Prince Andrew Romanoff

Prince Andrew Romanoff (born Andrew Andreevich Romanov; 21 January 1923) is a Russian American artist and author. He is a grand-nephew of Russia's last Tsar, Nicholas II. He is a great-great-grandson in the male line of Emperor Nicholas I of Russia and since the death of Prince Dimitri Romanov in 2016 a claimant to the headship of the House of Romanov.[1][2]

Andrew Andreevich
Head of the House of Romanov (disputed)
Tenure31 December 2016 –
PredecessorPrince Dimitri Romanovich
Heir apparentPrince Alexis Andreevich
Born (1923-01-21) 21 January 1923
London, England
Spouse
    Elena Dourneva
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1951; div. 1959)​
      Kathleen Norris
      ​
      ​
      (m. 1961; died 1967)​
        ​
        ​
        (m. 1987)​
        IssuePrince Alexis Andreevich
        Prince Peter Andreevich
        Prince Andrew Andreevich
        Full name
        Andrew Andreevich Romanov
        HouseHolstein-Gottorp-Romanov
        FatherPrince Andrei Alexandrovich of Russia
        MotherDonna Elisabetta Sasso-Ruffo, Princess of San-Antimo
        ReligionRussian Orthodox Church

        Family bonds

        Andrew Andreevich belongs to the fourth branch of the Mikhailovich line of the House of Romanov. He is the great-great-grandson of Emperor Nicholas I and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna in a straight male line. Through his grandmother, Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna, he is a great-grandson of Emperor Alexander III and Empress Maria Feodorovna.

        On the paternal side, Andrew Andreevich is related to the Danish Royal Family, the Greek Royal Family, the Leiningen Family and the House of Baden. On his mother's side, he is a descendant of the now-extinct line of the Dukes of Sasso-Ruffo (the former rulers of Bagnara), and also a descendant of Russian noble families, including the Meshcherskys, Stroganovs and the barons von Vietinghoff. He is a distant relative of Queen Paola of Belgium, born princess Ruffo di Calabria.

        Through his great-grandmother, Empress Maria Feodorovna, Andrew Andreevich is a great-great-great-great-grandson of King George II of Great Britain,[3] and therefore related to the royal families of Britain, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Sweden, Norway, Spain, Belgium, and Monaco. Additionally, through the same descent, Andrew Andreevich is related to the former royal families of Germany, Greece, Romania, and Serbia.

        Through the Belgium royal family, who are also descended from King George II's grandmother, Sophia of Hanover, Andrew Andreevich is further related to the former Italian, and Austro-Hungarian royal families, as well as the Bonaparte heirs of Emperor Napoleon.

        Childhood and education
        Russian imperial family
        Coat of Arms of the Russian Empire

        Prince Andrew Romanov
        Inez Storer

        Princess Olga Andreevna

        Dorrit Reventlow

        Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia
        Extended imperial family

        Andrew Andreevich was born on 21 January 1923 in London, England, in the family of Prince Andrei Alexandrovich of Russia (1897–1981) and his first wife Princess Elizabeth Fabricievna, née Duchess of Sasso-Ruffo and Princess of San-Antimo.[4] His godfather was the future King Edward VIII.[5]

        The third child and youngest son in the family, Andrew Andreevich spent his childhood with his sister and brother in the guest house of Windsor Castle, granted to his family by King George V. Up to 12 years of age, Andrew Andreevich studied at home and received a private traditional education, characteristic for the House of Romanov. Then he studied at the Imperial Service College.

        World War II

        In 1942, at the height of World War II, he entered the British Navy. He refused to accept an officer's post, preferring to be a simple sailor. He served on the light cruiser HMS Sheffield under the command of Admiral Sir Cecil Harcourt. He took part in the Arctic convoys and often sailed to Murmansk, where he performed the duties of an interpreter. Prince Andrew Andreevich became the first of the Romanovs to visit Russia after the revolution and the overthrow of their dynasty. He also took part in the Battle of the Atlantic, Operation Torch, and the landing of the Allies in Normandy. At the end of the war, he was serving in the Pacific. After demobilisation in 1946, he returned to England.

        Life in America

        After the end of the war, Andrew Andreevich became an intern on an English farm in Kent, learning to become an agronomist. He also worked in a special garden near London. Finding no further prospects in Europe, after the invitation in 1949 of his uncle Prince Vasily Alexandrovich, along with his cousin Prince Nikita Nikitich, and having only 800 dollars in his pocket, he emigrated to the United States on a cargo ship carrying racehorses, pigeons, and eight passengers.

        After settling in California, he started working in a store, then worked with his uncle at California Packing, where he grew tomatoes using hydroponics and worked on the introduction of new varieties of vegetables.[6] He studied sociology and criminology at the University of California at Berkeley. Then he worked as a broker in a shipping company and spent three years in Japan and Korea. Returning to San Francisco, Andrew Andreevich became a real estate agent. He also worked as a simple employee and designer. He became a naturalised US citizen on 20 December 1954. After the death of his second wife, he moved to the city of Inverness, Marin County, California, where he worked as a carpenter and joiner and later was engaged in a jewellery business.

        He began to draw as a primitive artist, without formal art education, drawing pictures by intuition and relying on imagination. Andrew Andreevich also engaged in artistic photography. After retirement, he devoted himself entirely to art. On his preferred medium of Shrinky Dinks (plastic sheets that shrink by two-thirds when cooked in an oven), he draws and paints, shrinks the inimitable scenes, then mounts them on painted panels. Andrew's artwork is firmly rooted in the traditions of American folk art. His work typically depicts personal memories, impressions of American news, culture, and scenes of domestic life.

        Currently, Andrew Andreevich lives with his wife, the American painter Inez Storer, in Inverness, California. They reside in a house that is 110 years old, during which time it has been a tourist hotel and a private home. In 2007, he released an autobiography called The Boy Who Would Be Tsar, which is illustrated with his artwork. His work has been exhibited worldwide, including recent exhibitions at Gallery 16 in San Francisco.

        Marriages and children

        Prince Andrew has been married three times. He was married firstly in San Francisco on 9 September 1951 to Elena Konstantinovna Dourneva (5 May 1927, Tokyo – 31 May 1992, Oakland). She was the only daughter of Konstantin Afanasievich Durnev (1896–1970) and Felixa Stanislavovna Zapalsky (1903–2002). They had one son before divorcing in 1959:

        • Prince Alexis Andreevich Romanov (born 27 April 1953, San Francisco). He graduated from St. Mary's High School in San Francisco, and then studied at the University of California, Berkeley. Currently, he owns a company which provides accounting and fiduciary services to individuals. He married on 19 September 1987 in Oakland, California, to Zoetta "Zoe" Leisy (born 25 November 1956, Memphis, Tennessee), daughter of Robert Leisy and Ellen Telfer. No issue. Prince Alexis Andreevich is heir to his father as Head of the House of Romanov.

        He was married secondly in San Francisco on 21 March 1961 to Kathleen Norris (1 March 1935, San Francisco – 8 December 1967, San Francisco). She was a granddaughter of American authors Kathleen Norris and Charles Gilman Norris. She died after pneumonia. They had two children:

        • Prince Peter Andreevich Romanov (born 21 November 1961, San Francisco). He worked as an auto mechanic. His current job is also related to cars. He married on 2 May 2009 in Marin County, California, to Barbara Anne Jurgens (born 1968). No issue. He is second in the line of succession to the title of the head of the Romanov Family.
        • Prince Andrew Andreevich Romanov (born 20 February 1963, San Francisco). He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley and works as a Project Manager. He married on 12 July 1986 in Point Reyes Station, California, to Elizabeth Flores (born 25 April 1964, San Francisco). She is a daughter of Armando Flores and Cecil Sherrod. He is third in the line of succession to the title of the head of the Romanov Family. They have one daughter:

        He was married thirdly on 17 December 1987 in Reno, Nevada, to the American artist Inez Storer (née Bachelin; born 11 October 1933, Santa Monica, California). She is a daughter of Franz Bachelin and Anita Hirschfeld.

        Title and style

        N.B. Since the Russian revolution members of the Imperial family have tended to drop the territorial designation "of Russia" and use the princely title with the surname Romanov.[7] However this title, and even his right to the surname Romanov are disputed by some.[8]

        Ancestry

        References
        1. The Romanoffs: Who are the modern descendants of the murdered Russian royal family? The Independent
        2. The Romanov Family Tree: Real Descendants and Wannabes History Channel
        3. Reitwiesner, William Addams. "Persons eligible to succeed to the British Throne as of 1 Jan 2001". www.wargs.com. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
        4. Almanach de Gotha. Gotha: Justus Perthes. 1944. p. 113.
        5. van der Kiste, John; Coryne Hall (2004). Once A Grand Duchess. Sutton Publishing. p. 209. ISBN 0-7509-3521-9.
        6. Liberatore, Paul (22 January 2007). "Liberatore at Large: Shrinky Dink autobiography tells the storybook life of a Russian prince in Inverness". Archived from the original on 5 June 2008. Retrieved 3 October 2007.
        7. Almanach de Gotha (186th ed.). 2003. p. 314. ISBN 0-9532142-4-9.
        8. "Dynastic Succession". imperialhouse.ru. Archived from the original on 9 June 2009. Retrieved 26 July 2009.
        Prince Andrew Romanoff
        Cadet branch of the House of Oldenburg
        Born: 21 January 1923
        Titles in pretence
        Preceded by
        Prince Dimitri Romanovich        		 Head of the House of Romanov
        (disputed)
        31 December 2016 – present        		 Incumbent
        Heir:
        Prince Alexis Andreevich
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