Mistress of Felix, husband of Zenaide

[IrinaAlexandrovna]

Zinadia Gregorie, Olivier and Tatiana ( born 1920). Photo taken in Rome.

Aw sorry but she wasn't pretty

[Van Heyden]

I  have to agree with you. She looks a bit better on another photograph but still, nothing to compare with Zinaida Yusupovna.

But as I wrote earlier, Felix S-E did not care for a beautiful wife always busy with parties, he wanted a tender and loving wife at home. He was a soldier...

And interestingly, he remained in love with her until his death. he wrote letters to her twice a day or more. Everytime he had a break he would find a piece of paper and write to her.

So what s the point of being beautiful if your husband is not attracted by you ? :-)

[IrinaAlexandrovna]

Hm...it's very strange... because if he is not attracted...we can't speak about love at all... I remember he was a soldier.... but Zinaida russian? Whole russian i mean...

[Van Heyden]

I can only give opinions based on my education :  I followed in 1990 a 3 months course ( in a master's degree) on marriage, alliance and sexuality in the 19th century ( in Europe).

Love was not given the same value as today. People could love one another, and decide to get married. It just meant that they liked each other. Love stories as we understand today were in books or songs or operas or rare cases of passion.

Weddings were a different story: most important was the assets ( how well each other's wealth fit to the other) and the social rank ( a noble could not marry a bourgeois, a bourgeois could not marry a peasant etc etc). It was a very heavy game that the families were playing since the children were 10 or 12. They were looking for suitable parties. Then after it was a question of liking each other ( not loving each other).

What do you mean by "Zinaida whole Russian"? Which Zinaida ?

both of them were 100% russian. Zinaida Yusupovna had russian parents, and so did Zinaida Gregorievna.

[IrinaAlexandrovna]

Aha yes you are right...
I just knew it that they were russian....because i couldn't find anywhere are they russian.... i asked for both of them

[Van Heyden]

Of course they were Russians. Why would they be foreigners? Felix was quite conservative.

The only expression of "western opening" is the first name of their 2nd child : Olivier. But even this one was pronounced in a Russian way : it was "oliviiri".

[IrinaAlexandrovna]

Yes there is no reason to be foreigners.... i have to read more about Felix father... because i didn't thought he had a mistress .... lool  : D 

[Van Heyden]

Felix Sr was said to be also interested in men. There is a testimony about a young man being at the Moika Palace for Felix Sr. ( it can be found on this forum) THis can be true or can be a confusion with the mistress ( on the pictures she has quite a hard face, and could be confused for a man if you don't see her hair) coming to the Palace. I don t have a certitude...

But the lack of interest for the official spouse could have generated the rumour that Felix was homosexual. Here again I have no certitude.


One thing for sure: in 1916 Felix Sr planned to announce to his own son Felix Jr about the existence of his mistress and his son. I have now a letter from him that clearly shows that. Was this letter sent? I don't know.

[IrinaAlexandrovna]

Felix Sr was said to be also interested in men. There is a testimony about a young man being at the Moika Palace for Felix Sr. ( it can be found on this forum) THis can be true or can be a confusion with the mistress ( on the pictures she has quite a hard face, and could be confused for a man if you don't see her hair) coming to the Palace. I don t have a certitude...

But the lack of interest for the official spouse could have generated the rumour that Felix was homosexual. Here again I have no certitude.


One thing for sure: in 1916 Felix Sr planned to announce to his own son Felix Jr about the existence of his mistress and his son. I have now a letter from him that clearly shows that. Was this letter sent? I don't know.

Really he planned to announce a son?Wow thats new for me...Tell me more...

[Van Heyden]

I am translating a letter dated 1916 from Felix Sr to his son Felix Jr.

The father is requesting his son as in a will ( it starts like this : "in case of my death, I request you to give to ........etc"). Felix jr must give money to the mistress for the benefit of her son Olivier until he s grown up.  He s clearly writing Olivier ( in cyrillic of course) as her son.

This deed coincides with the birth of Olivier in 1916.

As this is my hobby and I am busy weekdays with my job, I ll send the translation this weekend. But first I have to finalize the other letters from Felix Sr to his mistress. Although this deed is very exciting ...

[IrinaAlexandrovna]

Aha i understand... Sorry for me late replay...Well i'm learning more about the Yussupovs everyday

[nadezhda]

Does anyone have further information on the exact birth and death dates of Oliver (1916-2004) son of Zenaide Gregorieff and Felix?
Many thanks-

[Van Heyden]

Hello

Sorry for the very very late reply. I have been sick for a long time.

I can ask the exact dates from his niece, if you still need them.

His sister Tatiana is very sick now, blind, and about to die soon.

FVH

[ashanti01]

Sorry to hear about Tatiana's failing health.

Van Heyden, some time ago you wrote that you were translating some letters of Felix Sr. Where you able to translate them? Also would it be possible to post them?

Many thanks in advance.

[Van Heyden]

yes i was able to translate them and i will ask the permission from the daughter to post the translation and the scans.

THere is no dramatic information in those documents. Perhaps the most interesting ones from a scholar point of view are the deed from Felix Sr to Olivier and the letter of Felix Jr to Zenaida Grigorieva declaring himself penniless in the 40s as an excuse not to send money to them whereas he had committed to his father to do so.