Princess Leonida’s 95th birthday celebrated with release of new pictures

The official website of the Russian Imperial House released new pictures to celebrate the 95th birthday of Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Leonida Georgievna. The pictures are rare opportunity to see Leonida Georgievna because she has largely withdrawn from public eyes following her husband’s death.

Apart from the pictures, the message of congratulations from Kirill I, Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia was also released. The Patriarch congratulated Leonida Georgievna and hailed her role in helping the current generation of Russians know and appreciate their historical and spiritual roots.

Grand Duchess Leonida is the widow of Grand Duke Vladimir Cyrillovich and mother of current (disputed) Head of the Imperial House and pretender to the Russian Throne, Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna.

The Grand Duchess was born on September 23, 1914 in Tiflis (now Tbilisi), Georgia to Prince Georgiy Alexandrovich Bagration-Mukhrani and Princess Elena Sigismundovna (née Novina-Zlotnicka). She married Vladimir Cyrillovich in 1948 and their only child, Maria Vladimirovna, was born in 1953. Their marriage was controversial and considered morganatic by most members of the Romanov Family.

You can read the blog entry commemorating Leonida Georgivna’s birthday here.

Filed under Georgia, Russia
Tagged Bagration-Mukhrani, Birthday, Leonida Bagration of Mukhrani, Portraits.