Grand Duchesses Xenia (1875-1960) and Olga (1882-1960), sisters of Nicholas II
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Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna Romanova (In Russian Великая Княгина Ксения Александровна) (was born on 6 April 1875 in St Petersburg and died 20 April 1960 at Wilderness House in Hampton Court, England) She was the daughter of Tsar Alexander III of Russia and Dagmar of Denmark and sister of the last crowned Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and, his brief uncrowned successor, their brother Michael.

Xenia Alexandrovna married Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich Romanov (a grandson of Nicholas I of Russia on 6 August 1894 (25th July in the "old style" Russian callender) at Peterhof. Together they had seven children. Here is a list of her descendants:

HH Princess Irina Alexandrovna of Russia (1895-1970), married Prince Felix Yusupov (1887-1967), had issue, see page for her descendants

HH Prince Andrei Alexandrovich of Russia (1897-1981), married morganatically Elisabetta Ruffo (1887-1940), then Nadine McDougall (1908-2000), cr. HSH Princess Romanovskaya; had issue by first marriage:

Xenia Andrejevna Romanova (1919-2000), married Calhoun Ancrum (born 1915), then Geoffrey Tooth (1908-1998); no issue

Michael Andrejevitch Romanov (born 1920), married Esther Murphy (born 1921), then Shirley Grammond (1916-1983), then Giulia Crespi (born 1930); no issue

Andrej Andrejevitch Romanov (born 1923), married Elena Dourneva (born 1927), then Kathleen Norris (1935-1967), then Inez von Bachelin (born 1933); had issue by first (first two children) and second (last two) marriages:

Olga Andrejevna Romanova (born out of wedlock 1950), married Thomas Mathew (born 1945); had issue: Nicholas (born 1976), Francis (born 1978), Alexandra (born 1981), and Thomas 1987-1989) Matthew

Alexis Andrejevitch Romanov (born 1953), married Zoetta Leisy (born 1956); no issue

Peter Andrejevitch Romanov (born 1961)

Andrew Andrejevitch Romanov (born 1963), married Elizabeth Flores (born 1964); had one daughter: Natasha Romanov (born 1993)

HH Prince Fyodor Alexandrovich of Russia (1898-1968), married morganatically HSH Prince Irina Paley (1903-1990); had issue:

Mikhael Feodorovitch Romanov (born 1924), married Helga Staufenberger (born 1926), then María de las Mercedes (born 1960); had issue by first marriage:

Mikhael Paul Romanov (1959-2001); illegitimate issue with stepmother, María de las Mercedes: Tatjana Romanov (born 1986)

Irene Feodorovna Romanova (born 1934), married André Pelle (born 1923), then Victor-Marcel Soulas (born 1938); had issue from first (first child) and second (second child) marriages:

Alain Pelle (born 1956), married Pascale Deletre; had issue: Olivier (born 1984) and Christophe (born 1987) Pelle

Joelle Soulas (born 1966)

HH Prince Nikita Alexandrovich of Russia (1900-1974), married morganatically Countess Marija Vorontzova-Daschkova (1903-1997); had issue:

Nikita Nikititch Romanov (born 1923), married Jane Schonwald ("Anna Mikhailovna") (born 1933); had issue: Feodor Nikititch Romanov (born 1974)

Alexander Nikititch Romanov (born 1929), married Maria Valguarnera di Niscemi (born 1931)

HH Prince Dmitri Alexandrovich of Russia (1901-1980), married morganatically Contess Marina Golenistcheva-Koutouzova (1912-1969), cr. HSH Princess Romanovskaya-Koutouzova, then Sheila Chisholm (1898-1969), cr. HSH Princess Romanovskaya; had issue by first marriage:

HSH Princess Nadeshda Dimitrievna Romanovskaya-Koutouzova (born 1933), married Anthony Allen (born 1931), then William Clark (born 1924); had issue by first marriage:

Penelope Allen (born 1953), married Prince Emanuel Galitzine (born 1951); had issue: Princess Victoria (born 1984) and Prince Michael (born 1993) Galitzine

Marina Allen (born 1955), married Franklin Hutson (born 1952), then Michael Otis (born 1948); no issue

Alexandra Allen (born 1958)

HH Prince Rotislav Alexandrovich of Russia, married morganatically Princess Aleksandra Pavlovna Galitzine (born 1905), then Alice Eilken (1923-1996), then Hedwig von Chappuis (1905-1997), cr. HSH Princess Romanovskaya; had issue from first (first child) and second (second child) marriages:

Rostislav Rostislavitch Romanov (1938-1999), married Stephena Verdel Cook (born 1938), then Christia Ipsen (born 1949); had issue from first (first child) and second (other children) marriages:

Stephena Rostislavovna Romanova (born 1963), married William Porter Boggis III (born 1960)

Alexandra Rostislavovna Romanova (born 1983)

Rostislav Rostislavitch Romanov (born 1985)

Nikita Rostislavitch Romanov (born 1987)

Nicholas Rostislavitch Romanov (born 1945), married Pamela Kuzinowski (born 1944); had issue:

Nicolas Romanov (born 1968), married Lisa Marie Flowa (born 1971); had issue: Cory Romanov (born 1994)

Daniel Romanov (born 1972)

Heather Romanov (born 1976)

HH Prince Vasili Alexandrovich of Russia (1907-1989), married morganatically Princess Natalja Aleksandrovna Galitzine (1907-1989); had issue:

Marina Vassilievna Romanova (born 1940), married William Beadleston (born 1938); had issue:

Tatiana Beadleston (born 1968)

Alexandra Beadleston (born 1970), married Peter DeWitt Mason Blake (born 1970)

Nicholas Beadleston (born 1971)

Natalie Beadleston (born 1976)

One of Xenia's descendants would currently be the Head of the Romanov Family, but all of her children married morganatically, thus Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna currently holds that position.

Following the revolution Xenia and her husband separated. She became a dependent of the British Royal family who in addition to an income, granted her a grace and favour house first in Windsor Great Park and then in the grounds of Hampton Court Palace, London.

Von Schlesian said:

Layla;

if you can , read a book called 'The Exile' by Allan Folsom (there's an Imperial Romanov eagle on the cover). THe plot explores a very similar scenario, and problem for the family which you brought up in your previous post. Well said also!

Does this sound like the book you were talking about?

Night in the California desert. Undercover members of an elite Los Angeles Police Department homicide squad board a train in an attempt to take a cold-blooded killer into custody. But their quarry is all too aware of their presence and plots deadly, evasive action. As daybreak comes and the train nears Los Angeles, fate and the ambitions of others take a hand. Suddenly the cat and mouse game widens and John Barron, the youngest and newest member of the squad, finds himself in a brutal, deeply personal war with the killer, Raymond Thorne, that involves the LAPD, Barron's beautiful sister, Rebecca, and a rich, mysterious French baroness.

The Exile is a fierce, complex, unputdownable thriller in which the action spreads like wildfire from the sun-baked streets of Los Angeles across the face of Europe to Moscow, and then to the gilded palaces of St Petersburg where the long, exhausting trail of murder, passion and fate at last ends in a final, bloody and harrowing climax.

If it is the same book I'll have to read it to understand the similarities!

Layla

Marengo said:

I can also recommend 'Once a Grand Duchess'. A biography of GD Xenia by Coryne Hall and John van der Kiste. Ad just recently a new book came on the market, published by Arturo Beeche (who is also one of the co-authors) about all russian grandduchesses since Paul I. Marlene Koenig has also written some chapters in this book (she is a frequent poster of royalty message boards, as is mr Beeche).

"The Grand Duchesses" by Eurohistory, I hear, is very good. I'm not sure who belongs to this forum but I know Art Beeche and Mrs. Koenig belong to the AP. Eurohistory also sells a bunch of other books including the van der Kiste book on Ksenia and the Coryne Hall one (which is autographed).

Olga and Xenia became very involved in the Anna Anderson case after they moved to Denmark with their mother. Olga Alexandrovna actually went to see Anna Anderson when she was suffering from tuberculocous in a hospital. Olga was very touched by Anderson, who was then called 'the ivalid', and said to Ambassador Zahle. "My reason cannot grasp it, but my heart tells me it is she." She spent several days with Anna Anderson, and sent her five letters with gifts. One letter said, "We shall never abandon you." A few weeks later however, Olga delivered a statement that she had known INSTANTLY Mrs. Tchaivkovsky was NOT Anastasia Nicholaevna.

Xenia was charming and practical and had a wonderful family, six sons and a daughter. Alix was neurotic and shy and demanding. It was better that she had more daughters than sons, as her sons stood a great chance, as her one son did, of having hemophilia. She had no trouble having children, just more daughters than sons, which is the luck of the draw. Xenia and Alix were friends, but as time passed Alix walled herself off from most everyone, including the family, thus causing distrust from all sides. Xenia, also felt she had too much control over the Tsar and meddled in affairs that she should not have.

Viv, not quite helpless, really, Olga just went in a different direction than her sister and was of a very different personality. She also married beneath her and that was a sore spot with relatives for a long time.

I sometimes wonder if Xenia milked it that she was the long suffering wife given GDA's womanizing ways.

You've got a point, Russophile, never really thought

about it because Xenia had her sidekicks too, didn't she?

As for the Kulikovskis: They had a long and loving marriage, but at a

price! I've been wondering whether "the sore spot" has been passed

on to the descendants of Xenia rsp. Olga?

Viv

Massie writes in his "The Romanov's The Final Chapter" about when the bones are found and they want samples of DNA from the family, the boys of GDO (Guri and Tikhon) were very suspicious about the whole affair and had a chip on their shoulders saying that people didn't believe they were descended from royalty.

As for Xenia's brood, they sort of faded into the melting pot. The only info. I know is about the one Prince that committed suicide after his father passed from and illness. Peter Kurth knew him.

At least Goerge V gave her an income and a home after she fled Russia. But I don't think he did this for Olga but do not know the reason why.

I'll have to look up the thing about the income. It's been a while since I read about Xenia and her situation but if memory serves me, and sometimes it doesn't, I think he only gave her a home because May was coveting her jewelry. But then again, I'm not sure. . .