Mistress of Felix, husband of Zenaide

[Annie]

Something I can't understand is how he could have the power to get anyone out of Russia when he couldn't even get himself out- he had to leave on the coattails of Marie F., being the father of her daughter Xenia's son in law. It's also true they had no money, and Zenaida was having to sell off her jewelry to live. I hardly think she'd give up her Catherine the Great black pearls to support her husband's mistress.

[ashanti01]

I don't know what to make of this...

As for the thing about Felix Sr. being gay; that was addressed some time back as a rumor when Greg King found an some documents or articles which disclosed newly discovered information at that time that had named a young man as one of Felix Sr's 'favorites'. It basically stated that Felix Sr. preferred the company of men , and one has to remember that Felix Jr. wrote how his father wouldn't travel anywhere without his selected group of friends. This information made many wonder why it was that Felix Sr had been so mean and cruel to his son Felix Jr when appearently he was out doing the same. It would seem to me that the logical answer to that question would have been that Felix Sr. would have been the 'old' school type which did things "in secret" where everyone knew but didn't say anything, however Felix Jr did everything in such a flamboyant way that it made his father angry, shocked and maybe even disgusted by his son's actions.

Back to the actual topic...

Many woman of nobility turned a blind eye to their husbands affairs, could it be possible that Zenaida simply choose to do the same??? Or could she have been kept in the dark about it?? I hardly think she would have been pleased to know that a son from her husbands affair was named Nicholas, when the death of her own son was still an open wound.

I don't believe Felix Sr. would have been able to maintain anyone after the revolution. Like Annie stated, it's hardly believable that Zenaida would have sold her precious collection to support her husband's mistress. Felix would have had to have set his mistress up with a large fund before the revolution which would have allowed her to live in comfort. I for one believe that it's very possible Felix Sr had a mistress but don't believe he financially supported the family after the revolution. It would have been pretty low to use the money your wife recieved from the sale of her jewlery to support your mistress and the family you formed with her, pretty low indeed... somehow I'm also coming off a little offended for Princess Zenaida

[Svetabel]

Life took its course difficult, while the First World War was raging, the young Zénaïde, based in St. Petersburg, gave birth to a new child named Olivier (1916-2004).

OLIVIER?   What a strange name for a Russian little boy...sounds too weird.

[Victor]

Olivier Felixivich I suppose you could say?

[Alexandre64]

I think that there has been a lack of tradustion, it is Princess who has sold her jewelry but maitresse de Felix, if Princess has sold some of her jewelry was for it I think, not to maintain maitresse her husband.

For sale, it was held yesterday in Paris, Hotel Drouot, and I joined the address of the online catalog:
http://www.auction.fr/fr/base/diaporama.php?vente=10929&etude=8&passe=

[Svetabel]

Olivier Felixivich I suppose you could say?

I just can't understand HOW the name was chosen...It's not a Russian name.

[Valmont]

Ok. There is something that has been "buzzing" in my head since I read the article of the sale Alexandre64 posted. It said that Felix Senior arranged through his private secretary  (Mr. Svetiloff) to have fake papers for Madame Gregorieff and her sons to pass as his personal secretary's family and that she could not change her name back again. Why couldn't she? The fake papers were only to get out of Russia.
On the same hand, has anyone had the feeling maybe she could have been Svetiloff's wife for real???. This could explain the gifts, probably given to his secretary, her last name, the fact nobody wrote anything about it  and they just wanted to "romanticize" the sale and "spice up"  the story. I am just speculating but we could make up a thousand theories without any hard evidence.
There is something that just does not feel right... but maybe it is just me.

Arturo Vega-Llausás

[helenazar]

As for the thing about Felix Sr. being gay; that was addressed some time back as a rumor when Greg King found an some documents or articles which disclosed newly discovered information at that time that had named a young man as one of Felix Sr's 'favorites'.

Thanks, ashanti. This must have been where I initially read this information some years ago. Since I don't consider this source very reliable, and there isn't anything else to corroborate it, I would say Felix Sr's being gay is pretty much a wash...

[Annie]

I think that there has been a lack of tradustion, it is Princess who has sold her jewelry but maitresse de Felix, if Princess has sold some of her jewelry was for it I think, not to maintain maitresse her husband.

But you see according to 'young' Felix's own memoirs, the sale of Zenaida's jewelry was, in those days, the sole support of the family (including Felix and Irina) so if they didn't use that to pay for the mistress, what was his other source of income?

[ashdean]

The Prince and Zénaide became lovers in 1910, it was his godfather, and had placed at her mother as Lady Company,
And they séprirent one another over time.

In 1912, she giving birth to Nicolas, who died in 1914, on the same date the prince installed in Petrograd and she gave birth to her second son, Olivier in 1916 and died in 2007.

During the Revolution, her children and she réfugit Crimea, in the town of Alupka, the resort area of AI Todor, which is a part of the Imperial Family and the Family Yussupof, lovers will voyérent more than ever.

In 1919, while the Romanovs, their companions and their suites are locked up by the Bolsheviks at Domaine de Dulber and placed under house monitor.

That same year, Maia Féodorvna succeeded with the help of her sister Alexandra, to evacuate his family and friends, but Zénaïde Gregorieff, then pregnant, and her son retérent despite all its démarchent, Prince did not put the faires party.
LEs Yussupof sets in Rome and in 1922 with the help of his secretary and false paper, he was able to evacuate, Zénaide Gregorieff, Olivier son and daughter Tatiana, fire escalent to Contantinople then in Rome, a resident near Residence of Yussupof.
The Prince took an active part in the education of his children and spent a lot of time with had.
In 1924, a stroke transformed this man warning, full of vigor and energy, an old man impotent and in 1928, during the night of 11 to 12 June, it rendat his soul to God.
Zénaide, his son and daughter s'installérent in Nice, where she vendat one at a time jewelry and gifts offered by the Prince needed to sustain his children.
She died in 1967.

I always thought that the Prince had his stroke very soon after their arrival in Rome..ie no later than 1920...the British ambassadors daughter Meriel Buchanan spoke very warmly of Zenaida...and mentions the great pressure she was under because of her husbands incapacity....The Buchanans left Rome in early 1921...

[Valmont]

The Yussupoff were not exactly low profile, even in exile people kept writting things about them. Things like how Zenaida help members of the Russian comunity in exile by giving the underware from her small underware factory for free or how Felix junior, down to his last kopec showed up at an action house were his family values were being actioned making an scene and being forced to leave empty handed and frustrated. I can understand Zenaida turning an eye blind to her husband's affairs, but it still pretty intriguing to me that no one even wrote anything about the Famous Prince Yussupoff's half brother and sister.....

[Victor]

Ok,this thread is getting rather strange.Felix snr gay?Rather unlikely.Had a mistress we've not heard about?Even more unlikely!Good stories but not falling for them.No disrespect Alexandre64 but it doesn't add up.The money side of it makes no sense.Prince Felix had nothing but his personal affects to leave anyone,if he'd left them to his bit on the side in his will,well wouldn't his lawyer have made sure she got them?Highly unlikely too that the children,Olivier[!]and Tatiana,wouldn't have come to light sooner.So we're to believe Felix was off shagging while the family was living in such restricted circumstances?Well ok maybe but surely it would have been noted by someone even privately in their diary and commented on later.This is when Tatiana was conceived?In the Crimea 1918/19.Between the revolution and the rescue by the Marlbourgh?Huh?So Felix snr was gay and he had three children to his mistress and he supported them after the revolution when he had no money.And the princess was fine about it.And Felix and Irina never mentioned it.Nor anyone else.

[Belochka]

Olivier Felixivich I suppose you could say?

I just can't understand HOW the name was chosen...It's not a Russian name.

Indeed "Olivier" is not a Russian person's name (although it is yummy Russian salad). Perhaps the actual name was lost in translation from the original documents?

BTW Victor, the patronymic would have been "Felixovich" (Фeликсович).

Margarita

[Victor]

Belochka,thank you for the correction-and the russian translation.I should have been more careful.May I stray from the topic for a moment?-I'd love to know what's in an Olivier salad.

[Valmont]

I definitely need hard evidence to believe this story…

Arturo Vega-Llausás