Music written by members of the Romanov dynasty is to be performed for the first time on October 20, during the concert that will take place in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow.

Prince Vladimir Paley

Among the pieces to be performed are polkas, songs, marches, ballads and romances written by Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich and Grand Duchess Alexandra Iosifovna (wife of Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich, second son of Nicholas I), as well music based on poetry written by Prince Vladimir Pavlovich Paley (the son of Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich and his morganatic wife Olga Valerianovna Paley) and Prince Oleg Konstantinovich (the immensely talented 4th son of Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich who died in battle during World War I, aged just 21). The magnificent music on Ukrainian themes composed by Alexander II will also be heard for the first time.

The audience will have a unique insight into the very soul of members Romanovs: they will see, or rather hear, not statesmen and historical figures but real people with their thoughts, feelings, worries and yearnings.

The Romanov dynasty gave birth to many people distinguished in various fields, including art. All Romanovs received excellent musical education, which resulted in beautiful and touching pieces that show the woes and joys of the times. Among the number of those extraordinary people, two names stand out – Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich and Prince Vladimir Pavlovich Paley.

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Marsel Historical Royals, Russian Royals Alexander II, Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich, Music, Prince Vladimir Paley

more pictures from Imperial House

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 The pictures are rare opportunity to see Leonida Georgievna because she has largely withdrawn from public eyes following her husband’s death.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.

Patriarch's letter

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.

Marsel Russian Royals Bagration-Mukhrani, Birthday, Grand Duchess Leonida, Portraits

Alexei in 1912

“Science” journal published results of a study which found that some of Queen Victoria’s male descendants suffered from a severe form of blood clotting disorder Haemophilia B, also known as the Christmas Disease. Although it has already been known that the British Queen’s descendants were affected by Haemophilia, this is the first time the exact form of the disease was identified.

The scientists examined DNA samples extracted from the remains of the Romanovs and found that Tsarevich Alexei suffered from Haemophilia B, while one of his sisters, Anastasia, was a carrier. Alexei and Anastasia were the children of Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra, and female-line descendants of Queen Victoria: they inherited the mutation from their mother, who was Queen Victoria’s granddaughter.

Haemophilia lowers the level of the chemicals that cause blood to clot after injury. Haemophilia A, resulting from a lack of clotting factor VIII, is the most common form, affecting one in 5,000–10,000 males. Haemophilia B is caused by a deficiency of factor IX and affects one in 20,000–35,000 males. Because the disorder is linked to the X chromosome, only males suffer from the disease. This is because males have only one X chromosome, so if that single chromosome is affected, than the male in question will be a victim of the disease. Females only carry it because their second X chromosome is extremely unlikely to have the same mutation. Through Queen Victoria, Royal Houses of Russia, Spain and Germany were plagued with the “Royal Disease”.

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Marsel British Royals, Historical Royals, Russian Royals Grand Duchess Anastasia, Haemophilia, Health, Queen Victoria, Science, Tsarevich Alexei

Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Leonida Georgievna, the widow of Grand Duke Vladimir Cyrillovich, was born on September 23, 1914.  Grand Duke Vladimir was Pretender to the Russian Throne and titular Emperor of Russia; as such, Leonida Georgievna is titular Dowager Empress of Russia. She is the mother of the current (disputed) head of the House of Romanov, Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna.

Click to see the image at Imperial House

Leonida Georgievna was born in Tiflis (now Tbilisi), Georgia to Prince Georgiy Alexandrovich Bagration of Mukhrani and Princess Elena Sigismundovna (née Novina-Zlotnicka). The Bagrations claim their descent from Biblical King David. Bagrations (Bagratids) held the position of King Crowners of the ancient Armenian Kings from 150 BC. The first king of the dynasty was Ashot I, who was recognized by the Arabs as King of the Armenians in 885. The Georgian branch of the Bagrations started with Bagrat, who came to Georgia in 575. The House of Bagration-Mukhrani was established in 1469. Although with the death of King Georgiy XII in 1801 Georgia became part of the Russian Empire, the Bagrations never relinquished their position as Georgian dynasts.

Princess Leonida married Sumner Kirby in 1934. In 1935 they had a daughter Helene, who was later given the title Countess Dvinskaya by her stepfather. Following the couple’s divorce two years later, Princess Leonida settled in Spain: it was there she met her second husband.

In 1946, Grand Duke Vladimir Cyrillovich was approached by Prince Fernando of Bavaria and Bourbon, Infante of Spain, with a question regarding the upcoming marriage of his daughter, Infanta Mercedes to Prince Iraklij, Princess Leonida’s brother: the Infante wanted to know whether their marriage would be considered equal. Grand Duke Vladimir, as Head of the Russian Imperial House, confirmed the Royal Status of the House of Bagration by his Act of 1946. Soon after this, at the wedding of Prince Iraklij and Infanta Mercedes, Grand Duke Vladimir met his future wife, Princess Leonida. They were married in August of 1948 in Lausanne, Switzerland.

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Marsel Russian Royals Bagration-Mukhrani, Biography, Birthday, Grand Duchess Leonida

The finest Swiss chocolates don’t need advertising. However, the box of chocolates a certain Meynell brought back to Britain with him is certainly worth a mention. Not because of their delicious taste but because of what was inside: instead of the usual crème and liquor, one would find diamonds and pearls worth a fortune.

click to read article in Utro (in Russian)

A newly-declassified top secret MI5 file on Francis Meynell reveals how in 1920 he smuggled gems looted from the Romanovs (worth £40,000 at the time) to England, hidden in hollowed-out chocolate creams. The pearls and diamonds were given to Meynell by Lenin’s Soviet regime to fund the revolutionary communist newspaper Daily Herald, of which Meynell was a director at the time.  The secret file describes Meynell as an ‘ardent Sinn Feiner and an extreme socialist… his greatest coup came just as the Soviet Union began funding communist parties around the world”.

Meynell’s own account of how the jewels were smuggled is also included in the file. According to his testimony, “I … bought a box of chocolate creams. Into the bottom of many of those I pushed a pearl or a diamond and re-covered them with their silver paper…”

And there is potentially even more excitement on the Romanov riches front: deep-sea apparatuses found remnants of Russian Civil War train wagons in the Lake Baikal, approximately at the same place where the wagons with Kolchak gold were presumed to be. The contents of the wagons are still unknown, so it is impossible to verify as of now whether they contain the gold or not: the depth of the lake and the large perimeter the debris are scattered across make research works extremely difficult.

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Marsel Russian Royals Admiral Kolchak, England, Jewellery, Russian Civil War, Soviet Union

click to read the article in Pravda (in Russian)

Swedish news agencies report that a collection of jewels have surfaced in the Swedish Foreign Ministry’s storage rooms. The jewels are worth over  2 million Euros and belonged to the Russian Imperial Family. A confidant of Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna handed the valuable items to the Swedish Embassy in St. Petersburg for safekeeping after the 1917 revolution. The Grand Duchess died in France, apparently without telling her family about the jewellery.

The collection includes over 100 gold and silver cigarette cases and cuff links as well as jewels made by Fabergé and the Bolin family (court jewellers of several consecutive Russian and Swedish Monarchs). The jewels were kept in Sweden for over 90 years and were found while storage items were being moved and examined. The Ministry then immediately contacted members of the Romanov Family and handed over the finding.

detailed picture of the Faberge cigarette case

A representative of the Sotheby’s commented: “We are absolutely thrilled to be offering for sale one of the most remarkable collections relating to the Romanovs to be offered at auction. Unknown for generations until their recent rediscovery, the objects truly evoke the grandeur and sublime taste of their original owners. We fully expect that the allure of this intimate and precious group, with its links to the historical events connected with one of the world’s most fabled dynasties, will hold the highest appeal for discerning collectors.” You can read more about he Romanov Jewels in this thread.

Marsel Russian Royals Auction, Fabergé, Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, Jewellery, Sotheby’s, Sweden

William Clarke has written a book (due to be published in England in September), where he tells the story of how some of the Romanov Jewels were saved. William Clarke is by no means a novice when it comes to researching the history of Russian Imperial Jewels. Former financial editor of the London Times, Clarke has already explored a similar theme in his book “The Lost Fortune of the Tsars”, published in 1996. His new book, “Hidden Treasures of the Romanovs: Saving the Royal Jewels”, tells the story of Albert Henry Stopford, who transferred jewels worth millions of pounds (in those times) from Russia to England in 1917.

click to view the full-sized cover from Amazon.com

In a gripping detective-style book, Clarke tells how Stopford risked his own life to help Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, who he considered a close personal friend. Stopford offered the Grand Duchess to remove the jewels she had hidden in Vladimir Palace (which was guarded by Bolsheviks). Armed with detailed plan of the palace, Stopford (57 at the time) managed to penetrate into the palace, find the jewels and money there, and hide them into his Gladstone bags. If he had been apprehended, his fate would have been sealed right there on the spot. Stopford then proceeded to transferring the jewels (still in his Gladstone bags) to England: he used the fact his baggage couldn’t be examined as he had diplomatic immunity. Stopford’s motivation was almost certainly a genuine desire to help, rather than gain (it is known that he had no profit from the later sale of the jewels). Clarke, however, makes an intriguing suggestion that Stopford might also be working for British Secret Service.

One of the tiaras saved by Stopford is the famous Vladimir Tiara, now in possession of Queen Elizabeth II.

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Marsel Historical Royals, Russian Royals Book Review, Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, Jewellery, Vladimir Palace

Exactly 105 years ago, in 1904, the only son of Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra was born.

The Emperor wrote in his diary: “An unforgettable great day for us, during which we were clearly visited by the grace of God. At 1.15 during the day Alix gave birth to a son, whom in prayer we have named Alexei”. The great joy he brought into the lives of his family members was marred by the discovery of incurable illness, haemophilia, which meant that any bump or bruise could have fatal consequences for the young Tsarevich. As Grand Duchess Olga put: “You might well say that the birth of a son, which should have been the happiest in the event of the lives of Nicky and Alicky, became their heaviest cross”.

Tsarevich Alexei in 1912

His tutor, Pierre Gilliard, would later write: “Alexei was the centre of this united family, the focus of all its hopes and affection. His sisters worshipped him, he was his parents’ pride and joy. When he was well, the palace was transformed. Everyone and everything in it seemed bathed in sunshine”.

Because of his condition, there were a number of simple activities, like riding a bicycle, Alexei never had a chance to enjoy. When his condition would allow, however, he was a very active and often mischievous boy. There are stories of pranks he would play on guests during state receptions, the most famous of them was ducking under the table during the dinner and removing the shoe of a female guest: when forced to ‘put it back’, he obeyed but not before placing a large strawberry into the toe of the shoe. He also enjoyed playing outdoors: a movie about the life of the Imperial Family survives, which shows Alexei playing with children of his age. His friends appear to be completely unaware of Alexei’s ‘status’ and just enjoy mischief and fun, as usual kids would do. In a poignant scene from the movie, the kids jump into an ice-cold river, while Alexei is left standing alone on the shore (his condition would not let him join in the fun).

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Marsel Historical Royals, Russian Royals Biography, Nicholas II, Tsarevich Alexei, Tsarina Alexandra

click for the full-sized picture

Today is the 100th anniversary of the historical meeting between Emperor Nicholas II of Russia and King Edward VII of the United Kingdom. The meeting significantly improved the relationships between the two countries.

The Russian Emperor, accompanied by his wife and all 5 children, arrived at the Isle of Wight on the Imperial Yacht “Standart”, which was escorted by Russian Cruisers and Destroyers. King Edward VII prepared a no-less impressive welcoming ceremony, which culminated in a spectacular review of the British Royal Navy in all of its awe-inspiring might. The actual meeting of the two mighty Monarchs was an impressive sight all in itself: under the thundering accompaniment of cannons, bands, cheering sailors and crowd on the shore, the British Royal Yacht “Victoria and Albert” maneuvered between the lines of warships and approached “Standart”. The two Monarchs stood on their yachts’ decks and saluted each other: Emperor Nicholas was in the uniform of a British Admiral.

Later in the day, King Edward hosted a dinner in honour of the Emperor and his family aboard “Victoria and Albert”. Nicholas II, in turn, received King Edward, Prince Minister Asquith and Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Grey on the board of “Standart”, where diplomacy and hospitality were mixed in best of Russian traditions.

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Marsel British Royals, Historical Royals, Russian Royals Edward VII, Nicholas II

Russian Crown Regalia

One of the prominent Russian politicians recently disclosed that the Kremlin Administration is considering reinstatement of Monarchy (constitutional Monarchy) in Russia, akin to the British model. The Russian Government believes that the Monarch could be the person who would be able to unify the country and serve as an important symbol in troublesome times.

Now, it appears that the Opposition has much the same views.

It can now be revealed that during the recent conference of the Russian opposition (named “Russia after Putin”), leaders of the opposition were discussing the possibility of a Monarchy in Russia. The conference, which took place in July, was attended by all prominent opposition leaders, among them Garry Kasparov, Boris Nemtsov and Vladimir Milov.

However imperfect the current system is, opposition leaders fear that drastic change of the “Putin regime” may lead to the destruction of the country itself. One thing that can ’save the country from such fate’ is a Monarch who will be above politics and who will unify the people. Therefore, the opposition leaders decreed that it would be a wise move to “invite one of the Romanovs to reign over Russia, for the sake of liberal ideas”.

No, this is not a joke. And yes, the idea was seriously discussed for more than an hour and appeared to score considerable support.

Well, it certainly looks like it’s only a matter of time until one of the Romanovs is asked to come and “Reign over Russia”: after all, there are precedents of similar ‘invitations’ in the History of Russia. It remains to be seen who will be quicker – the Government or the Opposition.
There is a hope they will not forget to ask ordinary Russian people what they think about it though.

You can read more about the possibility of restoration of Monarchy in Russia in this thread.

Marsel Russian Royals Government, Restoration