Grand Duchess Xenia Romanova

Grand Duchess Xenia Romanova (1875 - 1960), the eldest daughter of Emperor Alexander Peacemaker, lived a long life, which the revolution broke. Together with her family, who had miraculously escaped the destruction by the Bolsheviks, she was half her life in emigration.

Childhood

Xenia Romanova was born in Anichkov Palace when his grandfather, Emperor Alexander II the Liberator, was still alive, in 1875. But the father, in connection with the death of his elder brother, was already the heir to the throne. Alexander Alexandrovich was very fond of a peaceful family life, adored his wife and children, who never raised his voice, even the sharp reproach the children did not hear from him. And already in the summer from children and his family he could only be torn off by an extraordinary event. Father loved hunting and fishing and sometimes took children to ride a boat. The Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna Romanova (photo shows her with her father and brothers Nikolai, Georgy and Mikhail) sits next to Alexander Alexandrovich. The girl was taken with her, because she loved fishing.

Education

Xenia Romanova was at home with teachers. The advantage was learning English, French, German and Russian. In addition, she received all the knowledge necessary for a girl in housekeeping and cooking, she learned how to sew her dolls dresses and clothes for their theater. Xenia Romanova painted, and since his father was an avid collector and collected in Gatchina a large number of works of art, then all the necessary samples were at her fingertips. Naturally, she danced and played the piano. Charming teenager. Xenia Romanova was a little shy. She fell in love with her uncle, Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich early. He was nine years her senior and handsome, like most Romanovs, very well-groomed and thoroughbred. A real fairy-tale prince.

The lessons of the future husband

Sandro (his name was so, because he was born in Tiflis) did not often go ashore, because he was a regular sailor. He had seen a lot, having traveled around the world in 20 years, later sailed to India and North America. The girl, like Pushkin Tatiana, could see him occasionally and in fits and starts, but he was friends with her brother Nikolai, who was told by Ksenia Romanova about her first love.

Marriage

Family marriages within the Romanov family were not accepted. So when Xenia told her parents about her love, they were not too happy. But in 1893, when the Grand Duke asked the hands of the princesses, they gave consent, but their wish was - not to hurry up with the wedding, but to wait for the girl to be eighteen years old. On the photo Xenia - the bride. At the end of July 1894, a wedding took place. It was held in the cathedral of Peterhof. The next day the young people received congratulations in the Winter Palace, visited the graves of their ancestors in the Peter and Paul Cathedral, went to worship the miraculous icon of the Savior, and only then they left for the husband's estate in the Crimea, in Ai-Todor. In Sevastopol and Yalta they were waited with honor guard, sounded regimental music. In Ai-Todor they went on the personal yacht of Alexander Mikhailovich "Tamara", on which he once traveled to India. So joyously and festively began life, full of hopes that happiness will be endless. But three months later, in November, the father of Xenia Romanova died, and the last Russian emperor, the brother of Ksenia Nikolai Alexandrovich, ascended the throne.

Birth of children

In 1895 the eldest daughter Irina was born. In the photo, all the children of a large family of Romanovs: Irina, Andrey, Fedor, Nikita, Dmitry, Rostislav and Vasily. Younger was born in 1907. Prince Alexander Mikhailovich was engaged not only in domestic affairs (expansion of the estate, as the family grew), but he devoted much time to strengthening the Russian fleet in the Pacific. He was promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral. All the time she gave to the family, engaged in the upbringing of children, Ksenia Romanova. Princess also managed to engage in public and charitable activities. In particular, she patronized the work of the Marine Charitable Society, the "Yasli" Society and some educational institutions in St. Petersburg.

The First World War

In late July 1914, the war caught Xenia in Paris, and her mother - in London. They expected to travel by train through Germany, but this route was closed. They were joined by the Yusupovs, who were also abroad, through Denmark and Finland they returned home.

Ksenia Alexandrovna created a medical train and took an active part in helping the wounded. She converted their Crimean estate to receive the wounded. And the husband at that time was the chief inspector of the military air fleet. Before the war he understood the importance of aviation and put a lot of effort into its creation in Russia.

In winter, at the end of December 1916, when Xenia Alexandrovna was in the Crimea, she learned about the murder of Rasputin. She wrote about this to my mother, who was at this time in Kiev and asked her to return to St. Petersburg. But Maria Feodorovna understood that she would not be able to influence the situation that had arisen, and she stayed in Kiev.

Revolution and Civil War

In February 1917, Ksenia Alexandrovna returned to St. Petersburg and soon learned that his brother had renounced the throne. Life collapsed right before our eyes. She gathered and went back to Ai-Todor. There was already a husband, mother and sister Olga, who just recently married.

In 1918, she learns that the brother and his family were killed by the Bolsheviks. And also brother Mikhail was killed. She does not know the terrible details of their painful death, but, of course, she realizes that Russia can not remain.

In 1918 the Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich, together with his eldest son, Grand Duke Andrei Alexandrovich, who at that time was twenty years old, left for Paris. He wanted to get to the peace conference in Versailles and protect the interests of Russia. However, the Allies did not care about our country, they only cared about their own good. So the voice of the prince was not heard.

Departure

In April 1919 an English dreadnought "Marlboro" arrived in Novorossiysk. He was sent by the King of Great Britain, George V. All the members of the imperial family who were alive sat on him to forever leave the country in which unlimited terror reigned, and the blood was flowing with rivers. So the happy life in the homeland was completed by the Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna Romanova. Biography of her in 44 years began anew.

Bitter bread of foreign land

Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, who was 72 years old, decided to settle in her native Denmark. But the king of this country, her nephew, was not too pleased with this turn of events. He settled the imperial family, which Xenia Aleksandrovna and her children joined, into the wing next to the palace and introduced a regime of austerity. He even watched that the imperial family did not turn on the light, personally checked whether all the items were in place, whether their poor Russian relatives had sold them. King George V could not stand this position , and through Sir Ponsonby offered the Dowager Empress to change the residence. She moved to the palace in Wiedere. But the King of Denmark Christian X continued to demean the imperial family. Xenia Alexandrovna could not stand it. Her husband lived in France, and the British government did not give him a visa to enter the country. And King George, her cousin, was not against taking Ksenia Alexandrovna with her children.

In Britain

In 1925 she moved with her son Basil to the Fragmore cottage in the castle of Windsor. She unsuccessfully sold her jewelry and was very poor. Only after the death of her mother in 1928, when she received a share of the inheritance, her financial situation improved. In 1933, Alexander Mikhailovich dies in Menton. All days of illness Xenia Alexandrovna spent with her husband. She, having buried her beloved husband, returned to England. After the death of cousin George V, she moved to a house on the grounds of the Hampton Court Palace.

This was how the Grand Duchess Ksenia Alexandrovna Romanova looked. The photo shows her in her later years. Behind the Grand Duchess on the shelf are photographs of her relatives.

Xenia Alexandrovna died at the age of 85 in Windsor, but is buried next to her husband in France.