Grand Duchess Ksenia Alexandrovna Romanova (1875 - 1960), the eldest daughter of Emperor Alexander Peacemaker, lived a long life that the revolution broke. She, together with her family, miraculously escaped from destruction by the Bolsheviks, was half of her life in exile.
Childhood
Ksenia Romanova was born in the Anichkov Palace, when her grandfather Emperor Alexander II the Liberator was still alive, in 1875. But the father, in connection with the death of his older brother, was already the heir to the throne. Alexander Alexandrovich very much loved a peaceful family life, adored his wife and children, on whom he never raised his voice, the children did not even hear a sharp rebuke from him.
And in the summer only some extraordinary case could tear him away from children and family. Father loved hunting and fishing and sometimes took children for a boat ride.
Grand Duchess Ksenia Alexandrovna Romanova (photo shows her with her father and brothers Nikolai, George and Mikhail) sits next to Alexander Alexandrovich. They took the girl with them because she loved fishing.
Parenting
Ksenia Romanova studied at home with teachers. The advantage was the study of English, French, German and Russian. In addition, she received all the knowledge that the girl needed in economics and cooking, she learned how to sew dresses and clothes for her theater for her dolls.
Ksenia Romanova painted, and since her father was an avid collector and collected a large number of works of art in Gatchina, all the necessary samples were at her fingertips. Naturally, she danced and played the piano. Charming teenager. Ksenia Romanova was a little shy. She fell in love with her cousin Uncle Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich early. He was nine years older than her and handsome, like most of the Romanovs, very well-groomed and thoroughbred.
The real fairy-tale prince.
Activities of the future husband
Sandró (his name was because he was born in Tiflis) rarely visited the shore, as he was a professional sailor. He saw a lot, having traveled around the world in 20 years, later sailed to India and North America. The girl, like Pushkin’s Tatyana, could occasionally see him in fits and starts, but he was friends with her brother Nikolai, whom Ksenia Romanova was the first to tell about her love.
Marriage
Family marriages within the Romanov family were not accepted. Therefore, when Ksenia told her parents about her love, they were not too happy. But in 1893, when the Grand Duke asked the princess for his hands, they gave their consent, but their wish was not to rush the wedding, but to wait until the girl was eighteen years old.
In the photo, Ksenia is the bride. At the end of July 1894, the wedding took place. She passed in Peterhof Cathedral.
The next day, the young people accepted congratulations in the Winter Palace, visited the graves of their ancestors in the Peter and Paul Cathedral, went to bow to the miraculous icon of the Savior, and only then they left for her husband’s estate in Crimea, in Ai-Todor. In Sevastopol and Yalta, honor guards awaited them, regimental music sounded. They went to Ai-Todor on the personal yacht of Alexander Mikhailovich “Tamara”, on which he had once traveled to India. So life began joyfully and festively, full of hopes that happiness would be infinite. But only three months later, in November, the father of Ksenia Romanova died, and the last Russian emperor ascended to the throne, the brother of Ksenia - Nikolai Alexandrovich.
Birth of children
In 1895, the eldest daughter Irina was born. In the photo, all the children of a large family of the Romanovs: Irina, Andrey, Fedor, Nikita, Dmitry, Rostislav and Vasily.
The youngest was born in 1907. Prince Alexander Mikhailovich was engaged not only in household chores (expanding the estate, as the family grew), but he devoted much time to strengthening the Russian fleet in the Pacific Ocean. He was promoted to Rear Admiral.
All the time she gave the family, raising children, Ksenia Romanova. The princess also managed to engage in social and charitable activities. In particular, she patronized the work of the Maritime Charitable Society, the Nursery Society, and some educational institutions in St. Petersburg.
World War I
At the end of July 1914, the war found Ksenia Alexandrovna 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; they returned home through Denmark and Finland.
Ksenia Alexandrovna created a medical train and actively participated 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 Navy. Even 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 Ksenia Alexandrovna was in the Crimea, she found out about the murder of Rasputin. She wrote about this to her mother, who was in Kiev at that time and asked her to return to Petersburg. But Maria Fyodorovna understood that she would not be able to influence the situation, and remained in Kiev.
Revolution and Civil War
In February 1917, Ksenia Alexandrovna returned to Petersburg and soon found out that her brother had abdicated. Life collapsed right before our eyes. She packed up and left for Ai-Todor again. There was already a husband, mother and sister Olga, who had recently married.
In 1918, she learns that his brother and his family were killed by the Bolsheviks. And also brother Michael is killed. She does not know the terrible details of their painful death, but, of course, she realizes that it is impossible to stay in Russia.
In 1918, Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich, together with his eldest son, Grand Duke Andrei Alexandrovich, who was twenty at that time, left for Paris. He wanted to attend a peace conference in Versailles and protect the interests of Russia. However, the allies did not care about our country, they were only concerned about their welfare. So the prince’s voice was not heard.
Departure
In April 1919, the 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 in order to leave the country in which there was unlimited terror and blood flowed. Thus ended the happy life in the Motherland, Grand Duchess Ksenia Alexandrovna Romanova. Her biography at age 44 began anew.
Bitter foreign land bread
The Dowager Empress Maria Fyodorovna, 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 Ksenia Alexandrovna and her children joined, in the outbuilding near the palace and introduced austerity regime. He even made sure that the imperial family did not turn on the light, personally checked whether all the items were in place, if the poor Russian relatives had sold them. King George V could not stand this position , and through Sir Ponsonby invited the Dowager Empress to change her residence. She moved to the palace in Wieder. But the King of Denmark, Christian X, continued to humiliate the imperial family. Ksenia Alexandrovna could not stand it. The husband lived in France, and the British government did not give him a visa to enter the country. And King George, her cousin, did not mind accepting Ksenia Alexandrovna with her children.
In Britain
In 1925, she and her son Vasily moved to the Fragmore cottage in Windsor Castle. 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, did her financial situation improve. In 1933, Alexander Mikhailovich dies in Menton. Ksenia Alexandrovna spent all days of the illness with her husband. She, having buried her beloved spouse, returned to England. After the death of cousin George V, she moved to a house on the grounds of Hampton Court Palace.
This was what Grand Duchess Ksenia Alexandrovna Romanova looked like. The photo shows her in her last years. Behind the Grand Duchess on the shelf are photos of her relatives.
Ksenia Alexandrovna died at the age of 85 in Windsor, but is buried next to her husband in France.