The last princess of Imperial Russia, Princess Vera Konstantinovna, has lived a life marked by both tragedy and resilience. Born in 1906, she was a member of the Romanov family, the ruling dynasty of Russia from 1613 to 1917. Her life was forever changed when the Bolsheviks seized power in 1918, leading to the execution of her father, Tsar Nicholas II, and three of her six brothers[1].
Despite the turmoil, Princess Vera continued to work tirelessly for the welfare of others. She joined the Russian Children's Welfare Society, dedicating herself to helping refugees and the elderly. Her dedication was unwavering, even as she faced the challenges of living in exile. In an interview, she reflected on her life, stating, "I always enjoy life, whatever I do. And remember, I have been living this way most of my life." Her story is a testament to the enduring spirit of the Romanov family and the power of human resilience in the face of adversity[1].
what were the key challenges Princess Vera faced after escaping Russia
Princess Vera Konstantinovna faced numerous challenges after escaping Russia. Some of the key challenges she faced include:
Exile and Displacement: Princess Vera was forced to flee Russia in 1918, leaving behind her family and the Romanov dynasty. She spent time in Sweden, Belgium, Germany, and eventually settled in London, where she struggled to adapt to her new life.
Financial Struggles: After her mother's death in 1927, Princess Vera was left without sufficient means of subsistence. She had to rely on friends and later moved to Altenburg, Germany, where she lived for thirty years.
War and Occupation: During World War II, Princess Vera lived in Germany, which was under German occupation. She worked as a translator in a camp for prisoners of war but was eventually removed from the position due to her attempts to help fellow prisoners.
Statelessness: After the war, Princess Vera was left without a country, holding only an ambiguous Nansen passport that allowed her to travel but did not provide her with statehood. She refused protection from various European countries, considering herself Russian.
Personal Trauma: Princess Vera was haunted by the events of the Revolution, including the execution of her brothers and the constant fear of being captured and executed. She recalled having recurring nightmares about being shot.
Domestic Challenges: In London, Princess Vera faced difficulties due to her stateless status. She was forced to redecorate her home, half-dreading a call from the Ministry of Labour assigning her to construction work. She also carried out household chores and shopped in the streets around Soho.
These challenges, both personal and practical, significantly impacted Princess Vera's life after her escape from Russia.
how did Princess Vera cope with the loss of her brothers
Princess Vera Konstantinovna of Russia faced numerous challenges after escaping Russia, particularly the loss of her brothers. Her life was forever changed when the Bolsheviks executed three of her six brothers in 1918. The trauma of this event had a lasting impact on her. She recalled having recurring nightmares about being shot and was haunted by the events of the Revolution.In an interview, Princess Vera reflected on her experiences, stating, "I used to have the same dream, as if I stood with my back to a pit and they were going to shoot me...my awakening was not less terrible than the dream itself, because I was constantly afraid to open my eyes and see that they had really come to take me to the execution". This fear and trauma persisted throughout her life, even as she continued to work for the welfare of others and maintained her resilience in the face of adversity.
what specific memories of her brothers does Princess Vera cherish
Princess Vera Konstantinovna cherishes memories of her brothers, particularly those from her childhood. She fondly recalls her brothers studying their lessons under a shaded lamp, with her mother nearby doing needlework, and her father playing the piano, striking the keys softly and noting down his harmonies. These memories of her happy childhood, which included visits to the Grand Duchess Elizabeth's tea parties, gave her strength to bear the sorrows and sufferings that followed.
HH Princess Vera Konstantinovna of Russia
Princess Vera
Her Highness Princess Vera Konstantinovna of Russia was born on 11 April (Old Style) / 24 April (New Style) 1906 at Pavlovsk Palace. Vera was a great-granddaughter of Tsar Nicholas I of Russia. The princess was named after her paternal aunt Grand Duchess Vera Konstantinovna (1854-1912), the wife of Duke Eugen of Württemberg. Vera's godparents were her brother Prince Konstantin Konstantinovich and the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna (born Princess of Hesse and by Rhine), consort of Emperor Nicholas II of Russia.
Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich
Grand Duchess Elisabeth Mavrikievna
Vera was the youngest of the nine children of Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich of Russia (1858-1915) and Grand Duchess Elizaveta Mavrikievna (1865-1927; née Princess Elisabeth of Saxe-Altenburg), who married in 1884.
Grand Duke Konstantin and Grand Duchess Alexandra of Russia
Prince Moritz of Saxe-Altenburg
Princess Augusta of Saxe-Meiningen
Vera's paternal grandparents were Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich (1827-1892) and Grand Duchess Alexandra Iosifovna (1830-1911; née Princess of Saxe-Altenburg). The maternal grandparents of the princess were Prince Moritz of Saxe-Altenburg (1829-1907) and Princess Augusta of Saxe-Meiningen (1843-1919).
The Konstantinovichi Branch of the Russian Imperial House in 1911.(Back row; L to R): Princess Tatiana; Prince Gabriel; Prince Ioann; Grand Duchess Elizabeta and Grand Duke Konstantin
(Front row; L to R): Princess Vera; Prince George; Prince Igor; Prince Oleg and Prince Constantine
Vera's older siblings were Prince Ioann (1886-1918), Prince Gavrill (1887-1955; later titled Grand Duke), Princess Tatiana (1890-1979), Prince Konstantin (1891-1918), Prince Oleg (1892-1914), Prince Igor (1894-1918), Prince George (1903-1938), and Princess Natalia (1905).
Prince George Constantinovich and Princess Vera Constantinovna
Princess Vera was the only surviving member of the Russian Imperial House to have vivid recollections of the family before the Revolution. Vera recalled how the four daughters of Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra would carry her in their arms when she was small; how the grand duchesses were "very modest" and kind to their little relative; how Vera greatly enjoyed the time she was able to spend with her cousins. Vera did recall that the grand duchesses were easier company than their brother, the Tsarevich Alexei, who could be demanding and rude. The princess remembered how her brother Prince George and she were very fond of their cousins; in addition, Vera had sweet memories of Emperor Nicholas II, who charmed her early on by his kind familial interactions.
The First Fatality amongst the Romanovs: Prince Oleg Konstantinovich
When World War I broke out, Vera was in Altenburg with her parents and brother George visiting her maternal family. Due to the intervention of Empress Auguste Viktoria, the family was able to return to Russia. Vera's five older brothers (Ioann, Gavrill, Konstantin, Oleg, and Igor) joined the Russian military in order to serve their nation. The first fatality was her twenty-one year-old brother Prince Oleg, who died in a battle with the Germans at Vilnius on 12 October 1914. Considered too young for the occasion, Vera was unable to attend her brother's funeral.
Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich lying in state.
The funeral procession of Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich of Russia in Saint Petersburg.
On 15 June 1915, Princess Vera was the sole witness to the death of her father, Grand Duke Konstantin. Aged fifty-six, Konstantin suffered an heart attack at Pavlovsk Palace while his nine year-old daughter was in the room. Understandably upset, Vera made her way into a neighbouring room, where she alerted her mother Grand Duchess Elizaveta of Konstantin's condition. When they made their way back to the grand duke's body, it was found that he had already passed away.
Prince Ioann of Russia
Prince Konstantin of Russia
Prince Igor of Russia
In the aftermath of the Revolution, three of Vera's five surviving brothers were to meet their eternal reward. On 17/18 July 1918, Prince Ioann, Prince Konstantin, and Prince Igor were murdered by the Bolsheviks at Alapaevsk. The princes were joined by Grand Duchess Elisabeth Feodorvna (widow of Grand Duke Sergei and sister of Empress Alexandra), Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich (brother-in-law of Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna, sister of Emperor Nicholas II), and Prince Vladimir Pavlovich Paley (son of Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich, a first cousin of Emperor Nicholas II).
Queen Victoria of Sweden
Grand Duchess Elisabeth and her children Prince George and Princess Vera
Queen Victoria of Sweden provided a lifeline to Grand Duchess Elizaveta Mavrikievna and her children. Through the Swedish ambassador to Russia, the queen invited the family to Sweden. In October 1918, aboard the Swedish vessel Ångermanland, the twelve year-old Princess Vera reached the safe haven of Sweden with her mother and brother in addition to her nephews, Prince Teymuraz Konstantinovich Bagration-Mukhransky and Prince Vsevolod Ivanovich of Russia, and her nieces, Princess Natalia Konstantinovna Bagration-Mukhransky and Princess Catherine Ivanovna of Russia. The Bolsheviks allowed the family to travel to Stockholm unharmed, as they apparently feared a diplomatic incident.
On the sofa: Princess Tatiana with her children Teymuraz and Natalia Bagration-Mukhransky and Grand Duchess Elizaveta Mavrikievna. On the floor: Prince George and Princess Vera. Brussels, 1921.
In 1920, Grand Duchess Elizaveta Mavrikievna and her surviving family relocated to Belgium after an application to King Albert I of the Belgians. The grand duchess had found the cost of living in Sweden to be insupportable. Happily, Albert provided a place for his Romanov relatives to reside in Brussels. Alas, the grand duchess and her children suffered from ill health, and their Belgian respite was brief.
Duke Ernst II of Saxe-Altenburg
In 1922, the grand duchess and her son and daughter relocated to Elizabeta's ancestral lands, where welcomed by Vera's uncle Duke Ernst II of Saxe-Altenburg. Elizaveta Mavrikievna settled at her family's castle, where she found a safe harbour.
Grand Duchess Elizaveta Mavrikievna of Russia
On 24 March 1927, the grand duchess died of cancer at Leipzig; she was sixty-two years-old. Her youngest daughter Vera now had to forge her own way forward. In the 1930s, Prince George relocated from Europe to New York City, where he became an interior designer. The prince died from surgery complications in 1938 at the age of thirty-five.
Vera
Princess Vera remained in Germany during World War II. Vera worked as a translator in a camp for prisoners of war. However, officials of the Third Reich eventually removed the princess from her position because she had tried to help fellow prisoners. At the end of the war, when Vera became aware that Altenburg was to fall under the Soviet sphere of influence, she fled on foot along with her cousin Hereditary Prince Georg Moritz of Saxe-Altenburg (1900-1991) to Hamburg, where she settled in 1946. In 1951, the princess moved to the United States of America, where she established herself very modestly in New York.
Princess Vera Konstantinovna of Russia in front of a picture of her father Grand Duke Konstantin.
Princess Vera of Russia in her New York City apartment.
Mindful of her familial connections, Princess Vera was an occasional guest at Romanov family gatherings. In 1938, she attended the wedding of her cousin Grand Duchess Kira Kirillovna of Russia to Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia. In 1953, the princess participated in the celebrations of the union of Archduke Rudolf of Austria, son of Emperor Karl of Austria-Hungary and Empress Zita, to Countess Xenia Czernichev-Besobrasov, whose father was a Tsarist courtier.
Princess Vera of Russia
The American press caught up with the princess in February 1959. By this time, Vera was living in a small apartment with three other ladies in NYC. Various news outlets contained the following brief profile of the princess:
Every weekday morning, she hops a bus or subway and rides to an office in the basement of the Russian Orthodox church. There she files and answers letters from Russian refugees, packs bundles of food and clothing and tends to other details for the Russian Children's Welfare Society.
How does she feel about this change of status?
"I always enjoy life, whatever I do. And remember, I have been living this way most of my life," said the 53-year-old princess in an interview.
A hearty woman with grey hair, twinkly eyes and a deep voice, she wore a simple, black dress and little jewellery. The family had to sell what jewels they were able to bring out of Russia, she explained.
In 1918, the Bolsheviks killed three of her six brothers. The next day, Tsar Nicholas was killed. The princess and her mother, and later her sister and brothers, escaped.
"We were lucky because we had an invitation to visit the Queen of Sweden. The Bolsheviks were afraid of an international incident, so they let us go," she said.
From Sweden, Princess Vera went to Belgium, Germany, England, and back to Germany. But in 1945, she had to flee again, escaping on foot across the East German border.
In 1951, she came to the United States "because Europe was a bit too near the Communists."
Princess Vera Konstantinovna of Russia
On 11 January 2001, HH Princess Vera Konstantinovna of Russia died at the Tolstoy Foundation's elderly care home in Valley Cottage, New York. A stateless person since the fall of the Russian Empire, Vera had traveled under a Nansen passport; she never took foreign citizenship. Xenia Woyevodsky, the Tolstoy Foundation's executive director, shared this memory of Princess Vera: "She had a very difficult life. Her brothers were brutally murdered by the Bolsheviks, thrown into a mine shaft with hand grenades a few days after the execution of the imperial family. We were inundated, mostly after the fall of the Soviet Union, after people realised there was this Romanoff living in the United States that bridged the generations. People would come from all over the world. We finally had to restrict them - she was old, and it was emotional for her. She lived really to help. She worked on boards, helping the elderly, children, orphans refugees. She was very involved. She was a modest, unassuming grand lady. With her death comes an end of era. She closes a chapter to that generation of the Romanoffs."
Vera's signature.
The grave of Princess Vera of Russia.
Princess Vera once memorably declared: "I didn't leave Russia; Russia left me." The princess was ninety-four years-old when she passed away. On 15 January 2001, she was buried at the Russian Orthodox Monastery of Novo-Diveevo in Nanuet, New York. Vera was laid to rest next to her brother Prince George, who had died over sixty years before her.
Vera of Russia
A portrait of Her Highness Princess Vera Konstantinovna of Russia
As we conclude our exploration of the life of Princess Vera Konstantinovna, the last princess of Imperial Russia, we are reminded of the enduring legacy of the Romanov family. Despite the challenges and hardships she faced, Princess Vera remained steadfast in her commitment to helping others, dedicating herself to the Russian Children's Welfare Society and other charitable causes. Her remarkable story serves as a testament to the resilience and hope that can be found even in the darkest of times. **Resilience** and **hope** are the keys to understanding Princess Vera's remarkable journey, and they are essential qualities that we can all learn from.
As we reflect on the life of Princess Vera, we are reminded of the importance of staying true to oneself and one's values. Despite the many changes she faced, Princess Vera remained committed to her family and her heritage, and her dedication to helping others never wavered. Her story is a powerful reminder that even in the face of adversity, we can find strength and purpose in our passions and values. **Resilience** and **hope** are the foundation upon which we build our lives, and Princess Vera's remarkable story is a shining example of the power of these qualities. We hope that her story will continue to inspire and motivate others to find their own path to resilience and hope.
what were some of Princess Vera's most memorable experiences with the Russian Children's Welfare Society
Princess Vera Konstantinovna was deeply involved with the Russian Children's Welfare Society, dedicating herself to helping refugees and the elderly. Her most memorable experiences with the society include:
Daily Routine: Every weekday morning, Princess Vera would hop on a bus or subway to the Russian Orthodox church, where she would file and answer letters from Russian refugees, pack bundles of food and clothing, and attend to other details for the society.
Personal Connection: Princess Vera's experiences with the society were deeply personal. She recalled how she enjoyed her work, stating, "I always enjoy life, whatever I do. And remember, I have been living this way most of my life," indicating her dedication to the cause and her ability to find joy in her daily activities.
Resilience: Despite the challenges she faced, Princess Vera remained steadfast in her commitment to the society. Her resilience in the face of adversity is a testament to her remarkable character and her ability to adapt to changing circumstances.
Community Involvement: Princess Vera was a modest and unassuming grand lady who was deeply involved in her community. Her work with the Russian Children's Welfare Society reflects her commitment to helping others and her ability to make a positive impact on those around her.
These experiences highlight Princess Vera's dedication to the Russian Children's Welfare Society and her remarkable ability to find joy and purpose in her work, even in the face of adversity.
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