo in Nanuet, New York.
Her funeral was held on 15th January 2001. She was buried next to her brother Prince Georgy Konstantinovich (1903-1938) at the cemetery of the Russian Orthodox Monastery of Novo-Diveevo in Nanuet, New York.
The Russian History Museum has prepared this brief yet interesting tribute to a woman who was a pillar to the Russian emigration in the United States, and a founding patron of the Russian History Museum in Jordanville, NY.
Princess Vera (1906- 2001), was the youngest child of Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich. By the time she fled Bolshevik Russia in October 1918, she had already lost half of her family. Vera was the only Romanov who remembered pre-revolutionary life and her legendary relatives, including Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna [her god-mother], and was a playmate to their younger children. Princess Vera died on 11 January 2001, at the age of 95.
Paperback edition. 148 pages + 75 black & white photographs
On this day – 31st December 2016 – Prince Dmitri Romanovich Romanov died in Copenhagen, Denmark at the age of 90. Following the death of his brother Prince Nicholas Romanovich in 2014, Dmitri became his rightful successor as Head of the House of Romanov.
Through his paternal lineage, Prince Dmitri was a great-great-grandson of Emperor Nicholas I of Russia (1796–1855) and his consort, Princess Charlotte of Prussia (1798-1860), who founded the Nikolaevichi branch of the Russian Imperial Family. He is a second cousin of the last Russian Emperor Nicholas II.
Dmitri was born on 17th May 1926 in in the villa of his grandfather, Grand Duke Peter Nikolaevich (1864-1931), in Cap d’Antibes on the French Riviera. He was the youngest son of Prince of the Imperial Blood Roman Petrovich (1896-1978) and his wife Princess Praskovia Dmitrievna (née Countess Sheremeteva, 1901-1980). In connection with the birth of their son, a congratulatory telegram addressed to Dmitri’s parents was sent from Denmark to France by the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna (1847-1928).
Prince Dmitri spent the first ten years of his life in France. He was brought up entirely in the Russian spirit under the guidance of his paternal grandmother, Grand Duchess Militsa Nikolaevna (1866-1951). Dimitri Romanovich’s teachers were graduates of the Smolny Institute in St. Petersburg [established by Catherine the Great in 1765]. Every Sunday, the family visited the home church, where young Dimitri served in the altar.
PHOTO: Prince of the Imperial Blood Roman Petrovich and his wife Princess Praskovia Dmitrievna (née Countess Sheremeteva. Egypt. Circa early 1950s
Early life – France, Italy, Egypt
After the victory of the Socialists in the French parliamentary elections in 1936, Dmitri moved with his parents to Italy, where the queen was Helena of Savoy [born Princess Jelena of Montenegro, 1873-1952] the sister of his paternal grandmother Grand Duchess Militsa Nikolaevna. For a short time, the family lived in the Quirinal Palace in Rome, the official residence of the king of Italy.
Dmitri studied at a private Italian school, where he was taught Latin and classical Greek. When Italy withdrew from the war in 1943 and Germany occupied Rome, Dimitri and his family hid from the Germans for nine months, changing apartments and addresses, as the Nazis announced a hunt for all relatives of the Italian king Victor Emmanuel III.
In May 1946, Dmitri and his family sailed from Naples to Cairo on the Italian ship Obruzzi. Initially, the family planned to stay in Egypt for only two months and then return to Europe, but their forced exile lasted until 1952. Soon after arriving in Egypt at the age of 19, Dimitri Romanovich, with the consent of his parents, began working as a simple mechanic at the Ford repair plant in Alexandria, where he earned a mechanic’s certificate. Dimitri Romanovich worked at the plant for three years, and then worked as a car sales manager.
In 1960 Prince Dmitri moved to Denmark, where he worked for a number of banks including the Danske Bank, where he was an executive until his retirement in 1993.[2] He was fluent in Russian, French, English, Danish and Italian. Dmitri became a Danish citizen in 1979
PHOTO: the wedding of Prince Dmitri Romanovich and Johanna von Kaufmann, 1959
Marriages
Prince Dmitri Romanovich was married twice.
In 1958, Dimitri and his friends went on a trip to Scandinavia by car. In Helsinki, he met a young girl named Johanna von Kauffmann (1936–1989). In 1959, the young couple married, settling in the suburbs of Copenhagen. Johanna died of cancer on 13th 1989, at the age of 52. The couple had no children.
In 1989, Prince Dimitri Romanovich married Dorrit Reventlow (born 1942) on 28th July 1993, at the Trinity Cathedral of the Ipatiev Monastery in Kostroma. His second marriage was the “FIRST” time a Romanov had been married in Russia since the fall of the dynasty in 1917. Before the wedding, Princess Dorrit converted to Orthodoxy taking the name Feodora Alexeevna. The couple had no children.
PHOTO: Prince Dimitri Romanovich and his second wife Princess Feodora Alexeevna
Dynastic status
From birth, Dmitri Romanovich was titled by His Highness Prince of the Imperial Blood, which, however, was never recognized by the descendants of Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich (1876-1938).
Since the creation of the Romanov Family Association in 1979, which today unites most of the male and female descendants of Emperor Nicholas I (1796-1855). Dmitri Romanovich did not recognize Prince Vladimir Kirillovich (1917-1992) as the head of the House of Romanov. After the death of the latter in April 1992, Dmitri recognized his brother Prince Nicholas Romanovich as the rightful head of the House of Romanov. Together with other representatives of the House of Romanov, he repeatedly declared the illegitimacy of the claims to the Russian throne of Vladimir Kirillovich and his daughter Maria Vladimirovna. From 1989 to 2014, Prince Dmitri served as an adviser to the head of the Romanov Family Association.
After the death of his brother in September 2014, Dmitri Romanovich headed the Romanov Family Association. All descendants of the Russian Imperial House (except Maria Vladimirovna and her son George Mikhailovich) recognized him as the head of the House of Romanov. The successor of Dimitri Romanovich was Prince Andrei Andreevich (1923-2021), who was the oldest living representative of the House of Romanov at the time.
Dimitri Romanovich was the last male representative of the Nikolaevichi branch of the House of Romanov, which originated from Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich, Sr. (1831-1891) and his wife, Grand Duchess Alexandra Petrovna (born Duchess Alexandra of Oldenburg, 1838-1900). Dimitri Romanovich had no children, and his elder brother Nikolai Romanovich had only daughters. As a result, upon the death of Prince Dimitri Romanovich on 31st December 2016, the male line of the Nicholaevich branch of the Romanov family died out.
PHOTO: seven Romanov princes gather in Paris in June 1992
Social activities
On 29th June 1992, seven Romanov princes met in Paris: Nikolai Romanovich (1922-2014), Dimitri Romanovich (1926-2016), Andrei Andreevich (1923-2021), Mikhail Feodorovich (1924-2008), Nikita Nikitich (1923-2007), Alexander Nikitich (1929-2002) and Rostislav Rostislavovich (1938-1999).
The male descendants of the House of Romanov declared that none of them had any claims to the Russian throne, and that their activities in Russia would only be educational and charitable. Prince Dmitri was an opponent of the restoration of the monarchy. He believed that in Russia “there should be a democratically elected president.
It was during this meeting, that the princes decided to create a charitable foundation to help Russia. The foundation was established in 1994 and registered in London. The Romanov Fund for Russia was headed by Dimitri Romanovich.
As part of its humanitarian activities, the foundation provides charitable assistance and support to those in need in the field of medicine, education and social welfare, and promotes activities in the field of culture, art and enlightenment. The foundation takes care of hospitals for hearing-impaired children, boarding schools and nursing homes.
In July 1992, Prince Dmitri visited Russia for the first time, visiting St. Petersburg and Moscow. In the first years of its activity, the foundation faced difficulties of various nature associated with the collapse of the Russian state economy and the critical state of the social security system. In the period from 1993 to 1995, Dimitri Romanovich headed five humanitarian visits to Russia on behalf of the Romanov Fund for Russia.
PHOTO: Russian president Vladimir Putin with Prince Dmitri Romanovich and his wife Princess Feodora Alexeevna, during an official reception held in the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow. 2006
PHOTO: Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev awarding Prince Dmitri Romanovich with the Order of Alexander Nevsky, 6th October 2016
Awards and honours
In 2006, Prince Dmitri Romanovich met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. The meeting took place during a state reception devoted to National Unity Day in St. George’s Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace.
This meeting occurred in the context of the reburial of the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna (Emperor Nicholas II’s mother). Maria Feodorovna had died in exile in Denmark, and her dying wish was to be buried next to her husband, Emperor Alexander III, in Russia.
In June 2011, the then President of the Russian Federation Dmitri Medvedev awarded Prince Dmitri the “Order of Friendship” for “great achievements in strengthening friendship and cultural cooperation between Russia and the Kingdom of Denmark and for his achievements as chairman of the Romanov Fund for Russia.” The award ceremony took place in Moscow.
In May 2016, Dimitri Romanovich was awarded a certificate of honour from the Government of the Russian Federation “for his great contribution to the dissemination of knowledge about the historical and cultural heritage of Russia abroad, and assistance in strengthening international humanitarian ties.”
In August 2016, by decree of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, Prince Dmitri was awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky. The Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation Dmitri Medvedev, headed the award ceremony in the building of the Government of the Russian Federation, on 6th October 2016. Prince Dmitri receive the award “for his great contribution to spreading abroad the knowledge of Russia’s historical and cultural heritage and efforts to promote international humanitarian ties.”
PHOTO: Prince Dmitir Romanovich with His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, at the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius. October 2016
In October 2016, Prince Dmitri also met with His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia at the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius. During the meeting, His Holiness said: “Thank you for your love for our common Motherland, for preserving the wonderful traditions of the House of Romanov, for your participation in the delivery of the remains of both [Empress] Maria Feodorovna and [Grand Duke] Nicholas Nikolaevich. Your work unites history. This is the uniqueness of your personality and the uniqueness of the House of Romanov in general. Living people united in their family tradition of honouring our national history, torn apart by the tragic events of the early 20th century.”
Patron of the Arts
Dimitri Romanovich was also known as a patron of the arts. In December 2000, he donated the sabre of his great-grandfather, Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich, Sr (1831-1891), as well as the Shipka battle banner, to the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg.
In July 2004, he donated the family icon of the Saviour, which once belonged to his paternal grandmother Grand Duchess Militsa Nikolaevna (1866-1951) to the Novodevichy Convent in St. Petersburg.
In July 2005, he donated an icon of the Saviour to the restored Church of the Bright Resurrection of Christ on the Smolenka River in St. Petersburg. This 19th-century icon was kept in the Romanov family and passed down from generation to generation.
In July 2009, together with his wife, he donated the family icon of Saints Mitrophan and Tikhon of Voronezh to the restored Feoodorovsky Cathedral in St. Petersburg. According to Dimitri Romanovich, he was blessed with this icon. in Rome in 1944 by his spiritual mentor, Hieromonk Zosima,
Dmitri Romanovich has appeared in the media and documentaries, giving interviews about the history of the Romanov. For example: in 2003 in the Danish documentary “En Kongelig familie“, in 2007 on France 3 in the film “Un nom en héritage, les Romanov“, in 2008 on NTV in the film “Ghosts of the House of Romanov“, as well as in 2014 in the ZDF documentary “Royal Dynasties: The Romanovs” and in 2015 in the documentary “The Crown of the Russian Empire” produced by Russia-24.
PHOTO: Dmitri Romanovich at the place where the remains of the Imperial Family were found on the Old Koptyaki Road, near Ekaterinburg
Reburial of the Imperial Family
After the discovery of the remains of Emperor Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, three daughters and four faithful retainers near Ekaterinburg in July 1991, Prince Dmitri Romanovich actively assisted the government commission and the investigation in identifying the remains.
Dmitri Romanovich was one of the first members of the House of Romanov to visit the place where the remains were found on the Old Koptyakovskaya Road, near Ekaterinburg. He was the only one of the Romanovs who took part in the mourning events that took place in Ekaterinburg before the remains were sent to St. Petersburg.
On 17th July 1998, together with other representatives of the House of Romanov, he participated in the funeral ceremony for the reburial of the remains of Emperor Nicholas II, members of his family and servants, which took place in the SS Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg.
PHOTO: Dmitry Romanovich pays his respects at the tomb holding the remains of Emperor Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra and their three daughters in St. Petersburg’s St. Peter and Paul Cathedra. 2008
Russian president Boris Yeltsin (1931-2007) attends the funeral on 17th July 1998. Addressing the funeral ceremony, Yeltsin described the murder of the Russian Imperial Family as “one of the most shameful pages in Russian history”, and urged Russians to close a “bloody century” with repentance.
He said: “Today is a historic day for Russia. For many years, we kept quiet about this monstrous crime, but the truth has to be spoken.”
Yeltsin said he had no choice but to attend this funeral in consideration of the fact that the funeral presented a historical opportunity for the Russian people to exculpate themselves from the sins of their fathers, and the sins of the murder of their Romanov family.
More than 50 Romanov descendants attended the historic burial. The only family members who did NOT attend were Princess Maria Vladimirovna, her mother Princess Leonida Georgievna, and Maria’s son Prince George Mikhailovich.
The author of this article was invited to attend the events marking the burial of Nicholas II and members of his family. On the morning of 17th July 1998, I met many descendants of the House of Romanov in the lobby of the Astoria Hotel. I was invited to ride in one of the special buses provided for the more than 50 Romanov descendants, from the Astoria Hotel to the Peter and Paul Fortress. This was the one and only time that I met Princes Nicholas (1922-2014) and Dimitri Romanovich (1926-2016) in person.
After the discovery in July 2007 of the remains of Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich and Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna, Dmitri Romanovich actively assisted the investigation in identifying the remains. He advocated the speedy burial of the Tsesarevich and his sister in the SS Peter and Paul Cathedral.
In December 2015, Alexei and Maria’s remains were transferred from the State Archives of the Russian Federation to the Lower Church of the Transfiguration Cathedral of the Novospassky Monastery in Moscow, where they remain to this day.
PHOTO: Prince Dimitri Romanovich at the coffin of Empress Maria Feodorovna in the Rosskile Cathedral, Denmark. August 2006.
Reburial of Empress Maria Feodorovna
In 2001 Prince Dmitri together with his brother Prince Nikolai Romanovich and Prince Mikhail Andreevich (1920-2008), who lived in Australia, initiated the reburial to Russia of the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna [born Princess Dagmar of Denmark, 1847-1928].
Prince Dmitri acted as an intermediary during negotiations between the government of the Russian Federation and the Danish royal court. Together with his wife, Princess Feodora Alexeevna, he accompanied the coffin with the remains of the Empress from Copenhagen to St. Petersburg.
From 25th to 29th September 2006, Prince Dmitri and his wife, together with other members of the Romanov Family Association, took part in the events for the reburial of the Dowager Empress, next to those of her husband Emperor Alexander III in the SS Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg.
PHOTO: Prince Dmitri Romanvich at the coffins of his uncle Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich and aunt Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna, in the Donskoy Monastery, Moscow
Reburial of Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich
In December 2013, Prince Dmitir and his brother Prince Nicholas Romanovich, appealed to the Russian government with a request to rebury the remains of their paternal uncle Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich (1856-1929) and aunt Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna (born Princess Anastasia of Montenegro, 1867-1935) in Moscow.
In April 2015, Prince Dmitri Romanovich participated in the reburial ceremony of Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich and his wife, Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna, in in the chapel in honour of the Transfiguration of the Lord at the the World War I memorial military cemetery in Moscow.
PHOTO: Prince Dmitri Romanovich and his wife admire a portrait of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna in the Livadia Palace, during their visit to Crimea in 2015
Visit to Crimea
Together with his brother, Prince Dmitri supported the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation in 2014. He was the first of the Romanov family to visit Crimea after the Russian annexation. On 25th August 2015, Dimitri Romanovich and his wife Princess Feodora Alekseevna arrived in Sevastopol, where during a press conference they announced their readiness to move from Denmark to Crimea for permanent residence.
The following day, Dmitri and Princess Feodora Alekseevna visited the Livadia Palace, where they laid flowers at the monument to Emperor Nicholas II, erected in the spring of 2015. Dimitri Romanovich also visited the Djulber (aka Dulber) Palace, the family estate of the Nikolaevichs in the Crimea, which was built by Dmitri’s grandfather Grand Duke Peter Nikolaevich.
On 27th August, Dimitri Romanovich visited the museum-panorama of the defense of Sevastopol. On the same day, he visited the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet, the Guards missile cruiser Moskva. He was told about the history of the ship, its combat characteristics and the life of sailors and officers. At parting, the crew of the cruiser presented Dimitri Romanovich with two commemorative coins with a face value of 10 rubles, minted in honor of the annexation of Crimea by Russia. On the final day of the visit, 28th August, Dimitri Romanovich visited the Massandra Palace of Emperor Alexander III.
PHOTO: Prince Dmitri’s funeral was held on 10th January 2017, at the Alexander Nevsky Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Copenjagen, Denmark.
Death and funeral
At the end of December 2016, Prince Dmitri ‘s health deteriorated and he was subsequently hospitalized. He died on 31st December 2016 in a hospital in Copenhagen, Denmark.
The funeral service was held on 10th January 2017, in the Church of Alexander Nevsky in Copenhagen, performed by Archpriest Sergei Plekho
The prince’s coffin, covered with the Romanov tri-colour flag – black, yellow, white with a double-headed eagle, was surrounded with flowers and wreaths, among which two stood out – from Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin.
Russia’s Ambassador to Denmark Mikhail Vanin, who was present at the funeral service, read out a message from Russian President Vladimir Putin, expressing his condolences on the death of Prince Dimitri Romanov.
“Dimitri Romanovich was a “true patriot of Russia,” said Putin. “Throughout his life, the chairman of the Romanov Family Association kept the indissoluble spiritual connection with the motherland and made a great contribution to the dissemination of knowledge about the history and culture of our country abroad and about the heritage and traditions of the Russian Imperial House,” the Russian president added.
Numerous representatives of the foreign Russian diaspora attended his funeral, as well as Marshal of the Royal Court of Denmark Michael Eyrinreich, Chief Herald of the Russian Federation Georgy Vilinbakhov, and numerous Danish and Russian officials.
On 11th January 2017, a pannikhida [memorial service for the dead] was performed for the newly-departed Dimitri Romanovich, which was conducted by Archpriest Sergius Plekhov In the small chapel, at the Wedbeck Cemetery, situated about 20 km north of Copenhagen.
Then the coffin was transferred to the final resting place next to his first wife, Princess Joanna, née von Kauffmann, who died in 1989. After lowering the coffin into the grave, those present took turns throwing a handful of earth and Dimitri Romanovich’s favorite flowers, red roses.
PHOTO: grave of Prince Dmitri Romanovich Romanov (1926-2016) in Vedbaek Cemetery
Upon the death of his brother Nicholas in 2014, Dimitri assumed the Headship of the Imperial House of Russia. When Prince Dimitri Romanovich died on 31st December 2016, the male line of the Nicholaevich branch of the Romanov family died out.
Prince Dmitri Romanovich Romanov with the Order of Alexander Nevsky (1926-2016) Memory Eternal! Вечная Память! ☦️
On 14th March 2017, Dmitri Gorokhov of the Russian media news agency TASS, interviewed Prince Rostislav Romanov [b. 1985], great-grandson of Nicholas II’s sister, Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna. His Highness answered questions on the 100th anniversary of the abdication of Russia’s last emperor.
Although this interview was recorded more than a decade ago, it remains an interesting read nonetheless. Below is the first English language translation.
– How do you, Your Highness, a descendant of the Romanovs, look at the events that took place on 15th (O.S. 2nd) March 1917?
“On this day a hundred years ago, with the abdication of Emperor Nicholas II from the throne on his own behalf and on behalf of his son, the history of the Romanov dynasty in Russia ended. And even with the passing of time, it is difficult for me to think about this dramatic event without feeling sadness.
“If we turn to the past, we see that history has always consisted of stages. Previously, they were much longer than in the new era. Events in certain countries often served as indicators of general development in the regions. If we look at the events of the early 20th century, we will see the abolition of many monarchies long before 1917.
“For many decades, there were currents that aimed at such changes. In many countries, the end of dynasties took place in different forms. But in Russia it was extraordinarily tragic, and not only for our family. The upheavals caused by it made the whole of Russia suffer.”
“The Emperor could have saved his family by moving to England. But the Romanovs did not receive such an invitation from London…
” I believe that Nicholas II would never have left Russia. He loved her, was faithful to her. Russia was also a family to him, and he could never leave it.
“Let us now return to the trends of the early twentieth century, when many monarchies faced problems. Perhaps this explains London’s instruction to the British ambassador to Russia, George Buchanan: “His Majesty’s Government will not insist on the Emperor and his family coming to England . . . ” At that moment in England, neither the royal family nor the British government could have foreseen the consequences.
“Part of the Romanov family managed to avoid reprisals and gradually started a new life in other countries. But they were never able to return to their homeland and were forced to end their lives in exile, scattered around the world.”
– What image of Nicholas II did your relatives preserve?
“The older generations of our branch of the Romanovs were very close to the Tsar. My great-grandmother, Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna, was the Tsar’s sister. My great-grandfather, the creator of the Russian Air Force, Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich, was his brother-in-law.
“My father, Prince of the Imperial Blood Rostislav Rostislavovich (Senior), tried to raise my brother and me and our sister in the traditions of the dynasty, following its values. Nothing was more important to him than family, and in this he was very much like the late sovereign.
“One of the traits of the Tsar’s character was attention to other people. He never lost his composure, always remained steady, calm. This was a great gift.”
PHOTO: Prince Rostislav Romanov admires a portrait of Nicholas II, painted in 1900 by Valentin Alexandrovich Serov (1865-1911), in the State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
The eldest among the descendants of the Romanovs, Prince Dimitri Romanovich (1926-2016), did a lot to bring closer the dignified burial of Tsesarevich Alexei Nikolaevich and his sister Grand Duchess Maria. How does the family feel about these plans today?
“In January, together with other relatives, I participated in the farewell ceremony for Prince Dimitri Romanovich in Copenhagen. At the same time, we decided to continue the work to which the head of the Russian Imperial House gave so much of his strength.
“The eldest in our family, Prince of the Imperial Blood Dimitri Romanovich, believed that the Emperor’s children [Alexei and Maria] should be buried with their parents and sisters. And then the Tsar’s family will finally be able to rest in peace after so many difficult years.
“Christian duty is one of the reasons why the family calls for the burial of the Tsar’s children with their parents. Dimitri Romanovich hoped that this sad page of Russian history would be turned during his lifetime. Unfortunately, he did not live to see this moment. But we believe that he will see it from heaven.”
– You are a representative of the younger generation of the Romanovs. What does it mean to you to belong to this family?
“I often think about it, I have discussed it many times with my family. I think it is very important to preserve the legacy of the family, represented by the Romanov Family Association and the charitable Romanov Fund for Russia.
“We, the Romanovs, are proud of the contribution of our dynasty, which it left to the legacy of eternal Russia. The role of the dynasty has not been consigned to oblivion.
“That is why our association is so dear to us. It helps to maintain family ties, serves as a guide in our attitude to the roots and values of the family, which should never be forgotten. It defines our main goal at this moment, our commitment to the cause that was sacred for the late head of our family, Dimitri Romanovich: the burial in the cathedral of the Peter and Paul Fortress of Tsesarevich Alexei Nikolaevich and his sister Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna.
“We must always remember what trials Russia has gone through. It is also very important to help those who need it. I will always be grateful to the late Dimitri Romanovich for creating the Romanov Fund for Russia to come to the aid of those who need such support.
“At a January meeting in Copenhagen with Princess Feodora Alexeevna, who had been with Dimitri Romanovich all these years and shared his concerns, the relatives decided to continue the activities of the Romanov Family Association and the work of the Romanov Fund for Russia.”
You first visited Russia when you were twelve years old. How do you feel today in Moscow and St. Petersburg?
“Coming to both Russian capitals, I feel at home. Russia went through great trials, but retained its soul. And no matter what I do, the Russian soul leads me everywhere,” concluded His Highness.
PHOTO: Prince Dimitri Romanovich (left) and Prince Rostislav Rostislavovich. April 2015. Cannes, France
***
Prince Rostislav Rostislavovich Romanov was born on 21st May 1985 in in Lake Forest, Illinois (USA). He is the second child and eldest son of Prince Rostislav Rostislavovich Romanov (1938–1999) and his wife, Christia Ipsen(b. 1949).
Prince Rostislav belongs to the Mihailovichi branch of the Romanov family as a male line descendant of Grand Duke Michael Nikolaevich of Russia, the youngest son of Emperor Nicholas I. He is also a descendant of Emperors Alexander II and Alexander III, being the great-grandson of Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia (sister of the last Emperor Nicholas II) and her husband Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russia. Rostislav has been a member of the Romanov Family Association since 1985 and was a committee member between 2007 and 2013.
In September 2021, Prince Rostislav married Foteini Georganta, married in the Alexander Nevsky Orthodox Cathedral in Paris.[17] The wedding reception took place in the Cercle de l’Union Interalliée, a building that briefly housed the Russian Embassy in Paris after the Napoleonic Wars. The couple have one son, Prince Rostislav (born 2013).
In 2009, Prince Rostislav became the first Romanov to move back to Russia, where he lived for two years and studied Russian. He currently splits his time between the United Kingdom and Russia.
On this day – 15th September 2014 – Prince Nicholas Romanovich Romanov died in Bolgheri, Tuscany, Italy at the age of 91. Following the death of his cousin Prince Vladimir Kirillovich in 1992, Nicholas became his rightful successor as Head of the House of Romanov.
Prince Nicholas was born on 26th September 1922 in Cap d’Antibes near Antibes on the French Riviera. He was the eldest son of Prince of the Imperial Blood Roman Petrovich (1896-1978) and his wife Princess Praskovia Dmitrievna (née Countess Sheremeteva, 1901-1980).
Nicholas Romanovich belonged to the third branch of the first line of the House of Oldenburg-Russia (House of Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov, itself descended from the first branch of the House of Holstein-Gottorp). These three branches are all descended from the first branch of the House of Oldenburg. He is a direct descendant of Emperor Nicholas I (1796-1855).
PHOTO: Three generations: Prince Nicholas Romanovich Romanov with his grandfather (left) Grand Duke Peter Nikolaevich, and his father Prince Roman Petrovich (right)
Childhood, boyhood and youth
As children, Prince Nicholas Romanovich and his brother Dmitri Romanovich were immersed in a Russian atmosphere. he received a private education from Father Zossima, this monk taught him the old Russian school curriculum. Despite their exile, Prince Roman Petrovich and his wife raised their two sons in the Russian spirit, in their daily lives. The brothers observed the Old Style Julian calendar, and the religious holidays of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Nicholas did part of his studies in France, but he aspired to a career in the Italian navy as an officer. To realize his dream, his parents used their close ties to the Italian royal house (his paternal grandmother, Princess Militza of Montenegro, was the sister of Helen of Montenegro, the wife of Victor Emmanuel III of Italy). His grandmother made the necessary arrangements with the members of the House of Savoy. Nicholas Romanovich left his family to continue his studies in Italy, where he was taught by the retired Italian officer, Captain Tommaso Surdi. After completing his studies, the prince would be admitted to the Italian Naval School in Livorno. Suffering from short-sightedness, the prince had to abandon his career in the navy. During the Second World War the Italian fleet suffered terribly, incurring great losses, according to the prince, this myopia may have saved his life.
In 1936, his family moved to Italy, Nicholas Romanovich did classical studies, he graduated in 1942. From his early childhood the prince spoke Russian and French, later he learned English and Italian, his tutor, Marcel Berlinger taught him Latin and ancient Greek.
PHOTO: Prince of the Imperial Blood Roman Petrovich with his wife Princess Praskovia Dmitrievna and children Prince Dimitri (seated on his mother’s lap) and Prince Nicholas (right). Antibes, France. Late 1920s.
World War II and the post-war years
During the Fascist occupation of Rome, members of Nicholas Romanovich’s family lived under the constant threat of deportation, especially the prince’s paternal grandmother, Militza of Montenegro, who found refuge in a convent, and then in Vatican City. The prince’s family resided at the Villa Marlia near Lucca in Tuscany. In September 1943, surrounded by carabinieri, Nicholas and his family were taken to Rome, where they lived for the duration of the war. On 8th September 1943, Italy signed the armistice, and the prince’s family was present at the Villa Savoia (residence of the King and Queen of Italy) and witnessed the departure of Victor Emmanuel III and Queen Elena from Italy. In turn, the members of the prince’s family left Villa Savoia and lived clandestinely for more than nine months.
After the liberation of Rome by the Allies, Nicholas Romanovich was employed in one of the Allied agencies, the Psychological Warfare Branch. When World War II ended, the prince found a job with the United States Information Service (USIS). In 1946, Nicholas and his family moved to Egypt, where the prince held a few odd jobs, but wishing to return to Italy to continue his university studies, Nicholas considered his stay in Egypt as a period of rest. Between 1947 and 1948, the Turkish tobacco trade gave the prince a certain financial ease, he was also employed by an insurance company.
In 1950, Nicholas decided to return to Europe. On the way to Geneva, the prince stopped in Rome, where he met his future wife. Prior to his marriage, he was employed by the British Austin Motor Company, working with the firm’s representative in Italy, Colonel Andrew Constable-Maxwell.
PHOTO: Prince Nicholas Romanovich and his wife Countess Sveva della Gherardesca
Marriage and children
Nicholas Romanovich married Sveva della Gherardesca (b. 1930) 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. The prince’s wife belonged to the famous Tuscan family della Gherardesca, her father, Count Walfredo della Gherardesca was one of the descendants of Count Ugolino (Ugolin), a character in Dante’s Divine Comedy. Her mother was and the Marchioness Nicoletta de Picolellis.
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.
In 1982, Prince Nicholas and his wife moved to Rougemont, a small mountain village in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland. The couple lived there for seven months every year, usually in the winter. During the rest of the year they stayed in Italy with their daughters.
In January 1955, Nicholas’s brother-in-law died accidentally, and Nicholas Romanovich became the manager of his wife’s Tuscan estate. Between 1955 and 1980, the prince became a breeder of the Chianina cattle breed, some of these cattle were exported to Canada, he was also a winegrower.
PHOTO: Prince Nicholas Romanovich Romanov visiting Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg
Heartbeat from a non-Russian throne
During a BBC(Russia) interview in May 2006, Prince Nicholas Romanovich (1922-2014) confirmed that in 1942, Fascist Italy wanted to make him king of Montenegro, but he refused.
“In 1942 I was only 20 years old” – said Prince Nicholas – “I did not like Mussolini or the Nazis, even if I were a Montenegrin, I would still refuse.”
“More than 60 years have passed since then. I remember being at home in Rome. My father called me and said: “The Italian Minister of the royal court, the Duke of Aquarelle will arrive soon. He wants to talk with you.”
“I asked what he wanted. Father replied: “You will see.” When the minister arrived at the house, I was of course curious to know what he wanted. I was friends with his sons.”
“The minister approached me and said: “The Montenegrin throne is at your disposal. Give your answer – do you accept or not?”
“This surprised me very much, especially since my father had not warned me. I answered no. I said that I am not a Montenegrin. I am Russian, and Montenegro does not interest me. Since he was the minister of the Fascist government, I did not want to admit that I wanted to be to a appointed fascist regime.”
NOTE: Prince Nicholas Romanovich’s grandmother Grand Duchess Militsa Nikolaievna (1866-1951) was the Montenegrin Princess Milica Petrović-Njegoš, daughter of King Nicola I of Montenegro (1841–1921). [She married Grand Duke Peter Nikolaevich (1864-1931) of Russia on On 26 July 1889]
“The minister then told my father that I was already over 16 years old, that I was a dynastic adult, and that he had no right to refuse this wonderful gift offered to his son. My father also refused.”
And so Montenegro was left without a king …
“When the First Great War ended” – added Prince Nicolas – “Montenegro was under the occupation of the Austro-Hungarian armies. My great-grandfather, King Nicola, was forced to leave his country.”
“And when, at the end of the war, attempts to reorganize Europe began, Montenegro was left without its strongest patron, which was Russia . . . Tsarist Russia.”
“The Montenegrin king was left without patronage, and the Montenegrin kingdom disappeared from the world map.”
PHOTO: the Head of the House of Romanov Prince Nicholas Romanovich throws a handful of earth into the grave of Emperor Nicholas II and his family. St. Petersburg, 17th July 1998
Head of the House of Romanov
After the sale of his Tuscan farm, Nicholas began to gather information about the Romanov family in order to write a biography. At the same time, the prince painted watercolours depicting the fictitious operation of a battleship of the Russian Imperial Navy in the Mediterranean, and he affixed to them legends written in his own hand. This work, on the advice of his friend Masolino d’Amico, was presented to a publisher, it was published in 1988 by the publisher the Italian publisher Mondadori, This work was entitled Storia di una corazzàta Tonda [Tr. History of the Tonda battleship].
The interest shown by Prince Nicholas in the country of his ancestors and the changes that had taken place in Russia led the media, particularly television, who pursued him constantly for interviews. As a result, Nicholas gave more than one hundred interviews during his lifetime. In addition, he has appeared in documentaries about Russia’s last Tsar, and has given many lectures on Russia and the Romanov family.
It was Prince Roman Petrovich, who came up with the idea of a family association of the Romanovs in the mid-1970s. It was not until 1979, however, that the Romanov Family Association was officially created. Prince Dmitri Alexandrovich served as it’s first president and Nicholas as vice-president. When Prince Vasili Alexandrovich became president in 1980, Nicholas remained vice-president. In 1989, after the death of Vasili Alexandrovich, Prince Nicholas was elected the new president. It should be noted that Princess Maria Vladimirovna has never joined the Romanov Family Association, nor did her late father Prince Vladimir Kirillovich.
The Romanov Family Association was an organization whose goal was to strengthen the connection between the descendants of the House of Romanov, who were living now scattered across the globe. The association exists to the present day.
The official position of the Romanov Family Association is that the rights of the family to the Russian Throne were suspended when Emperor Nicholas II abdicated for himself and for his son Tsesarevich Alexei in favour of his brother Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich who then deferred ascending the Throne until a Constituent Assembly ratified his rule. Michael did not abdicate but empowered the Provisional Government to rule.
Following the death of Prince Vladimir Kirillovich on 21 April 1992, Prince Nicholas Romanovich became his rightful successor and rightful Head of the House of Romanov. He was elected pretender to the throne of Russia on 31st December 1992, by members of the Russian Imperial Family in exile, against his cousin the Princess (known as the “Grand Duchess”) Maria Vladimirovna.
In June 1992, the prince visited Russia for the first time, and further visits followed. From 1998, Nicholas Romanovich visited Russia once a year. In July 1998, as head of the House of Romanov, Prince Nicholas Romanovich, attended the ceremonies held on the occasion of the funeral of the last Tsar Nicholas II of Russia in St. Petersburg.
Prince Nicholas led more than 50 Romanov descendants at the funeral of Emperor Nicholas II and his family in St. Petersburg, on 17th July 1998. The writer of this obituary was also in St. Petersburg for this historic event, and it was the one and only time that I met in person both Princes Nicholas and Dmitri Romanovich in person. The meeting took place in the lobby of the Astoria Hotel, and although it was nothing more than a handshake, an introduction and an exchange of a few words. I recall Prince Nicholas smiling and shaking my hand when I told him I had come from Canada for the funeral. I was struck by the warmth and sincerity of this brief encounter. I was even invited to travel on the special coaches which had been arranged to transport the more than 50 Romanov descendants[1] from the Astoria to the SS Peter and Paul Cathedral for the funeral.
As head of the Romanov family, Prince Nicholas was also present at the reburial of the remains of the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna in Russia in September 2006. Prince Nicholas and his brother Prince Dmitri had been responsible for lobbying the Danish royal family and the Russian President Vladimir Putin to allow the transfer of the Dowager Empress’s remains to Russia so they could be buried alongside her husband Emperor Alexander III.
PHOTO: an elderly Prince Nicholas Romanovich remains one of the most highly respected descendants of the Romanov Dynasty
Prince Nicholas Romanovich died in Bolgheri. Tuscany on 15th September 2014, aged 91. His funeral was held on 17th September 2014, at the Church of Saints Jacob and Christopher in Bolgheri. The funeral ceremony was performed by two priests, one from the Roman Catholic Church, the other from the Holy Great Martyr Catherine of the Moscow Patriarchate. At the foot of the coffin lay a wreath of flowers of the Russian tricolor, as well as numerous wreaths and fresh flowers. The condolences of Russian President Vladimir Putin were conveyed to the family of the deceased by Russian Ambassador to the Vatican Alexander Avdeev. A telegram of sympathy signed by the speaker of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Sergei Naryshkin was also read. Prince Nicholas was then interred in the crypt of the Counts della Gherardesca, the burial site of his wife’s family, at the Basilica of St. Francis in Pisa in Tuscany.
Prince Nicholas was survived by his wife, their three children, five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Memory Eternal! Вечная Память!
In 2022, Russian historian Ivan Matveev published a biography Хранитель истории династии. Жизнь и время князя Николая Романова / Keeper of the History of the Dynasty. The Life and Time of Prince Nicholas Romanov.
[1] The only Romanov descendants who did not take part in the funeral ceremonies were Princess Maria Vladimirovna, her son George and her mother Princess Leonida Georgievna (1914-2010). The reason being, that none of them (even to this day) recognize the Ekaterinburg Remains, as those of Emperor Nicholas II, his wife, and their five children. Lord have Mercy!
PHOTO: His Highness Prince Andrei Andreevich (1923-2021)
On 28th November, the head of the Romanov Family, His Highness Prince Andrei Andreevich, died in Inverness, California, at the age of 98.
Prince Andrew Andreevich was born on 21 January 1923 in London, England. He is the third child and youngest son of Prince Andrei Alexandrovich (1897–1981) and his first wife Princess Elizabeth Fabricievna, née Duchess of Sasso-Ruffo and Princess of San-Antimo. His godfather was the future King Edward VIII.
Prince Andrew belongs to the fourth branch of the Mikhailovich line of the House of Romanov. He is the great-great-grandson of Emperor Nicholas I and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna in a straight male line.
Through his grandmother, Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna (1875-1960), he is a great-grandson of Emperor Alexander III and Empress Maria Feodorovna. His grandfather was Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich (1866-1933). He was a grand-nephew of Emperor Nicholas II.
After Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh’s death in 2021, Prince Andrew became the oldest living descendant of King Christian IX of Denmark.
Andrei Andreevich was the last representative of the Romanov dynasty who received the traditional Russian pre-revolutionary education and knew the Russian language perfectly. Andrei Andreevich was the last of the descendants of the dynasty who met with the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna in 1927. The Empress was also present at the christening of Andrei Andreevich in 1923.
On the birthday of her great-grandson, Empress Maria Feodorovna wrote in her diary: “I received a telegram from Andryusha [Prince Andrei]. His son was born. Everyone is very happy about this.” Later, the Empress was present at the baptism of the baby, as evidenced by another entry in her personal diary: “… At 2:30 Olga came to take me, Xenia and Zina to Andryusha’s car for the christening of his little son Andrew. The ceremony took place at their home, where only family and loved ones gathered. The child is very cute. During the christening, Dmitry and I held him in our arms. He hardly cried and fell asleep right after it was all over. Minnie and her husband were there as well, so after the ceremony we sat and talked together. I gave Andrew a small silver bowl for the baby, and Alix, who also became his godmother, sent his mother a brooch.”
Prince Andrew Andreevich Romanoff was the eldest male descendant of the Russian Imperial Family, and a member of The Romanov Family Association, founded in 1979. He was recognized by many as the Head of the Russian Imperial Family. Andrew, like most Romanov descendants never recognized the illegimate claims of Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich, Vladimir Kirillovich, nor Maria Vladimirovna, as “Head” of the non-existent “Russian Imperial House.”
PHOTO: Prince Andrei at his home in Inverness, California
Andrei Andreevich was the first of the Romanovs to visit Russia after the revolution – in December 1942 he served as a sailor on the British cruiser Sheffield and took part in the Arctic expeditions to deliver cargo to Murmansk [formerly Romanov-on-Murman].
In 1954, Andrei Andreevich received US citizenship. After retirement, he was fond of painting and photography. After the fall of the Soviet Union, he visited Russia several times, including the funeral for Emperor Nicholas II and members of his family at the SS Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg, the reburial of his great-grandmother Empress Maria Feodorovna in St. Petersburg in 2006. The last time he visited Russia was in 2013, in the year marking the 400th anniversary of the House of Romanov.
Prince Andrew married three times. He was married firstly in San Francisco on 9 September 1951 to Elena Konstantinovna Dourneva (5 May 1927, Tokyo – 31 May 1992, Oakland). She was the only daughter of Konstantin Afanasievich Durnev (1896–1970) and Felixa Stanislavovna Zapalsky (1903–2002). They had one son before divorcing in 1959.
He was married secondly to Kathleen Norris (1 March 1935, San Francisco – 8 December 1967, San Francisco) in San Francisco on 21 March 1961. She was a granddaughter of American authors Kathleen Norris and Charles Gilman Norris. She died after pneumonia at 32. They had two children.
He was married thirdly on 17 December 1987 in Reno, Nevada, to the American artist Inez Storer (née Bachelin; born 11 October 1933, Santa Monica, California). She is a daughter of Franz Bachelin and Anita Hirschfeld. The couple lived in Inverness, California.
In recent years, Andrew Andreevich lived in a nursing home in San Anselmo, California. Prince Andrew is survived by his wife, Inez, his three sons Alexis (1953), Peter (1961) Andrew (1963) his granddaughter, Natasha Romanov, and his half-sister, Olga Romanov.
Memory Eternal! Вечная Память!
In 2017, I was presented with this copy of The Boy Who Would be Tsar. The Art of Prince Andrew Romanoff. It remains a treasured keepsake in my personal library. This 64-page autobiography is illustrated with family photographs and his artwork. Prince Andrew gives readers a glimpse life growing up in the guest house of Windsor Castle, where he spent his childhood with his sister and brother, granted to his family by King George V.
Nicholas II 
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