Nicholas Romanov, Prince of Russia

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Pretender Nicholas Romanov Born September 26, 1922 (1922-09-26) (age 85) Antibes, France Title(s) Prince of Russia Throne(s) claimed Russia Pretend from April 21, 1992 Monarchy abolished 1917 Last monarch Nicholas II Connection with 2nd cousin once removed. Royal House Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov Father Prince Roman of Russia Mother Countess Prascovia Cheremeteva Spouse Countess Sveva della Gherardesca Predecessor Grand Duke Vladimir

Russian Imperial Family HH Prince Nicholas HH Princess Sveva HH Princess Natalia HH Princess Elizabeth HH Princess Tatiana HH Prince Dimitri HH Princess Dorrit HIH Grand Duchess Maria HI&RH Grand Duke George HIH Dowager Grand Duchess Leonida This box: view • talk • edit

Nicholas Romanovich Romanov, Prince of Russia (Russian: Николай Романович Романов), (born September 26, 1922) is a claimant to the headship of Imperial Romanov Family^[1] and President of the Romanov Family Association. Although he is undoubtedly a descendant of Tsar Nicholas I of Russia, his claimed titles and official membership in the former Imperial House are disputed by those who maintain that his parents' marriage violated the Laws of Imperial Russia.^[2]

[edit] Childhood

He was born in Cap d'Antibes near Antibes, France, the eldest son of HH Prince Roman Petrovich of Russia and Countess Prascovia Cheremeteva. Prince Roman was the only son of TIH Grand Duke Peter Nikolaievich and Grand Duchess Militsa Nikolaievna, the former the younger son of Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaievich and Grand Duchess Alexandra Petrovna, the former a younger son of TIM Emperor Nicholas I of Russia and Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna, the former Princess Charlotte of Prussia.

[edit] Education

Prince Nicholas was educated in France. He aspired to be a naval officer; however, as there was a Soviet Navy and not a Russian Navy, he decided to climb towards a job in the Italian Navy, using his family's close relationship to the Italian Royal Family (his grandmother Militsa (daughter of Nicholas I of Montenegro) was a sister of Queen Helena wife of Victor Emmanuel III of Italy). However, these hopes vanished when Nicholas showed signs of near-sightedness. In 1936, his family moved to Italy.

[edit] Life during the War

During World War II, Prince Nicholas and his family lived at the residence of Victor Emmanuel III of Italy. When the King left, his family went into hiding for nine months. During the occupation of Rome by Germany, Nicholas's grandmother, who was at great risk of deportation as a sister of the Queen, had to take shelter in the Holy See. After the war, Prince Nicholas has had civilian jobs. He lived for a couple of years in Egypt.

[edit] Romanov Family Association

He was elected president of the Romanov Family Association in 1989 following the death of Prince Vasili Alexandrovich of Russia having previously served as Vice President since the Association was founded in 1979. The Association has as members the majority of the male-line descendants of Emperor Nicholas I of Russia. It is unclear how many of the members participate in the association's activities. Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna and Grand Duke Vladimir Cyrillovitch have never been members.

[edit] Succession claims

Main article: line of succession to the Russian throne

The official position of the Romanov Family Association is that the rights of the family to the Russian Throne were extinguished when Tsar Nicholas II abdicated in favour of his brother Grand Duke Michael who then deferred ascending the Throne until a Constituent Assembly ratified his rule. Tsar Michael II, as he was legally pronounced by Nicholas II, did not abdicate but empowered the Provisional Government to rule. Michael's "reign" was ended with his execution in 1918. ^[3] Prince Nicholas considers following the death of Grand Duke Vladimir in 1992 that he is now head of the Romanov family and his rightful successor.^[1][4][5] He is recognized by the Almanach de Gotha as the head of the Imperial House of Romanov.^[6] He and the Romanov Family Association contest the rights of his cousin, Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna, to the throne, for reasons detailed in the article on the line of succession to the Russian throne.

[edit] Marriage and children

Prince Nicholas' wife, Italian-born Countess Sveva della Gherardesca (born 1930), who uses the title Her Highness Princess Sveva of Russia, is a descendant of the Italian della Gherardesca noble family. They have three daughters:

• Princess Natalia Romanova (born 1952) married to Giuseppe Consolo (b. 1948)
• Princess Elizabeth Romanova (born 1956) married to Mauro Bonacini (b. 1950)
• Princess Tatiana Romanova (born 1961) married first Giambattista Alessandri (b. 1958). Married second Giancarlo Tirotti (b. 1947)

The couple resides in Rome, Italy, and also has a house in Rougemont, Switzerland. The prince still uses the Julian calendar. He is fluent in French, Russian, Italian, and English.

[edit] Ancestry

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official site
• Romanov Family Association
• Lunch with the FT: Nicholas Romanov

Pretenders to the Russian throne since 1917
Russian Empire October Revolution
Emperor Nicholas II (1917-1918) — vacant — Grand Duke Cyril (1924-1938) Grand Duke Vladimir (1938-1992) Grand Duchess Maria (1992-) Prince Nicholas (1992-)
See also House of Romanov