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| Großherzogin Maria Wladimirowna von Russland
Foto (c) Getty Images / Alexei Pavlishak |
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| Großfürstin Leonida Georgievna mit ihrer Tochter Großfürstin Maria Vladimirovna bei der Taufe des Babys |
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| Das Bettelarmband, das Großherzog Vladimir und Großherzogin Leonida zur Feier der Geburt ihrer Tochter Maria angefertigt haben |
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| Die kleine Erbin |
Am 23. Dezember 1953 wurde Großfürstin Maria Wladimirowna von Russland in der Klinik Nuestra Señora de Loreto in Madrid geboren. Sie war das einzige Kind des russischen Großfürsten Wladimir Kirillowitsch, Oberhaupt des Zarenhauses Romanow, und seiner Frau Leonida (geb. Prinzessin Bagration-Mukhranskaya). Maria Wladimirowna war die Enkelin von Großfürst Kirill Wladimirowitsch (1876–1938) und Großfürstin Viktoria Feodorowna (1876–1936; geborene Prinzessin Viktoria Melita von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha), die Urenkelin von Großfürst Wladimir Alexandrowitsch (1847–1909) und Großfürstin Maria Pawlowna (1854–1920; geborene Herzogin Marie von Mecklenburg-Schwerin) und die Ururenkelin von Kaiser Alexander II. Nikolajewitsch von Russland (1818–1881) und Kaiserin Maria Alexandrowna (1824–1880; geborene Prinzessin Marie von Hessen und bei Rhein). Mit fast vierzig Jahren begann Leonida Georgievna sich Sorgen zu machen, dass sie ihrem Mann keinen so sehr ersehnten Erben schenken könnte. Auf der Suche nach allen möglichen Heilmitteln unternahm Leonida Anfang 1953 eine Pilgerreise zu den Reliquien des Wundertäters Nikolaus in Bari, und einige Wochen nach ihrer Rückkehr nach Spanien war sie außer sich vor Freude, als ihr Arzt ihr mitteilte, dass sie ein Kind erwartete. Die Eltern von Großfürstin Maria hatten ihre Tochter immer als eine Art Wunder („ ein Kind Gottes “) betrachtet, und die drei entwickelten eine außergewöhnlich enge familiäre Bindung. Bei ihrer Taufe im russisch-orthodoxen Glauben am 3. Februar 1954 erhielt das Kind den Namen Maria; als Taufpaten wurden ihr Großonkel, Großfürst Andrej Wladimirowitsch, der aus gesundheitlichen Gründen bei der Veranstaltung durch Prinz Nikolaus von Rumänien (ein Sohn von Maria Wladimirownas Großtante, Königin Marie von Rumänien) und Königinmutter Giovanna von Bulgarien vertreten wurde.
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| Großherzogin Maria von Russland |
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| Die kaiserliche Familie in einem Zoo in Rom |
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| Die junge Großherzogin |
The Romanov trio spent the year moving about their various homes. In Spain, they resided in a comfortable apartment on the rue Velasquez that was just around the corner from the home of Maria’s maternal grandparents. At some point, the family exchanged the apartment for a more spacious villa in the posh Madrid suburb of Puerto de Hierro. Their French residences included Ker Argonid in St Briac (named after Maria’s grandmother Victoria Melita) and an apartment in Paris. The Romanovs were particularly quite close to the Albanian, Bulgarian, and Spanish royal families.
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| Grand Duchess Maria, Grand Duke Vladimir, and Grand Duchess Leonida at their Puerto de Hierro residence in Madrid
Photograph (c) Getty Images / Gianni Ferrari |
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| Grand Duchess Maria of Russia in Madrid, 1966
Photograph (c) Getty Images / Gianni Ferrari |
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| Grand Duchess Leonida, Grand Duke Vladimir, and Grand Duchess Maria of Russia in 1966.
Photograph (c) Getty Images / Gianni Ferrari |
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| The Romanovs in Madrid, 1968
Photograph (c) Getty Images / Gianni Ferrari |
Grand Duchess Maria recalled her early years: “I had a very happy childhood. There was such a harmony between my parents. They very much loved each other. They never quarrelled or were separated. I was thus raised in an atmosphere of mutual love and respect.” When she was a toddler, Maria was often taken by her parents to visit her great-uncle Andrei and his wife Mathilde at their “enchanting” Villa Molitor in Paris, with its “big windows and conservatories.” There Maria enjoyed playing with the Grand Duke’s pet turtle Rosalie, who was kept in one of the gardens and was one of Maria’s earliest guests at her childhood tea parties. The grand duchess had a multitude of Prussian, Leiningen, and Bagration first cousins from her paternal and maternal aunts and uncles; however, Maria was the youngest of the group. From her aunt Grand Duchess Maria Kirillovna (1907-1951), who married Fürst Karl of Leiningen, Maria Vladimirovna had seven first cousins: Fürst Emich of Leiningen (1926-1991; husband of Duchess Eilika of Oldenburg), Prince Karl (1928-1990; husband of Princess Marie Louise of Bulgaria), Princess Kira (1930-2005; wife of Prince Andrej of Yugoslavia), Princess Margarita (1932-1996; wife of Fürst Friedrich Wilhelm of Hohenzollern), Princess Mechthilde (b.1936), Prince Friedrich (1938-1998), and Prince Peter (1942-1943). From her aunt Grand Duchess Kira Kirillovna, who married Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia, Maria Vladimirovna also had seven first cousins: Prince Friedrich Wilhelm (1939-2015), Prince Michael (1940-2014), Princess Marie Cécile (b.1942; wife of Duke Friedrich August of Oldenburg), Princess Kira (1943-2004), Prince Louis Ferdinand (1944-1977; husband of Countess Donata of Castell-Rüdenhausen), Prince Christian-Sigismund (b.1946; husband of Countess Nina of Reventlow), and Princess Xenia (1949-1992). A twenty-seven year age gap thus separated Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia from her eldest first cousin, Fürst Emich of Leiningen.
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| Grand Duchess Maria of Russia with her dog while in the UK, November 1971
Photograph (c) Getty Images |
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| Maria of Russia, circa 1976 |
Maria was partially raised by a nurse: a Swiss-German woman by the name of Hanny Vögelin. Hanny, described as “firm but fair,” taught the little girl how to read and write, and stayed on with the family until Maria went to primary school at the age of seven. After this, Maria went on to the British Institute in Madrid. Passionate about languages, she then made the choice to enter Oxford University, where she began her studies in 1972 at Lady Margaret Hall. Grand Duchess Maria left Oxford in early 1975 an accomplished polyglot, fluent in English, French, Russian and Spanish as well as possessing a thorough knowledge of Russian literature.
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| Grand Duchess Maria and Prince Franz Wilhelm
Photograph (c) Seeger-Presse |
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| Grand Duke Vladimir, Grand Duchess Leonida, Prince Franz Wilhelm, and Grand Duchess Maria
Photograph (c) Seeger-Presse |
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| Grand Duchess Maria and Grand Duke Michael on their wedding day
Photograph (c) Getty Images / Gianni Ferrari |
In July 1976, Grand Duke Vladimir and Grand Duchess Leonida announced the engagement of their daughter Maria to Prince Franz Wilhelm of Prussia, the son of the late Prince Karl Franz Joseph of Prussia and his first wife Princess Henriette of Schönaich-Carolath. Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna and Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich (as Franz Wilhelm became known after converting to Russian Orthodoxy and being granted the style and title of Grand Duke of Russia by his soon-to-be father-in-law) were married in great style on 22 September 1976 at the small Orthodox Church in Madrid. Their wedding was attended by four kings (King Leka I of the Albanians, King Simeon II of Bulgaria, King Umberto II of Italy, and King Juan Carlos of Spain) and six queens (Queen Mother Geraldine of Albania, Queen Susan of the Albanians, Queen Mother Giovanna of Bulgaria, Queen Margarita of Bulgaria, Queen Farida of Egypt, and Queen Sofía of Spain) as well as a deluge of other royals.
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| Grand Duke George with his grandfather Grand Duke Vladimir and aunt Hélène Kirby at his baptism, May 1981
Photograph (c) Getty Images / Gianni Ferrari |
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| The Modern Romanovs: Vladimir, Leonida, Maria, and George |
Maria and Michael’s only child was born almost five years into their union. Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia arrived on 13 March 1981 at Madrid. On 6 May 1981, the feast day of St. George, the little grand duke was baptised into the Russian Orthodox Church. Grand Duke George’s godparents are King Constantine II of Greece, for whom the baby’s grandfather Grand Duke Vladimir stood proxy, and Hélène Kirby, Countess Dvinskaya, George’s maternal aunt.
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Grand Duchess Maria Vladmirovna and Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich separated in 1982. Their divorce became final in 1985. The grand duchess has never remarried. As a single mother, Grand Duchess Maria raised her son with the assistance of her parents. Once again, the four Romanovs formed a tight family unit. Grand Duke George also had regular visitation with his father Prince Franz Wilhelm (who reverted to his Prussian title after the divorce).
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| Großherzogin Maria, Großherzog Georg und Rebecca Bettarini bei der Hochzeit von Prinz Joachim von Preußen und Gräfin Angelina zu Solms-Laubach auf Mallorca im Juni 2019.
Foto (c) Seeger-Presse / Albert Nieboer |
Seit ihrem Amtsantritt als Oberhaupt der kaiserlichen Familie hat die Großherzogin ihre Rolle mit unergründlicher Hingabe und Pflicht erfüllt. Großherzogin Maria ist häufig bei Veranstaltungen in Gotha anwesend: von Hochzeiten bis zu Beerdigungen. Sie residiert in Madrid und ihre Kanzlei befindet sich in Moskau.  |
| Seine Exzellenz Großfürstin Maria Wladimirowna von Russland, Oberhaupt des russischen Zarenhauses
Foto (c) Russisches Kaiserhaus |
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