Grand Duchesses Xenia (1875-1960) and Olga (1882-1960), sisters of Nicholas II

[Russophile]

Though Minnie was a Danish Princess. It was hard for Denmark to manouver and nobody really wanted to leave Russia.

 

[Archduchess Zelia]

^^ Yes they almost had to force Minnie to leave her beloved Russia ...

 

[Russophile]

I am wondering why Sandro would be such a playboy on Xenia. I thought that she was a good wife to him. Any thoughts? (Besides, "He can." )

 

[Archduchess Zelia]

^^ I have also always thought that, but maybe he was like Edward 7. of England, and simply couldn't keep his hands of womens ... ?

 

[Royal Fan]

I Hear he was a bit of a bad boy at the start didnt she cheat as well also was Grand Duchess Olgas second wedding considered a Civil Wedding??

 

[Russophile]

I Hear he was a bit of a bad boy at the start didnt she cheat as well?

Most of the Grand Dukes were "bad boys". I'm currently reading "Michael and Natasha" by the Crawfords and they say that those closest in line to the throne were chasing after women, almost getting shot by cuckholded husbands, carrying on with mistresses, issuing off-spring who didn't know which Grand Duke was their father etc. etc.. . .

I am not sure of the Bad Boy at the start, but according to the Crawfords of "Michael and Natasha" after he had fallen for an American Heiress in France Xenia took a lover to spite him known as "Prince F." in her diary.

 

[linmarylou]

Can someone do a biography on GD Olga as they did GD Xenia on the first couple of posts on page 1? I find this so fascinating.

 

[Russophile]

Can someone do a biography on GD Olga as they did GD Xenia on the first couple of posts on page 1? I find this so fascinating.

Or. . .you could get the book The Last Grand Duchess by Ian Vorres and do it yourself. . . .

 

[persian85033]

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.

Alix kept pushing other people from her. Besides, was it Xenia's fault she only had one boy?

 

[Vasillisos Markos]

Alix was a troubled soul who would and did make a wonderful spouse to Nicholas but she was a lousy empress.

 

[Russophile]

Alix was a troubled soul who would and did make a wonderful spouse to Nicholas but she was a lousy empress.

Copy that! They should have been Russian aristocrats or something else far removed from the throne. Nicky expressed interest in being an Englishman at one time.

 

[Vasillisos Markos]

And the royal couple's bedrooms, sitting rooms and the children's rooms were what a proper Victorian family would have enjoyed.

 

[Russophile]

And the royal couple's bedrooms, sitting rooms and the children's rooms were what a proper Victorian family would have enjoyed.

Waaaay too busy for me.
Olga had simple tastes, it would have been interesting to see how she decorated would she have had her money and been able to finish her life out in Russia.

 

[pgm1952]

I recently found a beautiful documentary on Olga's life on YouTube called "Olga- The Last Grand Duchess" it is in six parts with two versions one with black bars on top & bottom (widescreen) and one without. The piano and waltz music in this film are simply beautiful.

 

[Vasillisos Markos]

Splendid documentary so far. I've watched parts I and II. Olga was not enamored with the trappings of royal life from what I've seen. Minnie did not want her to marry someone and live away from Russia, so Prince Peter of Oldenburg was found, a much older man, and one who the documentarians said was gay. Do you suppose Minnie knew this? I doubt it but maybe his gayness forced him to remain single until he was undoubtedly pressured to propose to Olga.

Who is the Alfred to whom Grand Duchess Olga wrote about her life in Canada?

 

[COUNTESS]

VM, have you read Xenia, Sister of Nicholas II, by John Van Der Kiste and Coryne Hall. Quite good.

 

[Vasillisos Markos]

My dear Countess,

No I have not but I will look for a copy. Van Der Kiste has written a number of books on royals, has he not? After watching the you tube clip on Olga, I realize I do not know much about Xenia or Olga. Russo dear recommended the Michael and Natasha book, which I ordered and am awaiting delivery. With the exception of poor George, I will now learn about the sisters and brother of the last Tsar of All the Russias.

 

[COUNTESS]

Yes, he wrote all kinds of books. Victoria's children, George V's children and a bunch of others. Michael and Natasha is very good, too. Also, try the Flight of the Romanov's, by John Curtis Perry and Constantine Pleshakov.

 

[Russophile]

Got Flight of the Romanovs on hold at the library. Thank you Countess!

 

[Grandduchess24]

Xenia had
Irina
Andrei
Fyodor
Nikita
Vasili
Rotislav

Olga had
Tikhol
Guri

But I would like to know if her children have any decendents because xenia's children are more known than olga's

 

[Russophile]

Olga had
Tikhol
Guri

But I would like to know if her children have any decendents because xenia's children are more known than olga's

Tikon and Guri have passed. If memory serves, wasn't it Massie's book The Romanovs the final chapter that had some of them in it? I seem to remember when the DNA came out they were suspicious that the testers didn't believe they had the blood of Tsars running through their veins.
I have this book and will have to check. VM, do you have it on hand by chance to corroborate? I am at work.

 

[Vasillisos Markos]

Russo my dear,

Sorry, I have not read The Romanovs by Massie. The only book I read by him is Nicholas and Alexandra. Do you recommend I get The Romanovs? I am currently reading Michael and Natasha which you so kindly recommended and am enjoying it so far. So much I did not know about the palace at Gatchina.

 

[Vasillisos Markos]

Russo my dear,

Didn't they take DNA from Prince Philip to confirm the Empress's bones and opened Georgy's crypt to confirm Nicholas's DNA? This would lead me to believe that Olga's descendants are probably extinct.

 

[Russophile]

Russo my dear,

Sorry, I have not read The Romanovs by Massie. The only book I read by him is Nicholas and Alexandra. Do you recommend I get The Romanovs? I am currently reading Michael and Natasha which you so kindly recommended and am enjoying it so far. So much I did not know about the palace at Gatchina.

Oh it's definately worth a read. Massie' I find to be fuddy duddy however he had good bits and pieces of Xenia and Olgas decendants and it's a fast read about 280 pages or so. I'll find a link.
I am sorry I have nothing to report. We got the call from a friend who needed help moving so we did. Alas my Russian studies are neglected!
Here's the Amazon link.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_s...hapter&sprefix=the+romanovs+the+final+chapter

 

[JennahPc]

I live in Toronto and there was a recent Toronto Then and Now Blog where they showed where GD Olga lived before she passed away. Very meagre ending to such a grand life. Here is a link to the article.
Toronto Then and Now: # 13 ~ Toronto's Imperial Russian Connections, Then and Now

 

[Vasillisos Markos]

My dear JennahPc,

Thank you for posting the link. A very well written biography of Olga and a concise summary of Russia's history during her lifetime. At the end one discovers that Tihon is buried with his parents and that he died in 1993. I wonder what happened to his brother. . .

 

[XeniaCasaraghi]

Went on Amazon and looked up "Once a Grand Duchess" why the heck is that book so freakin expensive; my gawd. I am hoping to get my hands on some Romanov books in the next few days, but my libraries in my city are sparse.
It's always been a hard for me to distinguish between the family members; the most recent thing I have heard about Xenia is that one of her descendants is widely viewed as the head of the Romanov family and he was born in the US. Also apparently he is the first of the family to move back to Russia.

 

[AristoCat]

Went on Amazon and looked up "Once a Grand Duchess" why the heck is that book so freakin expensive;

I read it and it was really illuminating about her life. One thing I do realize is that because ehr mother kept her as companion, maybe that is what led to the disillusionment with royal life. Then of course, her mother looking down on her second husband who she loved as much as she did.

Also apparently he is the first of the family to move back to Russia.

Yeah, Prince Rotislav moved back in 2005 and lives/works there as far as I know. There's some dispute, but Prince Nicholas and the Russian Nobility Association all support his position over that of Grand Duke Georgi.

 

[Russophile]

Went on Amazon and looked up "Once a Grand Duchess" why the heck is that book so freakin expensive; my gawd. I am hoping to get my hands on some Romanov books in the next few days, but my libraries in my city are sparse.
It's always been a hard for me to distinguish between the family members; the most recent thing I have heard about Xenia is that one of her descendants is widely viewed as the head of the Romanov family and he was born in the US. Also apparently he is the first of the family to move back to Russia.

Do you have a lending library near by? You ought to check it out and they DO have sales of books from the library at least once a year to re coup costs of the outlay. When I lived in the Multnomah area of the Portland Metro area the Library system was PHENOMENAL! I was getting Once a grand Duke, Always a Grand Duke, The last Grand Duchess, the works! Try it! Also, look to estate sales and garage sales. You never know what you're going to get. I picked up Marie the Younger's book "Education of a Princess" at a garage sale for $4. Really.

 

[Grandduchess24]

Russo my dear,

Didn't they take DNA from Prince Philip to confirm the Empress's bones and opened Georgy's crypt to confirm Nicholas's DNA? This would lead me to believe that Olga's descendants are probably extinct.

I believe the DNA used to identify Nicholas II was a gr gr gr granddaughter of irina alexandrovna ,Xenia sfreis and they used prince Philip duke of Edinburgh's DNA to identify alix and her children