The Vladimirovitchi - discussion and pictures, Part 2

[ashanti01]

Grand Duke Boris

[Eric_Lowe]

He looks like his father as a young man.

[Marc]

I am reading now "Secrets of dethroned royalty" by Princess Ekaterina Radziwill and she mentions that Grand Duke Boris was very much a womanizer and that an engagement was once broken off one day before the wedding because of him...

"He(Boris) was a handsome fellow,but absolutely unscrupulous,and soon became the terror of jealous husbands,as well of watchful mothers,who were always anxious when he invited one of their daughters to dance.

Thanks to him,engagement of a young girl,very prominent in society,Mademoiselle Demidoff,was broken off almost on the eve of her wedding day.Fortunately for her,this did not permanently destroy her happiness,because she ultimately married Prince Abamelek-Lazarev,one of the richest man in Russia and lived happily with him.

But this did not prevent people of discussing,in most disapproving terms,the conduct of Grand Duke Boris."

Based on this,one could assume that the girl in question was Princess Maria Demidoff di San Donato(the same age as Boris,both born in 1877),who was married to Prince Semyon Abamelek-Lazarev.The things are interesting one more time because she was an aunt of Prince Paul of Yugoslavia(later adopted him also),who was married to Grand Duke Boris's niece Olga and whose mother Helen didn't like the fact that his mother was a Demidoff (from a book about Princess Olga)...

[Eric_Lowe]

I think Boris merits a book.

[Kalafrana]

The Vladimirovichi  merit a book.

Bores alone would provide plenty of titilation  but be rather boring once one was satiated with scandal.

Ann

[Eric_Lowe]

Grand Duke Boris was a scandal indeed...

He had an affair with Missy (Crown Princess Marie of Romania) among others and failed marriage proposals to Ena of Battenberg & his niece Grand Duchess Olga (daughter of Nicholas II).
The latter was a long shot by Miechen, Olga did not appear to be attracted to her uncle at all. In Helen Azar's book on Olga's diaries, she referred to Boris as "Uncle Boris". He was much too old for her.

[Kalafrana]

Despite all three being involved in scandal, the Vladimirovitchi brothers were different in many ways. Kirill was the calculating one, Boris was the rake, and at heart Andrei liked a quiet life.

Ann

[Eric_Lowe]

I don't think Kyrill was calculating, he was just cold and lazy, preferring to let his mother & wife fight for him. After Ducky's death, Kyrill found out how much he depended on his wife and followed her to the grave not long after. He cannot continue since he live off Ducky's strength.

[Svetabel]

Finally a book on GDss Maria Pavlovna. Russian edition.

http://www.liki-rossii.ru/Izdan/izdan_det/MP.htm

Bio photoalbum with some really rare photos from various archives, private collections (from eurohistory, for example). Chapters on every child of Maria Pavlovna.

[ashanti01]

Well it's about time. I for one, can't wait to see this book. Thanks for the link Svetabel.

[Maria_Pavlovna]

The Russian book on Maria Pavelovna  will be published by Eurohistory later this year possibly in English, I heard this on their Facebook page.awesomness!

[Eric_Lowe]

always good to get more Russia books in English.

[Ally Kumari]

Little Grand Dukes Kyril and Boris



From http://ella-indigo.tumblr.com/

[Eric_Lowe]

Very close in age I see...

[Kalafrana]

Boris with a Mohican!!

I wonder how long that lasted.

Ann