What do the modern descendants of the Romanovs look like?

We tell you how the fate of the representatives of the House of Romanov developed after 1918, why the identity of the successor of Nicholas II is so ambiguous, and what those whose ancestors ruled the Russian Empire are doing today.

The massacre of Nicholas II and his family, which took place on July 16, 1918, marked the tragic end of the monarchy in Russia. Of Russia. The Romanov dynasty fell, but still many relatives of the last Russian emperor were able to escape.

The mother of Nicholas II, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, moved to Kiev in 1916, and then together with her daughters and their families moved to the Crimea. Kirill Vladimirovich — a cousin of the emperor-together with his wife settled in Finland, where in August 1917 his son Vladimir was born.

The Romanov family, 1913

Most of the Romanovs, who decided to leave the epicenter of events during the Civil War, did not lose hope of one day returning home. However, after the execution of the family of Nicholas II, it became obvious that there was no place to return now. The Romanovs were not expected at home, and they no longer had a home here.

In April 1919, the British cruiser Marlborough sailed off the coast of the Crimea, taking Maria Feodorovna and many other members of the family that had ruled Russia for 300 years to Europe.

However, even in exile, the Romanovs found themselves under intense public scrutiny. The white emigration tried to attract Maria Feodorovna to political activity. The widow of Alexander III refused. But not all members of the Romanov family were so categorical, at least most of them intended, if not to return to power, then to preserve the prestige of their House.

So, for example, Kirill Vladimirovich, who after 1918 formally turned out to be the first in the genealogical order of succession to the throne, declared himself Emperor in exile. However, the monarchists and his own relatives reacted disapprovingly to this statement. Why did Kirill Vladimirovich cause such antipathy?

There were two main reasons. First, he married the divorced Victoria Melita, who was also the granddaughter of Emperor Alexander II on her mother's side. Nicholas II was initially against this alliance. The conflict between the cousins resulted in the fact that Nikolai Alexandrovich firmly decided to deprive Kirill and his descendants of the Romanov family name and the rights to the throne.

Emperor Nicholas II

Secondly, in the days of the February Revolution, Kirill Vladimirovich not only did not support Nicholas II, he became the first member of the imperial family who publicly broke the oath and went over to the side of the revolutionaries.

Already in exile, Kirill Vladimirovich began to say that he was playing a double game. Allegedly, he did all this in the name of restoring order in the capital and hoped that this would help the return of the monarch.

Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich

But, according to official documents, even before the appearance of the Guard crew, State Duma Deputy Kirill Vladimirovich wrote about his intentions to other commanders of military units, advising them to follow his example. In short, the cousin of Nicholas II was an extremely ambiguous historical figure.

Nevertheless, it was he who assumed the title of Guardian of the Sovereign Throne in 1922 and headed the House of Romanov. However, throughout the XX century, there were impostors who wanted to challenge the rights of Kirill Vladimirovich and his heirs, posing as the children of the deceased Nicholas II.

A few years after the execution of the royal family, rumors began to spread that Princess Anastasia Nikolaevna had miraculously survived in Berlin. The girl managed to convince many that on a terrible night in 1918, she was helped to escape by a Russian officer who was secretly in love with her.

The deception could not be detected for a long time, although almost none of the members of the Romanov family recognized her as the youngest daughter of Emperor Nicholas II. It must have been a time when people still hoped that at least one of the royal family had escaped a terrible fate. However, the study of the DNA of the "princess" showed that it has nothing to do with the Romanovs.

Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich, 1938

In 1938, the title of Head of the Russian Imperial House passed to the son of Kirill Vladimirovich — Vladimir. And it was on him that this branch was interrupted, since he left no male heirs. In accordance with the current legislation By decree of the Russian Empire, the rights and benefits of members of the imperial family passed in the descending line only in the male generation.

But in order to preserve the House of Romanov, it was decided to transfer the powers of Vladimir Kirillovich to his only daughter, Maria. At the moment, she is the Head of the Russian Imperial House. She has a son, George Mikhailovich, who is considered the Heir to the Tsarevich.

But the blood of the Romanovs flows not only in the descendants of Kirill Vladimirovich, grandson of Alexander II and cousin of Nicholas II. Among the European aristocrats, there are also several people who can boast of kinship with the House of Romanov. What do people who are considered descendants of the famous royal family look like today?

Vladimir Kirillovich's daughter was born in Madrid in 1953. She was educated at Oxford University and speaks six languages besides Russian (English, French, Spanish, German, Italian and Arabic). She was married to Prince Franz Wilhelm of Prussia, with whom she has a son, George.

Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna, 1995

Maria Vladimirovna first visited Russia in 1992, and since then she has repeatedly come here, engaged in church and children's charity work. Interestingly, she is also a distant relative of Queen Victoria and is even on the list of succession to the British throne (although only on the 139th place).

Andrey Romanov is the grandson of Princess Xenia, who left Russia with her mother Maria Fyodorovna on the ship "Marlborough". He is the oldest living descendant of Alexander III, and many historians and experts are convinced that he should be considered the head of the Romanov family.

Andrey Andreevich Romanov

Andrew was born in 1923 in London, and spent his childhood years in the guest house of Windsor Castle. His grandmother, Princess Xenia, had hoped for the restoration of the Russian monarchy until her death, so she raised her grandchildren as true heirs to the throne.

However, Andrey's parents no longer harbored false illusions and simply tried to give their children a good education and instill a love for their distant homeland (in their home they were accustomed to speak exclusively in Russian).

He first visited his homeland during the Second World War. Andrew served in the Royal Navy of Great Britain, participated in the Arctic convoys, the Battle of the Atlantic and the North African campaign. After the war, he moved to America, where he changed many professions (from real estate agent to jeweler), before finding his vocation, becoming an artist.

To date, he is a well-known artist and regularly comes to Russia, taking part in many initiatives related to the preservation of the heritage of the House of Romanov.

The husband of Queen Elizabeth II is a great-nephew of the last Tsarina Alexandra, as well as a great-great-grandson of Nicholas I.

Prince Philip at the wedding of Princess Eugenie of York and Jack Brooksbank, October 12, 2018

Of course, Prince Philip can only be considered a very distant relative of the Romanovs, yet this also means that all of his descendants — including Prince William and Harry-have a little Russian blood. In 1993, the DNA of Prince Philip was used to identify the remains found, presumably belonging to Nicholas II, his wife and daughters. The examination confirmed their relationship.

Olga Andreevna is well-known in British aristocratic circles — she is engaged in social activities and patronizes the Russian Summer Ball, held annually in London.

Olga Andreyevna Romanova, 2015

Meanwhile, her origin makes it quite possible to classify Olga Andreevna as a descendant of the House of Romanov. She is the half-sister of Andrei Romanov and granddaughter of Princess Ksenia Romanova. Olga Andreevna herself has four children.

In 2017, she was appointed chairman of the Association of Members of the Romanov Family, an organization that includes most of the descendants of the Russian Imperial House. By the way, its representatives refuse to recognize Maria Vladimirovna Romanova as the head of the family.

The cousin of Queen Elizabeth II is known even outside of the Foggy Albion. Prince Michael of Kent bears a striking resemblance to Emperor Nicholas II and has relatives from The Russian Imperial House.

Prince Michael of Kent and his wife watch the Royal Air Force Centenary flyover from the balcony of Buckingham Palace, July 10, 2018

In July 2018, together with Olga Andreevna and other descendants of the Romanovs, he came to St. Petersburg, where he attended a commemorative event dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the execution of the royal family.

Throughout his life, Prince Michael has tried to keep in touch with the Romanovs ' homeland and even speaks good Russian. He is the patron of the British Educational Center in In Russia, and is also engaged in charitable projects aimed at supporting socially useful projects in our country.

The great-grandson of Grand Duchess Xenia Rostislav was born in Chicago. Unlike many other descendants of the Romanovs, he spends a lot of time in Russia, despite the fact that he lives permanently in the UK.

Rostislav holds the position of chief designer of the watch factory "Raketa". In 2017, he created the design of the funeral clock, released for the 100th anniversary of the October Revolution and dedicated to the memory of its victims.

Rostislav is professionally engaged in fine arts. In addition, he performs his duties as the official representative of the Romanov family in Russia. Most of the descendants of the royal family are convinced that one day he will lead their House.

The king's great-grandmother was Grand Duchess Romanova, and his grandfather was King Constantine I of Greece.

King Constantine II and Queen Anna Maria, 17 March 2017

After a political coup in Greece in 1967, Constantine was forced to flee the country. The former Greek king was granted asylum by his British relatives (Prince Philip is his great-uncle, and Prince Charles is his second cousin). In 2013, Konstantin and his family were able to return to Greece.

Hugh Grosvenor is only 29 years old, and three years earlier he suddenly inherited a huge fortune after the death of his father, becoming the youngest billionaire in the UK.

Hugh Grosvenor at the wedding of Charlie van Straubenzie and Daisy Jenks, England, August 4, 2018

Of course, he has no real claim to the British throne, but he can boast of a rich pedigree. On his mother's side, Hugh is a great-great-great-grandson of Nicholas I and even a distant relative of Alexander Pushkin. By the way, in 2013, the Duke of Westminster was honored to become the godfather of the young Prince George of Cambridge.

Nicoletta was born and raised in Italy. On her mother's side, she is a descendant of the Russian Emperor Nicholas I.

Nicoletta Romanova, London, 9 May 2019

At the moment, Nicoletta Romanova is acting in films, as well as participating in TV projects. In 2016, together with the jewelry house Damiani, she released a collection of jewelry, which was called the Romanov Collection.