When I was first getting into the romanovs, and I found out about Louis of Mountbatten and Marie, about them being cousins, and the fact that Lord Louis always had an enduring love for Marie, I was surprised. He lived a much longer life than she, although he also died tragically. Both of them were murdered; he after a long and sucessful life, and she at only 19, not given the chance to accomplish much. Marie seems to belong to a different era; it is hard to imagine her alive in the later 20th century, dealing with the modern era. But if she had lived, perhaps she and Lord Louis would have married. They had an affinity for one another. It would have been interesting to see if it developed into anything more. Lord Louis had a long but complicated marriage with Edwina Ashley. Edwina was a complex, strong woman, quite unlike the simple, easygoing Marie. They were very different women, but since Lord Louis was rather complex himself, and lived a life that had much drama, perhaps he would have been happier with Marie, because she would not have been as volatile. His life might have been more peaceful. After World War I the first there were not so many restrictions hemming in Royal marriages. Also, in practice, if not in theory, female Romanovs were freerer to marry as they wanted since their children would not be Romanovs of russia, carrying on the blood. Had they wished, Grand Duchess Marie and Lord Louis (who was born a prince, but had to change his title when it seemed too German during World War I), would probably have been allowed to marry. He was Royal, just not as much as the Romanovs. Tsarvich Alexei, for instance would have had to marry nothing but a perfectly royal Princess. But Marie, as the third daughter of the Czar, might have been allowed to marry Lord Louis. The rules would have been applied harder had it been a Grand Duke, not a Grand Duchess. But then again,there were rules , and Marie would have had to observe them. It would probably have been her fathers choice. It is one of the might have beens, though. Tragedy intervened and Grand Duchess Marie was denied the long, productive life she deserved. Sorry I got too lengthy here.
