Death of Prince Nicholas Romanovich, Claimant to Russian Throne

One of the claimants to the defunct Russian throne, Prince Nicholas Romanovich, passed away today in Italy, at the age of 91.

The Prince was the elder son of Prince Roman Petrovich of Russia, a second cousin of the last Tsar, Nicholas II. Nicholas Romanovich was a great-great-grandson of Tsar Nicholas I. As such, following the death of Grand Duke Vladimir Cyrillovich in 1992, Nicholas considered himself the Head of the House of Romanov, as the senior-most male-line descendant.

His claim was recognised by the majority of the Romanov family, most of whom belong to the Romanov Family Association, of which Nicholas became President in 1989. Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna, daughter of Grand Duke Vladimir, disputes the claim of the Nikolaevichi line, on the basis that their marriages were unequal. She claims the Headship of the House herself.

Prince Nicholas was born in Antibes, France on September 26, 1922, and spent his childhood there before moving to Italy. During the Second World War, the family was forced into hiding for several months because of their close relationship with the Italian King, Vittorio Emanuele III (his wife was the younger sister of Nicholas’s grandmother). In 1942, the Prince was offered the crown of Montenegro by the Italian Fascists, which he declined.

He married Italian Countess Sveva della Gherardesca in January 1952, the couple had three daughters: Natalia, Elisaveta and Tatiana. He is survived by his wife, daughters, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The Prince will be succeeded in his claim to the Russian throne by his younger brother, Prince Dimitri, who of his brother’s death said, “This is a huge loss for us.”

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Tagged Biography, Death, Prince Nicholas Romanovich.

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