OTMA's titles post-abdication

[1130 WNEW]

Someone told me that, following the end of the Tsarist era and the formal abolition of their Russian titles, Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia would have legally been Princesses of Hesse and by Rhine as their mother's German titles were the only ones legally existing between March, 1917 and July, 1918.

Is this true?

[Kalafrana]

I doubt it, unless there is something unusual about the transmission of titles in Hesse.

Generally speaking, titles are transmitted from father to child, not mother to child, so the Grand Ducheses would not have inherited them through their mother. Alexandra, however, was a Princess of Hesse and by Rhine by birth and presumably remained one until her death.

Ann

[TimM]

Of course, Germany also abolished its monarchy after the First World War.

[Forum Admin]

No, the Grand Duchesses were not Princesses of Hesse Darmstadt.  They could not inherit the title from Alexandra. 

[mcdnab]

Most monarchies would have recognised the Romanov family by the titles they held prior to the revolution.
Republican government's might have taken a different approach.
Confusion in the modern world relates largely to the more distant descendants of former ruling houses and what their correct style and title should be.
A lot depends on where the deposed royals end up living.

[Forum Admin]

Surviving family members were indeed, after the Revolution, recognized by their pre Revolution titles.  Xenia Alexandrovna was still called Grand Duchess, Dmitri Pavolovich was called Grand Duke, etc etc.