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Tuesday, September 30, 2014

EUROHISTORY: Our Centennial Issue!



In the summer of 1997 I was working for a major banking institution in downtown San Francisco.

Some months before, bored with not finding a website that contained loads of royalty articles, I decided to build my own. On a Thursday afternoon, I walked into a computer store and asked the clerk for a website building program that would allow me to construct my own little window into the internet.

I spent Friday night and all of Saturday putting the website together and by Sunday http://www.eurohistory.com went live. It wasn't much to talk about...quite rudimentary in fact, but soon enough it began attracting traffic. As days turned into weeks, I continued teaching myself how to make the website more appealing, intricate and encompassing.

Then, out of the blue, visitors began asking if I sold European royal history books. Some others wanted to know if I published a magazine?

"Well," I thought "... I didn't sell books, but I guess I can!"

This led to me spending several weekends cleaning out all known Bay Area  Antiquarian and Used bookstores of any and every interesting book they offered about European royalty.

The first offerings sold fairly quickly and customers demanded more. They also asked that I offer in the USA the books Paul Minet, at Royalty Digest, was reprinting. Some even asked that I start carrying books published in the UK and other European countries.

Off to Europe I went!

I met in Ticehurst with Paul Minet and Charlotte Zeepvat. I spent thousands of Pounds Sterling on this first of many visits. Paul offered me "credit" if I bought more books, which I proceeded to do. In Germany, I bought several picture books about current day princely and royal family. While in France, I met with the late Jacques ferrand and he was delighted that we would become yet another selling venue for his magnificent books about the Imperial Family. Even Ted Rosvall, owner of Rosvall Royal Books, has been extremely helpful through the years, even though we compete in the same market place. I told Ted years ago that instead of competition, our bonds of friendship ought to be used for mutual growth. Luckily, he agreed with me.

Back in the USA, I compiled a list of what I had brought back and sent it out to clients. Within two weeks, the entire list was sold!

Off I went to Europe again...

Our inaugural issue, September-October 1997.

These trips became a routine. I was spending long weekends in Europe, while fetching books that had been shipped to the homes and businesses of several friends. I basically spent 10 days in Europe, three weeks in California...in the meantime, I accrued an incredible amount of frequent flyer miles with AA!

Oh...and by then...I had quit the bank and the investment firm I later work for...both being, in hindsight, the best decisions I had taken thus far!

The tragedy on 9/11 found me in Potsdam. I was stuck in Europe for nearly two weeks...not that I minded, of course, I just kept traveling and visiting various royal and princely families.

In the meantime, EUROHISTORY had started lending services to movie and TV companies working on royal topics. At lone point I had a consultant contract with CNN and Lucas Film (Indiana Jones), as well as being constantly approached by newspapers and television programs in Europe. Although I enjoyed the work, I found too taxing and as soon as the contract were due, I sought not to renegotiate them. I like the semi-anonymity of my own office and the time spent researching and writing books. I did not want to become a talking head!

In 1998, after our first anniversary, we conducted what would become the initial conference of a cycle that remains in place until today. This year's EUROHISTORY Conference is gathering at the DoubleTree Hotel, Berkeley Marina, in Berkeley, CA. (if interested in attending, email us at books@eurohistory.com)

Last year, with the cooperation of Hoogstraten English Bookstore, we fulfilled one of Mr. Beéche's long-time dreams: A venue in Europe for our own royalty conference. The Royal Gathering in The Hague was a spectacular success, so much so, that EUROHISTORY and Hoogstraten, with the collaboration of Rosval Royal Books, decided to call a second Royal Gatherings, to be celebrated on November 8-9, 2014, at the Park Hotel in The Hague (if interested in attending, email us at books@eurohistory.com).

http://erhj.blogspot.com/2014/06/eurohistory-royal-gatherings-2-hague.html




That same year, I began leading tours to Europe. Since then, we have taken tours to visit royal sites, palaces, crypt, exhibitions and museums in: England, Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Croatia, Romania, Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark and Russia Our royalty tours have reached as far away as Tobolsk, Siberia, and as far south as Naples!

In 2008, we had what can only be described as a nightmare year. The world's recession nearly destroyed EUROHISTORY. Subscribership hit an all-time low and the company, which we had managed to keep debt-free until then almost collapsed. And yet, we recovered. Not only did we manage the get ourselves out of the doldrums, but we have made a roaring comeback.

Issue IV, March-April 1998, the first containing articles contributed by authors other than our founder.

We firmly believe that what saved EUROHISTORY was our publishing arm. By 2008 clients were no longer looking to us when searching for used or Antiquarian books. The internet offered countless cheaper options. So, we had to change!

Our XXV issue!

Our first book, KING MICHAEL I OF ROMANIA – A Tribute, had done fairly well. Our second book, A POET AMONG THE ROMANOVS: Prince Vladimir Paley, was a sell out. Book number three, THE GRAND DUCHESSES: Daughters and Granddaughters of Russia's Tsars, which we published in 2004, was a very successful book. We knew, based on what we had observed, that publishing our own books was the way to go.

Since then we have published sixteen other books:

1. Ella – Grand Duchess Elisabeth Feodorovna, by Christina Croft.
2. Gilded Prism: The Konstantinovich Grand Dukes, by Greg King and Penny Wilson.
3. My Fifty Years – Prince Nicholas of Greece (Edited and Expanded by Arturo Beéche).
4. The Royal Hellenic Dynasty, by HRH Prince Michael of Greece with Elleni Markezinis and Arturo Beéche.
5. The Russian Riddle: Grand Duke Serge Alexandrovich, by Tamar Anolic.
6. The Four Graces: Queen Victoria's Hessian Granddaughters, by Ilana D. Miller.
7. The Grand Dukes: Sons and Grandsons of Russia's Tsars (Edited by Arturo Beéche).
8. The Gotha – Volume I, by Arturo Beéche.
9. The Other Grand Dukes: Sons and Grandsons of Russia's Grand Dukes Edited by Arturo Beéche).
10. Dear Ellen: The Private Photo Collection of Grand Duchess Helen Vladimirovna of Russia, by Arturo Beéche.
11. Royal Gahterings, Volume I, by Ilana D. Miller and Arturo Beéche.
12. The Coburgs of Europe, by Arturo Beéche.
13. Russia and Europe – Dynastic Ties, by Galina Korneva and Tatiana Cheboksarova.
14. APAPA: King Christian IX of Denmark and HIs Descendants, by Coryne Hall and Arturo Beéche.
15. The Nassaus of Luxembourg, by Kassandra and Sabrina Pollock.
16. Grand Duchess Marie Pavlovna, by Galina Korneva and Tatiana Cheboksarova.

http://erhj.blogspot.com/2014/09/eurohistory-grand-duchess-marie_27.html





On top of these volumes, Arturo Beéche and David McIntosh co-authored a series of six volumes dedicated to important royal figures from the XX century. IN MEMORIAM covered the lives of: Empress Zita of Austria; Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte of Luxembourg, Prince Louis Ferdinand and Princess Kira of Prussia; Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands; the Dowager Empress Marie Feodorovna of Russia; and King Frederik IX and Queen ingrid of Denmark.

Issue L, April 2006.

Today, we have five different books at various stages of production, all initiated from Arturo Beéche's home office!

EUROHISTORY, the magazine, has recovered its footing. Subscriber numbers are nearly up to what they were in 2008, this in spite of magazines around the planet shutting their doors almost on a daily basis. EUROHISTORY, we must let you know, was never designed to make a profit. The magazine is the love, heart and soul of our founder, Arturo Beéche. All thought these seventeen years we have managed to keep it going. This in spite of production costs having risen 400% since our first issue (September-October 1997). Shipping costs have risen 300% ... and yet, the cost of subscriptions has only risen 50% since the magazine began!

Issue I was written entirely by Mr. Beéche, just as were Issues II and III. It was not until Issue IV that others began contributing to the magazine. In that issue there were pieces by our friends Lisa Davidson and Darren L. Shelton. Now, as we approach mailing Issue C, we realize that the majority of the articles included in the magazine are not written by our founder, who remains extremely busy doing research, working on books, editing, planning layout, cataloguing photos (the Eurohistory Royal Archive has now more than 400,000 images in it...covering royalty from 1859 to today), and running the business. He is greatly helped by his husband (David Higdon) and by an excellent team of contributors that include: Greg King, Coryne Hall, Ilana D. Miller, Katrina Warne, Mary Houck, Charles Stewart, Rick Hutto, Justin Vovk, Kassandra and Sabrina Pollock, Eddie Tash, Marlene Eilers Koenig, Janet Ashton, and many others. We form a solid team in which everyone's contribution and opinion matters, even when our founder does not agree with it.

The entire EUROHISTORY Collection is available for purchase!

Issue LXXV, June 2010.

So here we are...at 100...

We survived economic downturns, our founder's brush with cancer, the challenges of doing business in the internet era. Surely, this is due in great part to the flexibility and versatility of Mr. Beéche. But without our readers, we would not be where we are today!

We hope that you continue supporting our work. Share your thoughts, send us ideas. We value your input. But above all, never stop reading about royalty, don't lose the interest in what we do, add to your personal library, expand your own knowledge...

Thank you, from the bottom of our heart, thank you for nearly two decades of living our dream!


+_+_+_+_+_+

At facebook, https://www.facebook.com/groups/eurohistory/10152654227719800/?notif_t=like, the group is the public face of THE EUROPEAN ROYAL HISTORY JOURNAL, (EUROHISTORY), a magazine I have published since 1997.

Subscriptions to EUROHISTORY cost $48 in the USA, $55 in Canada and $75 for the rest of the world.

Many of today's most respected royal biographers have contributed to the six issues we publish every year!
I encourage you, and everyone else, to consider becoming a subscriber to EUROHISTORY, a truly interesting magazine that successfully blends historical pieces with current day happenings and events among today's European royal and princely houses.

Also, we keep EUROHISTORY ad-free (I don't allow companies to buy advert space)...so all our revenue, every single cent raised by the magazine, is generated solely by subscriptions.

EUROHISTORY is run as if it were a non-profit. I spend every single penny raised by subscriptions on articles, better print quality, unique images and an increasing roster of contributors!

I have dedicated 17 years of my life to this dream...which subscribers help me achieve!


If you are interested in joining us, please email us at books@eurohistory.com




Monday, September 29, 2014

EUROHISTORY: Issue C ... Our centennial issue ... In Preparation!

Dear Subscribers,

It is with great pleasure, and no small sense of awe, and yes even accomplishment, that we bring you news about our 100th issue!

EUROHISTORY began with an issue first published in September 1997.

Through many growing pains, sweat and even tears, we have remained in publication. Economic collapse affecting our country, Europe, the world economy even, did not stop us. The illness a few years ago of our founder simply served to make his determination to continue work on royal studies even stronger.

Today, as we begin the final push to complete Issue C, our Centennial Issue, we must thank you all for the undivided support we have received from you through good and bad times. Your sponsorship of EUROHISTORY makes it all possible!

Inside our Centennial Issue readers will find the second half of articles dedicated to the start of the the First World War:


1. A Russian Summer, Part II – by Greg King.

2. Belgium and the start of the Great War – by Coryne Hall.

3. Who's in the Photograph: A Grouping Deeply Affected by the Great War – by Ilana Miller.

4. What Will the "Fox" Do – By Arturo E. Beéche.

5. The World's Peace Torn to Shreds: Romania and Greece – By Marlene Eilers Koenig.

6. “Some damn silly thing in the Balkans:” Montenegro, Serbia and Italy, and the Outbreak of War in 1914 – By Janet Ashton.



The magazine will head to the printer a week from today. US subscribers may have their copies by October 11, as long as the printer suffers no delays.

Enjoy...and once again, many thanks for making our dreams possible!


Saturday, September 27, 2014

EUROHISTORY: Grand Duchess Marie Pavlovna ... an inside peek ...

As the latest Eurohistory - Liki Rossii production is off to the printer, we thought you would be interested in peeking inside this magnificently illustrated and meticulously researched book by renowned Russian authors Galina Korneva and Tatiana Cheboksarova.

Enjoy...

PS: The book will be sold at eurohistory.com, AMAZON, MAJESTY Magazine, Hoogstraten English Bookstore, Rosvall Royal Books, Librairie Galignani and the Hillwood Museum.










Thursday, September 25, 2014

EUROHISTORY: Grand Duchess Marie Pavlovna Off to Printer's!

Delighted to inform our readers that the latest collaboration between Liki Rossii and EUROHISTORY, Grand Duchess Marie Pavlovna (co-authored by Galina Korneva and Tatiana Cheboksarova), is off to our printer!

The book has 248 pages and more than 300 images illustrating various aspects of the indomitable Marie Pavlovna. These unique photographs, many from Russian archives, document her life, work, jewels, palaces, children and grandchildren, in-laws, family, travels, etc...

This is simply our most beautiful book yet...

Marie Pavlovna will go on sale in about one month!



Wednesday, September 24, 2014

France: A Sad and Neverending Family Quarrel


Google-translate from original:

After a brief lull ending twelve years of legal proceedings, the battle begins again around the movable property of the late Count of Paris, who died in 1999. While his nine children won their lawsuit against the Fondation St. Louis one year ago, nothing has been returned to them: Not a bowl, not a chair, not a single painting was recovered by the Orléans siblings after the neverending legal fight.
Even though the judgment in favor of the Orléans children has not been appealed, transfer of these heirlooms could have already taken place. The last wishes of the late Count of Paris (1908-1999), who apparently had deep seeded hatred for his children, had transferred invaluable assets to the foundation he had previously Some argued that Henri made the transfer to protect the cultural integrity of the family's legacy; while others blamed his dislike of many of his children as the main reason behind his actions. However, the donation was canceled in September 2013, due to ill-conceived motives, according to the judges.
But, like a bad dream, when the royal children - and also a grandson, Robert d'Orléans - were finally able to get their hands on the legacy, calculated to be worth tens of millions of euros, they were prevented ... by one of their own. Reportedly, His Royal Highness Prince Jean d'Orléans, a grandson of the late the Count of Paris, opposes this ruling.
This sudden rebuff is not linked to the desire of this descendant to preserve the last wishes of his grandfather. Those involve din the case argue that the legal actions of Jean d'Orléans are worn, more simply, by material considerations. He also wants to take advantage of the family's large inheritance. While the judgment was handed down in September 2013, he now claims a share of the cake that his aunts and uncles, as well as his father, Henri d'Orléans, would share without him.
So, last spring, he filed a court summons to them. Quarrels from father to son "therefore continue under the roof of the royal family: Henri of Orléans, who had argued with his father, is TODAY attacked by his son ... To believe that the words of the Count of Paris, before his death, are like a spell that would take effect: "I will only leave you hatred," he shouted at one his daughters.
Moreover, when the lawsuit filed by Prince Jean d'Orléans became known, it had the effect of a cold shower on the Orléans siblings, who were certainly stunned, but are determined to defend themselves. Beloved by his grandfather and grandmother, who had bequeathed him a quarter of her estate, this assertive prince has nothing,  they argue, to claim. In May 2004, Prince Jean d'Orléans had indeed signed a deal in which he agreed not question any of the inheritance if the course of justice turned in favor of the heirs. In exchange, he received 300,000 euros.
But the financial appetite is now awakened! The press has estimated that the equivalent of tens of millions of euros may be falling into the family purse. "He asks today the implementation of the will of his grandmother. Today he is aggrieved by this transaction, "said his lawyer, Jacques Trémolet de Villers, who still hopes that a settlement would be reached.
But defending an uncle and an aunt of Jean d'Orléans, Mr. Olivier Baratelli is furious: "Their nephew, who has already received about 2 million euros, is guided only by greed. It is far from the royal virtues and republican principles we tried to inculcate in the family!," he growls.
Given this new imbroglio, movable assets that the heirs of the Count of Paris should have been restored will remain, for now, in the hands of the St. Louis Foundation. Fragile, unique, priceless, they are sleeping in the coffers of Munigarde, a service of the Crédit Municipal de Paris, specializing in the conservation of works of art. The institution retains the portraits of Louis XIII and Louis XIV child by Philippe de Champaigne, sketchbook Louis XIV realized at the age of 7 years. Another treasures include: the portrait of the Duchess of Orléans, the manuscript of the statutes of the order of St. Michael dating from the late fifteenth century ... However, not considering itself the owner of the Orléans treasures,. because of last year's judgment,  the foundation claims the heirs must pay reimbursement for the safekeeping of the artwork that it continues to keep until a final decision ... "A bill of more than € 18,000 has already been sent to us," thundered Mr. Baratelli, who cares about the wallet to his customers. 

This new standoff could again take years.
The Duke and Duchess de Vendôme

The Count and Countess of Paris



Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Oldenburg: Duke Anton-Günther of Oldenburg (1923-2014)+


Oldenburg

H.R.H. Duke Anton-Günther of Oldenburg (1923-2014).  Succeeded his father on April 3, 1970.  He is the son of Hereditary Grand Duke Nicholas (1897-1970) and his wife Princess Helene of Waldeck und Pyrmont ((1899-1948).  He married at Kreuzwertheim am Main, Germany, on August 7, 1951, Princess Ameli of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg (b. 1923), daughter of Fürst Udo (1896-1980) and his wife Countess Margarete of Castell-Castell (1899-1969).  Duke Anton-Günther and Duchess Ameli ha two children: Duchess Helene (1953) and Duke Christian (1955), who is married to Countess Caroline von Rantzau, by whom he has four children: Alexander (b. 1990), Philipp (b. 1991), Anton (b. 1993) and Katharina (b. 1997).

The Head of House Oldenburg was very active in several spheres. for besides being in charge for decades of the family properties and their successful administration, he supported music festival and equine events in Lenshan and around Northern Germany.

Duke Anton-Günther passed away in Hamsdorf, Germany, on September 20, 2014. He was head of House Oldenburg for over forty-four years and his marriage lasted sixty-three years!

His funeral will take place in Oldenburg's Lambertikirche on October 4, 2014. His remains will be laid to rest in the family mausoleum in Oldenburg.

Duke Anton-Günther of Oldenburg.
©Eurohistory

Duke Anton-Günther of Oldenburg.
©Eurohistory

Grand Duke Friedrich August of Oldenburg and his family.
From left: Duchess Elisabeth holding Princess Altburg (who married Fürst Josias of Waldeck und Pyrmont), Princess Ingeborg (who married Prince Stephan of Schaumburg-Lippe), Grand Duke Friedrich August, Princess Sophie Charlotte (who firstly married Prince Eitel Friedrich of Prussia) and Hereditary Grand Duke Nikolaus, father of the late Duke Anton-Günther.
©Eurohistory

The family of Hereditary Grand Duke Nikolaus of Oldenburg.
From left: Princess Eilika (who married Fürst Emich zu Leiningen); Hereditary Grand Duchess Helene holding Duke Friedrich August (who firstly married Princess Marie-Cecile of Prussia, and secondly Countess Donata zu Castell-Rüdenhausen, widow of her the brother of her second husband's first wife); Duke Peter (who married Princess gertrud zu Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg) holding Duke Egilmar (unmarried); Princess Rixa (who died after a fall from a horse three years after this image was taken) and Duke Anton-Günther. Hereditary Grand Duchess Helene gave birth to three more children, before dying in 1948: Altburg (b. 1938), who married Baron Rüdiger von Erffa; Huno (b. 1940), who married Countess Felicitas-Anita von Schwerin von Krosigk; and Johann (b. 1940), his brother's twin, and he married Countess Ilka von Ortenburg.  Duke Johann's eldest child, Duchess Eilika, is married to Archduke Georg of Austria, the youngest son of the late Archduke Otto of Austria.

 Duke Anton-Günther of Oldenburg.
©Eurohistory

Eurohistory press communiqué!
©Eurohistory


SAXE-COBURG & GOTHA: Mass and Funeral of Prince Philipp August

The children of Prince Philipp August, who passed away in Ebenthal (on September 18, 2014), after a long illness have provided us the information attached to this notice. "After enduring with exemplary patience and strength his illness, he has returned home...provided with the holy sacraments," reads the death announcement released by the family.

Prince Philipp, who was recently divorced from his second wife, will be remembered on September 29, 2014, at the Feuerhalle Wien.

A memorial mass will be celebrated at the parish church in Walterskirchen, Austria, on October 10, 2014.

May He Rest in Peace...

Prince Philipp August of Saxe-Coburg & Gotha
©Eurohistory

Schloß Walterskirchen
©Maximilian Sachsen-Coburg & Gotha


Death Notice
©Maximilian Sachsen-Coburg & Gotha

Friday, September 19, 2014

EUROHISTORY: The Coburgs of Europe

As of today, two months after THE COBURGS OF EUROPE was published, we have sold 77% of the print run...just AMAZING!


Thanks go out to all our readers and resellers for making this success a reality!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0985460334


Saxe-Coburg & Gotha: Genealogical Information for Prince Philipp August's Descendants



Prince Philipp August left behind four children and four grandchildren...

1. Isabelle (b. 12/4/1969), m. Vienna, Austria on 27/4/2000 Michael Traimer, b. 26/2/1958.
Divorced: June 2012.

Children:

Johannes Traimer b. 11/10/2000
Jakob Traimer b. 27/7/2003
Katharina Bettina Traimer b.14/9/2005


2. Maximilian (b. 20/7/1972), m. Pogier, Austria on 12/8/2005, Christina Schnell, b. 12/6/1969.

Children:

Franziska Marie Princesessin von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha, b. 10/5/2009 in Vienna, Austria


3. Alexander, b. 30/6/1978


4. Christina, b. 30/9/1995



Saxe-Coburg & Gotha: Prince Philipp August (1944-2014)+

Prince Philipp August of Saxe-Coburg & Gotha has died.

Born in Vienna in 1944, Philipp August was the only son of Prince Philipp Josias (1901-1985) and of his then girlfriend Sarah Hálasz (1914-1994). The couple were married four months after the birth of their son, an act that legitimized the baby.

Prince Philipp Josias was the fifth of eight children born to Prince August Leopold and to his wife, Archduchess Karoline of Austria-Tuscany. August Leopold was the second son of Prince Ludwig August (an older brother of King Ferdinand of Bulgaria) and his wife Princess Leopoldine of Brazil, herself the youngest daughter of Emperor Pedro II.

Philipp Josias inherited various family properties in Austria and Hungary, while also being one of the main beneficiaries of the Ferdinand von Coburg and Kohary Fideikomiss, two holding entities that were butchered by Czechoslovakia after the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Among the properties Philipp Josias managed to retain were estates in Walterskirchen and the vast Coburg Palais in Vienna.

Eventually, the  once vast holdings of the Vienna Coburgs were reduced by war, family lawsuits and expropriation. Prince Philipp August spent his life farming what estates he had inherited from his father, as well as some inherited from his Uncle Ernst of Saxe-Coburg & Gotha.

Prince Philipp August married twice. His first wife was Bettina von Pfretschner (1944-1989), by whom he fathered three children: Isabella, Maximilian and Alexander. Bettina died of cancer in 1989. Two years later Philipp August remarried, his second wife being Rosemarie Jäger, by whom he had a daughter, Christina. Philipp August and Rosemarie were in the process of divorcing.

I first met Prince Philipp August in Vienna in the late 1990s. We had several conversations over the years and I encouraged him to visit Coburg and meet with his cousin Prince Andreas. They had never met until then. Philipp August eventually paid a visit to the crib of his dynasty and through the years remained in contact with Prince Andreas. This Spring, when Prince Andreas and I toured Coburg possessions in Austria, we intended to visit Philipp August. However, by then the brain tumor afflicting the poor man was too advanced and the visit had to be cancelled. In my last conversation with Prince Philipp August, he congratulated my efforts on behalf of the Coburg dynasty, "we owe you a great debt of gratitude," he said, "you have done for the Coburgs that which we ourselves failed to do, force us to stay in touch."

Prince Philipp August died on September 18, 2014. He is survived by his second wife (I believe the divorce had not been finalized), as well as by his four children and four grandchildren. Prince Alexander and Princess Christina remain unmarried, while Princess Isabella is divorced from Michael Traimer. Prince Maximilian and his wife have one daughter.

May He Rest in Peace...

Prince Philipp August of Saxe-Coburg & Gotha
©Eurohistory


Monday, September 15, 2014

Romanov: + Prince Nicholas Romanovich Romanov (1922-2014)

Prince Nicholas Romanovich Romanov, President of the non-dynastic Romanov Family Association, has died. The prince had celebrated his ninety-second birthday the day before his death.

News of his passing came from his brother Prince Dmitri Romanovich, who resides in Denmark.

Nicholas was the eldest of two sons of Prince Roman Petrovich of Russia (1896-1978) and his wife, the former Prascovia Cheremetev, member of a leading Russian aristocratic family. Prince Roman was the only son among four children of Grand Duke Peter Nikolaevich of Russia (1864-1931) and of his wife Grand Duchess Militza, née Princess of Montenegro.

Roman Petrovich and his parents, as well as his Uncle Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich, among others, was onboard the HMS Marlborough, the vessel tasked with transporting the Dowager Empress and several of her family members and retinue out of Russia.

Once in exile, the family settled in Cap d'Antibes, France, while frequently visiting Italy, where Militza's sister Elena, was the consort of King Vittorio Emanuele III. It was at Cap d'Antibes in fact, that Roman Petrovich married his wife Prascovia on 16 November 1921. Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich, by then Head of the Imperial House did not extend recognition to the alliance and thus any children born to the couple lacked succession rights to the Imperial throne.

Nicholas Romanovich was born at Cap d'Antibes on September 13, 1922.

The family eventually moved to Italy, where Nicholas Romanovich attended school. It is said that in 1942, Fascists asked Nicholas Romanovich to accept the crown of occupied Montenegro, the kingdom once ruled by his great-grandfather, and namesake, Nicholas Petrovich. The young man rejected the invitation and instead in 1944 actively participated in actions against Italy's Nazi occupation forces.

When the Italian monarchy fell in 1946, the family of Prince Roman Petrovich followed their Italian royal cousins into exile, landing in Egypt, where they resided for some time. It was while there that Grand Duchess Militza died in 1951. Later that year, Nicholas Romanovich married Countess Sveva della Gherardesca, a member of an old Italian aristocratic family.

Nicholas Romanovich and Sveva were to become the parents of three daughters: Natalia, Elisabeth and Tatiana. They spent the year between homes in Switzerland and Tuscany.

In 1979, Nicholas Romanovich, who did not get on with Grand Duke Wladimir Kirillovich, was among the morganatic Romanov signatories at the creation of the Romanov Family Association (RAF). Ten years later, after the death of Prince Vassili Alexandrovich of Russia, he became the President of the Association, a role he served until his death. The RFA plays a role in charitable endeavors and projects in Russia.

In 1998, at the reburial of Tsar Nicholas II and some of his family members, Nicholas Romanovich played the leading role.

I interviewed Nicholas Romanovich several times. He was among the early supporters of my own endeavors to publish the European Royal History Journal (EUROHISTORY). He was always extremely kind and quite approachable, as has been his brother Dmitri Romanovich. Prince Nicholas knew that I was a fervent supporter of Wladimir Kirillovich and of his daughter, and heir, Grand Duke Maria Wladimirovna. We had many a spirited telephone conversation about the topic, but always remained cordial to the other and respectful of one's position on this cantankerous issue.

Nicholas Romanovich rests in peace now...he had a productive life!




Thursday, September 11, 2014

UK: The Prince of Wales's Reaction to Become a Grandfather, AGAIN!

Interesting to read that Prince Charles expressed his own opinion in spite of palace forces cautioning him not.

Good for him...I personally would replace most of the officers inside BP, mummies with little touch with reality!

http://www.inquisitr.com/1465248/royal-baby-prince-charles/




Friday, September 5, 2014

EUROHISTORY: Mailing The Nassaus of Luxembourg!

EUROHISTORY: Mailing of The Nassaus of Luxembourg!

The bulk of copies printed of this great book arrived yesterday afternoon!

Mailing began in earnest this morning...

With 400+ photos and a great narrative, this promises to become THE book on the Luxembourgs!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0985460350

Mailing, mailing, mailing!