Princess Nika Yourievitch (formerly Lady Hulton; 2 August 1916 – 17 September 1995) was a French-born socialite and author, descended from Russian and Montenegrin nobility. She married Sir

Edward George Warris Hulton Sir Edward George Warris Hulton (29 November 1906 – 8 October 1988) was a British magazine publisher and writer. Early life Hulton was born to Sir Edward Hulton, 1st Baronet, a newspaper publisher and racehorse owner originally from Mancheste ...

, son of

Sir Edward Hulton, 1st Baronet Sir Edward George Stephen Hulton, 1st Baronet (3 March 1869 – 23 May 1925) was a British newspaper proprietor and thoroughbred racehorse owner. In 1921, he was awarded a baronetcy, of Downside in the parish of Leatherhead in Surrey, for p ...

. Yourievitch was described as "very good-looking, wild and extravagant" by

Woodrow Wyatt Woodrow may refer to: People *Woodrow (name), a given name and a surname Places Canada *Woodrow, Saskatchewan, an unincorporated community United Kingdom *Woodrow, Buckinghamshire, England *Woodrow, Cumbria, England United States *Woodrow, Color ...

, regularly hosted grand parties in London, and was very involved in the high society social scene of the time. She was also known for her large art collection.

Biography

Princess Nika Yourievitch was born on 2 August 1916, the second daughter of Prince Serge Youriévitch, a sculptor and diplomat of Russian nobility, and Montenegrin Princess Helene de Lipovatz. Princess Lipovatz was the daughter of Prince Jovan Popović-Lipovac ( sr, Јован Поповић-Липовац), a Montenegrin prince and

Russian Imperial Army The Imperial Russian Army (russian: Ру́сская импера́торская а́рмия, tr. ) was the armed land force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian Ar ...

general. General Popović-Lipovac led the 48th Division in the

Russian Civil War , date = October Revolution, 7 November 1917 – Yakut revolt, 16 June 1923{{Efn, The main phase ended on 25 October 1922. Revolt against the Bolsheviks continued Basmachi movement, in Central Asia and Tungus Republic, the Far East th ...

, where he was wounded. Princess Lipovatz was also cousin of Princess Elena Petrović-Njegoš of Montenegro, making Yourievitch first cousins once removed to the Queen of Italy. Princess Nika's father Serge had served as

chamberlain Chamberlain may refer to: Profession *Chamberlain (office), the officer in charge of managing the household of a sovereign or other noble figure People *Chamberlain (surname) **Houston Stewart Chamberlain (1855–1927), German-British philosop ...

to the last Emperor,

Nicholas II of Russia Nicholas II or Nikolai II Alexandrovich Romanov; spelled in pre-revolutionary script. ( 186817 July 1918), known in the Russian Orthodox Church as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer,. was the last Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Pola ...

. He was also a friend and pupil of the sculptor

Auguste Rodin François Auguste René Rodin (12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor, generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a uniqu ...

before becoming an accomplished sculptor himself, connecting his family to French art society. Princess Nika was brought up in Paris, where many Russian nobility fled after the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and ad ...

. Her parents lived between Paris and Russia, and after the fall of the Imperial reign lost their Russian property in

Saratov Saratov (, ; rus, Сара́тов, a=Ru-Saratov.ogg, p=sɐˈratəf) is the largest city and administrative center of Saratov Oblast, Russia, and a major port on the Volga River upstream (north) of Volgograd. Saratov had a population of 901,36 ...

. In 1941, Yourievitch married media magnate Sir Edward George Warris Hulton as his second wife. Hulton had formerly been married to Kira Goudime-Levkovitsch, another Russian aristocrat who had fled Russia after Nicholas II's fall. Together Yourievitch and Hulton had two sons and one daughter, named Edward Alexander Sergius Hulton, Cosmo Philip Paul Hulton and Elizabeth Frances Helen Hulton. The marriage between Yourievitch and Hulton was dissolved in 1966, though the two lived together again for the last nine years of Hulton's life before he died on 8 October 1988. Yourievitch died 17 September 1995. She was buried in the

Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois Russian Cemetery Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois Russian Cemetery (french: Cimetière russe de Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois) is part of the ''Cimetière de Liers'' and is called the Russian Orthodox cemetery, in Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois, Paris, France. History The ...

in France, alongside her parents and Hulton. Yourievitch was also noted for her renowned collection of

Paul Klee Paul Klee (; 18 December 1879 – 29 June 1940) was a Swiss-born German artist. His highly individual style was influenced by movements in art that included expressionism, cubism, and surrealism. Klee was a natural draftsman who experimented wi ...

artwork.

Works

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External links

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yourievitch, Nika Hulton family 1916 births 1995 deaths British socialites French people of Russian descent French people of Montenegrin descent Russian nobility Montenegrin nobility Wives of knights English people of Russian descent English people of Montenegrin descent Burials at Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois Russian Cemetery Emigrants from the Russian Empire to France