Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovitch, his family and life

[ashanti01]

I don't know about anyone else, but George seems to look alot like his father. For a moment, I thought it was a picture of Michael.

[lancashireladandre]

Natasha's daughter Nathalie Majolier wrote an interesting book about her childhood "Stepdaughter of Imperial Russia" published in 1940.Nathalie was like her mother thrice married.Her daughter by her second marriage Pauline Gray also wrote a very interesting memoir of her tragic grandmother" The Grand Duke's Woman".It gives details of the proud,arrogant,beautiful Natasha's last pathetic years living in a garret,totally destitute.Her death must have been a release.....

[YaBB_Jose]

July 1910

This picture is supposed to be of July 1910.
Michael and Natascha were married in 1911 and George was born in 1913.
So ...?

[YaBB_Jose]

Natasha went to live in England with her children,  

Children ?
Wsan't George her only son ?

[Ortino]

Children ?
Wsan't George her only son ?

She had a daughter from a previous marriage, "Tata."

[Jane]

George was born in 1910, and his parents were married in Vienna the following year.  

[YaBB_Jose]

Oooops My mistake. :-/
I had opened "Lines of Succession" of Jiri Louda who said he was born in 1913.

[kmerov]

[LisaDavidson]

Yes, that young man is GD Dmitriy. He was in love with Natalia.

I think this designation is a bit unfair to both parties. Natalia was very much in love with her husband. Dmitri was very much a bachelor about town. He probably found her fascinating and maybe had a crush on her. But, the attachment was not an enduring romantic love and I think it's inaccurate to describe it as such.

[grandduchessella]

Here are some excerpts I'd put on another, long-dormant thread:

Subject:  Grand Duke Mikhail to Mme. Wulfert, 24 September 1908
The Grand Duke is writing from Norway. This letter was probably intended to be read by Natasha's husband-- hence the innocuous subject matter.

Yesterday I went to a picture exhibition-- I've never
seen anything worse, dreadful, the pictures must all
have been painted by madmen. I haven't had a card from you for a long time. I'm looking foward to the latest
photographs, send me the ones that you don't want to
keep, the best must go in your photo album. Neither
here nor in Denmark are there any wildflowers in the
fields, while in Gatchina I'm sure there are still
plenty.

Subject:  Grand Duke Mikhail to Natasha, 8 October 1909
Please, darling Natasha, never feel embarassed about
telling me if you ever need anything. But knowing how
hard it is for your to ask me, I'll try to make sure you never have to remind me of it and I'll anticipate these things myself and next week when I come to Moscow I'll have sufficient with me and I promise that never again will it happen the way it did last time when you, my darling, were so upset. If you could know how ashamed I was to find that I had not enough with me to give to you... But still, my darling, you shouldn't be so upset, because firstly you should look at these things calmly and secondly, all I do is for you and not for myself.

Subject:  Nicholas II to Maria Fyodorovna Burg Friedberg, 4th October, 1910.
We must have been thinking about the same thing at the same time. Just about a week ago I wrote to Misha in the vein you suggest. Having pointed out to him how
difficult and often impossible it was under present
conditions to keep one's incognito, I went on to beg
him not to travel in the same train with her, saying
at the same time that this was not an order, but was
given in the spirit of friendly adivce. I ended my
letter by saying I was sure that, if she loved him as
much as he thought she did, she would not want to harm him in any way. I was as gentle as I could be and got a very grateful telegram in reply.

Subject:  Maria Fyodorovna to Nicholas II, 4 November 1912
Now I must tell you about another *terrible blow!* I have just got a letter from Misha in which he announces his marriage! It is unbelievable-- I can hardly understand *what* I am writing-- it is so appalling in every way that it *nearly kills* me! I beg only this one thing of you: that it be kept *absolutely secret* to avoid *another scandal!* There have been secret marriages in the past which one *pretended to know nothing about.* I think this is the only way out-- otherwise I won't be able to show my face *anywhere* for the *shame and disgrace of it all!* May God forgive him-- I can only pity him. But what sorrow it brings, and how difficult it is to bear up under such blows!  

[Annette]

Hi

A few years ago I was lucky enough to go through the archives at Knebworth House in Hertfordshire where Michael and Natasha lived for a while before WW1.  The kind archivist showed me lots of wonderful pictures of Michael, Natasha, Tata and baby George, they were informal 'family shots' taken in the garden but they looked like a very happy family.  

I've always found the picture of M&N with Olga and Kulikovsky in the background very interesting.  I am away from my books today but I am sure in The Last Grand Duchess Olga says that she never met Natasha which has always rather amused me...

I also saw Natasha and George's graves in Paris about 6 or 7 years ago.  The marble tombstone had been a bit smashed up but there were fresh flowers on the grave which seemed very poignant so many years after their deaths.  

Actually, I've also been to Snape House in Wadhurst, East Sussex, where Natasha lived after the Revolution. The owners at the time showed me all over the house which was a typical English country house.  There was the most wonderful garden and amazing views across the English Downs.  

I met Donald and Rosemary Crawford who wrote Michael and Natasha at a Royalty Digest weekend a few years ago and they were obviously very fond of M&N and much enjoyed researching the book.  The impression I got from them was that Michael was a very kind, softhearted person but that Natasha was made of much sterner stuff, although she truly loved M.  I am sure she could be dreadful and I remember reading that Natasha could at times be more regal than Michael but I do think he needed a strong woman to be his partner.

'Michael and Natasha', 'Step Daughter to Imperial Russia' and Pauline Grey's book 'The Grand Duke's Woman' are all great books and well worth reading if you can get hold of them.  

Until I started typing this I didn't think I was mad about Michael and Natasha but upon reflection maybe I am!

[David_Pritchard]

Grand Duke Mikhail Aleksandrovich taken in Saint Petersburg, early 1900's.

[YaBB_Jose]

She had a daughter from a previous marriage, "Tata."

What happened to this daughter ?
Did she got married and had children ?

[LisaDavidson]

What happened to this daughter ?
Did she got married and had children ?

Yes, I believe Tata married at least twice - once to Val Guilgud, brother of Sir John Guilgud - and her daughter Pauline Grey is author of "The Grand Duke's Woman".

[dp5486]

Was Tata close to her stepfather and her half-brother?

Thanks!