Prince Alexander Nikitich Romanov (4 November 1929 – 22 September 2002) was a member of the

Romanov family The House of Romanov (also transcribed Romanoff; rus, Романовы, Románovy, rɐˈmanəvɨ) was the reigning imperial house of Russia from 1613 to 1917. They achieved prominence after the Tsarina, Anastasia Romanova, was married to th ...

. He was a son of

Prince Nikita Alexandrovich of Russia Prince Nikita Alexandrovich of Russia (17 January Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates">O.S._4_January.html" ;"title="Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Old Style and New Style dates">O.S. 4 January">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ...

and a great nephew of

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 Polan ...

, the last Tsar. Born in France, he took British citizenship in 1938 and lived with his grand mother

Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia (russian: Ксения Александровна Романова; – 20 April 1960) was the elder daughter and fourth child of Tsar Alexander III of Russia and Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia ...

in England until her death in 1960. The following year, Prince Alexander Nikitich became the first member of the Romanov family to visit Russia after the Revolution.

Life

He was born in Paris, the youngest son

and his wife Countess Mariya Ilarianovna Vorontzova-Daschkova. Prince Alexander was a grandson of

and

Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russia Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russia (russian: Александр Михайлович ''Aleksandr Mikhailovich''; 13 April 1866 – 26 February 1933) was a dynast of the Russian Empire, a naval officer, an author, explorer, the brother-i ...

and a great nephew of the last Russian Emperor, Nicholas II. He spent the early years of his life in the United Kingdom and received

British nationality British nationality law prescribes the conditions under which a person is recognised as being a national of the United Kingdom. The six different classes of British nationality each have varying degrees of civil and political rights, due to the ...

in 1938. By age 14 he was fluent in five languages. He was interested in geography, history, philosophy. At the outbreak of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

Prince Alexander and his family were in France and unable to return to the United Kingdom so he was taken to Rome first and then on to

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

which resulted in the family almost being repatriated to Russia. Following the conclusion of the war he returned to Britain before moving onto the United States to study at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

. He returned to Britain in 1953 and stayed with his grandmother Grand Duchess Xenia at

Hampton Court Hampton Court Palace is a Grade I listed royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, southwest and upstream of central London on the River Thames. The building of the palace began in 1514 for Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, the chie ...

. He helped to raise funds for a new Orthodox church, after the old temple near Buckingham Palace was destroyed. After the death of his grandmother in 1960, Alexander Nikitich moved to New York, where he worked as translator for a publishing house, worked in advertising, as well as doing historical and genealogical research. On 27 May 1961 he became the first descendant of the Imperial Family to return to Russia after its members went into exile or were murdered by the

Communists Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

following the

October Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key mome ...

, when he managed to get a visa to join a group of tourists. During his stay he visited Moscow, St Petersburg (although at the time the city was called Leningrad) the former capital of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

and the estate of the Princes Yusupov in Arkhangelsk. Prince Alexander married a Sicilian princess Maria Valguarnera (b. 29 November 1931), daughter of Corrado, Prince of

Niscemi Niscemi is a little town and ''comune'' in the province of Caltanissetta, Sicily, Italy. It has a population of 27,558. It is located not far from Gela and Caltagirone and 90 km from Catania. Etymology The name Niscemi is derived from the ...

and Castelnuovo and Duke of Arenella, on 23 February 1971 in New York City in a civil ceremony, and in a religious ceremony on 18 July 1971 in

Cannes Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. T ...

. His wife converted to Orthodox Christianity before their marriage. The couple lived in New York City and in London. They had no children. In 1979 Prince Alexander Nikitich became a member of the Romanov family association. In 1992 he participated in the meeting of the seven princes of the Romanov family in Paris. Prince Alexander Nikitich Romanov died after a brief illness, 21 September 2002 in London. His body was cremated at

Mortlake Crematorium Mortlake Crematorium is a crematorium in Kew, near its boundary with Mortlake, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It opened in 1939, next to Mortlake Cemetery. The crematorium serves the boroughs of Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham, ...

and buried in the ancestral tomb of his wife's family in Palermo.

Ancestry

References

External links

Romanov Family Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Romanov, Alexander, Prince 1929 births 2002 deaths Nobility from Paris People educated at King's College School, London Columbia University alumni House of Romanov in exile