Prince Vsevolod Ivanovich of Russia
Prince Vsevolod Ivanovich | |
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Prince John Constantinovich of Russia | |
Mother | Princess Helen of Serbia |
Prince Vsevolod Ivanovich of Russia (20 January [
During the revolution his father and two uncles were imprisoned and later murdered along with other Romanov relatives in July 1918. In October 1918 his grandmother fled with the four-year-old Prince Vsevolod to Sweden where he was able be reunited with his mother, Princess Helen of Serbia. After a time in France and Belgrade they eventually settled in England. Prince Vsevolod was educated at Eton and Oxford. He spent the rest of his life in exile in Great Britain. In 1939 he married Lady Mary Lygon of Madresfield Court. They were divorced in 1956. Prince Vsevolod married twice more, but had no children from any of his marriages.
Early life
Prince Vsevolod Ivanovich was the eldest child of
Revolution
During the chaotic rule of the
They were finally able to escape revolutionary Russia with the help of Swedish diplomats, at the invitation of
Exile
After spending sometime recuperating in Stockholm royal palace, they moved to a small spa town in Sweden. There, in 1919, Vsevolod was reunited with his mother.[5] They moved to Paris and eventually went to live in
Prince Vsevolod was educated at Eton and Oxford.[5] He boxed and ran for both Eton and Oxford and was described by a friend as "having a great heart".[6] In October 1933 Vsevolod was operated on for appendicitis in a London nursing home. During the following year, Prince Vsevolod, who was in his early twenties, appeared frequently in social circles. He visited Queen Mary in July 1936, attended the christening of Prince Victor Emmanuel of Italy in June 1937 and presided the Russian Charities ball that December.[6] As Mr Romanof, he ran a business in North London selling lubricants.[6]
The prince and Lady Mary
Prince Vsevolod's engagement to Lady Mary Lygon was announced on 1 February 1939. The civil marriage took place on 31 May 1939, in Chelsea register office in the presence of two of the bride's sisters, two witnesses and a Russian priest.[6] The religious service was the following day in the Russian Orthodox Church, Buckingham Palace Road. Grand Duke Vladimimir Kirilovich, Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich and Prince Dmitri of Russia were among the groomsmen.[6] Lady Mary became Princess Romanovsky-Pavlovsky, the title granted by Grand Duke Vladimir Kirilovich at Vsevolod's request.[citation needed]
The couple set up home in a large house in Lenox Gardens. Prince Vsevolod worked at Saccone & Speed Wine Merchants in Sackville Street, London.
After the war Prince Vsevolod and his wife moved to a Palladian style house in North Terrace, Kensington: Alexander house was situated at the end of a cul de sac off the Brompton Road.[8] With no children of their own, they were devoted to their Pekingese dogs. Vsevolod also stood as godfather to George, son of Prince and Princess George Galitzine in May 1947; and to Victoria, daughter of Prince and Princess Frederick of Prussia, in May 1952.[8] In the following years their marriage began to unravel. Both were heavy drinkers and Lady Mary descended into a depressive alcoholic haze.[8] Soon the couple were hurling pots of hot tea at each other.[6] Mary's friends claimed that the prince had spent all her money.[8] By 1952 the couple were broke, living in the same apartments but not speaking. The following year they moved to a flat in Hove, Sussex. Mary resorted to pawning her jewelry. Her eldest brother (now Lord Beauchamp) and sister Lady Lettice suggested that the couple moved alternatively between them, an offer they declined. Soon after Christmas 1953, Vsevolod left the marital home.[6] During 1954, Mary's mental health declined. The couple was granted a divorce in February 1956 on the grounds of Prince Vsevolod's adultery.[8]
Last years
In March 1956 at Marylebone register office, Prince Vsevolod quietly married his mistress, Hungarian noblewoman Emilia de Gosztonyi (Budapest 19 April 1914 – Monte Carlo 9 July 1993), daughter of Eugen de Gosztonyi and Ethel Jolán Törö de Thury. Emilie was previously married to Count Sigismund von Berchtold zu Ungarschütz (1900-1979), son of Count Leopold Berchtold, who was divorced from Etti Plesch.
As a daughter of a minor
In London on 8 June 1961, Vsevolod married again, this time to Valli Knust (b. London 4 April 1930, d. Sherborne, Dorset 10 July 2012),[citation needed] a woman sixteen years his junior. She was created Princess Romanovsky Knust; their marriage was very happy, but they had no children.[9] In January 1966 Prince Vsevolod was appointed personal assistant to the Chairman and chief Executive of United Guarantee, holdings.[9] In June 1970 Vsevolod underwent an operation in London, the beginning of a long painful battle with cancer.[9] He died in London on 18 June 1973.[9] His funeral services took place a week later at the Russian Orthodox church in Kensington.[9] Among those present were Prince and Princess Paul of Yugoslavia and Prince and Princess Vassili of Russia.[9]
Ancestry
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Notes
- ^ a b King & Wilson, Gilded Prism, p. 122
- ^ King & Wilson, Gilded Prism, p. 123
- ^ King & Wilson, Gilded Prism, p. 163
- ^ King & Wilson , Gilded Prism, p. 164
- ^ a b c d e Zeepvat, Romanov Autumn, p. 230
- ^ a b c d e f g Hall, Lady Mary and the Pauper Prince, p. 51
- ^ a b c d Hall, Lady Mary and the Pauper Prince, p. 52
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Hall, Lady Mary and the Pauper Prince, p. 53
- ^ a b c d e f g Hall, Lady Mary and the Pauper Prince, p. 54
Bibliography
- Hall, Coryne. Lady Mary and the 'Pauper Prince'. Royalty Digest Quarterly. N4 2009.
- King, Greg, and Penny Wilson. Gilded Prism. Eurohistory, 2006. ISBN 0-9771961-4-3
- Zeepvat, Charlotte, The Camera and the Tsars, Sutton Publishing, 2004, ISBN 0-7509-3049-7.