dynastic Descendants of the Romanoff Family — The Russian Legitimist
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The Russian Legitimist
Non-Dynastic Descendants of the Romanoff Family

While HIH Grand Duchess Maria and HIH Grand Duke George are the only two living members of the Russian Imperial House, there are many descendants of the Russian Imperial House alive today who are not dynasts.

The non-dynastic descendants of this illustrious family are spread all over the world. Today, none speak Russian fluently, and only a few are Russian Orthodox, as a whole they now have diverse nationalities and religious traditions. A number of them seek to honor their family descent by means of charitable endeavors in Russia.

As stated elsewhere on this website, during the monarchy the descendants of non-dynastic or morganatic marriages were not allowed to use the Romanoff surname, which was reserved for members of the dynasty. Such non-dynasts received new surnames like Yurievsky, Iskander, Torby, Paley and Brassov, as well as new coats of arms. The Revolution of 1917 ended the monarchy. Surviving dynasts fled into exile in the West, and most contracted non-dynastic marriages. Their non-dynastic sons and daughters then inherited the Romanoff surname under the laws of the western countries (such as France, Britain and in the United States) in which they were born – countries in which children take their father’s surname. The fact that in exile both dynasts and non-dynasts used the Romanoff surname caused confusion as to who were members of the Imperial House and who were simply descended from the Imperial House.

Immediately after the revolution, two members of the Nikolaevichi, the second most junior branch of the Imperial House, did not ask the head of the house for permission for marriage: H.H. Princess Nadejda Petrovna of Russia (who became Princess Nicholas Orloff), and H.H. Prince Roman Petrovich of Russia (who married Countess Praskovia Cheremetieff). Though these two new spouses were members of the highest Russian aristocracy, they were not of “equal birth” under the dynastic laws (that is, they were not members of a royal or sovereign dynasty) and therefore their children were never eligible to be members of the Imperial House.

The equal marriage laws of the dynasty made clear that Prince Roman of Russia’s two sons, the late Nicholas Romanoff (d. 2014) and his brother, Dimitri Romanoff were excluded from dynastic membership. Authoritative references books such as the “old” (that is, pre-1944) Almanach de Gotha and the Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels listed the two sons as non-dynasts. In a 1938 Declaration published with the permission of the head of the dynasty, Grand Duke Wladimir, and signed by the five deynasts most senior in the line of succession after Wladimir, the signatories stated definitively that Nicholas, Dimitri and the other non-dynastic sons alive in 1938 were not members of the Imperial House.

If they were not members of the dynasty, then what was their status in exile? In order to give noble (non-royal titles) to these non-dynasts and to try to counter their increasing use of the Romanoff surname, Grand Duke Kirill, Head of the Imperial House, decreed in 1935 that the non-dynastic (morganatic) wives and descendants of dynasts would have the title of Prince or Princess Romanovsky, hyphenated with the name of a former estate or the maiden name of the spouse. He also specified that the eldest male descendant of the non-dynastic marriage would have the right to the qualification of Serene Highness. Thus, the son of Grand Duke Dimitri Pavlovich became H.S.H. Prince Paul Romanovsky-Ilyinsky (Ilyinskoe having been the Grand Duke’s family estate in Russia) and the wife of Prince Vsevolod of Russia became H.S.H. Princess Romanovsky-Pavlovsky (Pavlovsk being the Russian estate of Prince Vsevolod’s branch of the family). The surname “Romanovsky” (meaning “of the Romanoffs”) denoted kinship to the House of Romanoff, but not membership in it. In the 1920s and 1930s, all of the senior members of the Imperial House, such as the Grand Dukes Andrei and Boris Vladimirovich, Grand Duke Dimitri Pavlovich, the older sons of Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich, and the son and grandson of Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich all sought and received permission for their non-dynastic marriages and received titles for their non-dynastic wives and children, titles granted by Grand Duke Kirill and Grand Duke Wladimir. These new titles were acknowledged by the Almanach de Gotha and other reference books. In 1951, Grand Duke Wladimir issued a further edict confirming the noble title of Prince or Princess Romanovsky to the non-dynastic spouses and descendants who had not specifically received these noble titles in the 1920s and 1930s.

The Non-Dynastic Descendants of the Romanoffs:

The following is a list of the non-dynastic descendants of the Imperial House alive today.

They are listed according to their genealogical seniority from their most recent Imperial ancestor. Those whose antecedents did not request new names or titles at some point are recorded with their current civilly legal surname of "Romanoff". As non-dynasts, none of these people listed have the right to the titles of Prince or Princess of Russia (Princess or Princess of the Imperial Blood), which is reserved exclusively for dynastic members of the Imperial House.

The title of "Prince Romanoff" or "Princess Romanoff" used by some non-dynastic descendants is entirely self-assumed and was never granted to anyone, either by Grand Duke Kirill or Grand Duke Wladimir, who successively headed the dynasty from 1918 to 1992.

As an example, Vladimir Andreievich, morganatic son of Grand Duke Andrew of Russia by his wife Mathilde Kschessinska, was given the morganatic title of Prince Romanovsky-Krassinsky, with the predicate of Serene Highness, by his uncle, Grand Duke Kirill. Prince Vladimir Romanovsky-Krassinsky was an ardent monarchist who strongly supported the legitimist efforts of his uncle, Grand Duke Kirill, and then his first cousin, Grand Duke Wladimir. Eventually Prince Romanovsky-Krassinsky dropped the "-ski" and the Krassinsky and called himself Prince Vladimir Romanoff. This was, however, a self-assumed usage in society and did not reflect his actual legal title. The only creation of the title "Prince/Princess Romanoff" was in 2021, when Grand Duchess Maria, Head of the Imperial House, bestowed this title on her daughter-in-law Victoria Romanovna and descendants of the latter's marriage with Grand Duke George.

Male members are listed in bold, female members are listed here in accordance with their father’s precedence, spouses and living widows are not listed.

DESCENDANTS OF HIH GRAND DUKE DMITRI PAVLOVICH OF RUSSIA, THE PRINCES ROMANOVSKY-ILYINSKY

HSH Prince Dmitri Pavlovich Romanovsky-Ilyinsky, b. 1954

Princess Catherine Dmitrievna Romanovskaya-Ilyinskaya, Mrs. Goodyear b. 1981

Princess Victoria Dmitrievna Romanovskaya-Ilyinskaya, Mrs. Binda b. 1984

Princess Lela Dmitrievna Romanovskaya-Ilyinskaya, b. 1986

Prince Michael Pavlovich Romanovsky-Ilyinsky, b. 1959

Princess Alexis Mikhailovna Romanovskaya-Ilyinskaya b. 1994

Princess Paula Pavlovna Romanovskaya-Ilyinskaya, Mrs. Comisar b. 1956

Princess Anna Pavlovna Romanovskaya-Ilyinskaya, Mrs. Glosinger b. 1959

With the deaths of the Princes Dmitri and Michael Pavlovich, the Ilyinsky line will become extinct in the male line.

DESCENDANTS OF HM EMPEROR ALEXANDER II OF RUSSIA, THE PRINCES YOURIEVSKY

HSH Prince Hans-George Alexandrovich Yourievsky, b. 1961

Prince Yourievsky is married, but without issue. With his death, the Yourievsky line will become extinct.

DESCENDANTS OF HH PRINCE ROMAN PETROVICH OF RUSSIA

Daughters of the late Nicholas Romanovich Romanoff, d. 2014

Natalia Nikolaevna Romanoff (now Sig. Consolo), b. 1952

Elizaveta Nikolaevna Romanoff (now Sig. Bonacini), b. 1956

Tatiana Nikolaevna Romanoff (now Sig. Tirotti), b. 1961

With the death of Dimitri Romanovich Romanoff, the Nikolaevichi branch became extinct in the male line in 2016.

DESCENDANTS OF HH PRINCE ANDREW ALEXANDROVICH OF RUSSIA

Alexis Andreievich Romanoff b. 1953

No issue

Peter Andreievich Romanoff b. 1961

No issue

Andrew Andreievich Romanoff b. 1963

Natasha Andreievna Romanoff b. 1993

Olga Andreievna Romanoff, b. 1950 (Half-sister of Andrew Andreievich Romanoff, b. 1923 - d. 2021)

DESCENDANTS OF HH PRINCE FEODOR ALEXANDROVICH OF RUSSIA

Irina Feodorovna Romanoff, Mme. Soulas b. 1934

Tatiana Mikhailovna Romanoff, b. 1986 (The natural daughter of Mikhail Mikhailovich Romanoff, (b. 1959 - d. 2001) later adopted by her grandfather, Mikhail Feodorovich Romanoff b. 1923 - d. 2008).

DESCENDANTS OF HH PRINCE ROSTISLAV ALEXANDROVICH OF RUSSIA

Stephena Alexandra Rostislavovna Romanoff, Mrs. Boggess b. 1963

Alexandra Rostislavovna Romanoff b. 1983

Rostislav Rostislavovich Romanoff b. 1985

Rostislav-George Rostislavovich Georgante Romanoff, b. 2013 (The natural son of the then-unmarried Prince Rostislav Rostislavovch, b. 1985.)

Nikita Rostislavovich Romanoff b. 1987

Nicholas Rostislavovich Romanoff, b. 1945

Nicholas Nikolaevich Romanoff, b. 1968

Daniel-Joseph Nikolaevich Romanoff, b. 1972

Madison Daniilovna Romanoff, b. 2007

(Jackson) Daniel Daniilovich Romanoff, b. 2009

Heather Noel Nikolaevna Romanoff, Mrs. Munao b. 1976

DESCENDANT OF HH PRINCE VASSILI ALEXANDROVICH OF RUSSIA

Marina Vasilievna Romanoff, b. 1940

It should be noted this branch became extinct in the male line in 1989.