Grand Duke George Alexandrovich of Russia

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Grand Duke George Alexandrovich Romanov, (In Russian Великий Князь Георгий Александрович Романов),(He was called Weeping Willow by his family because of his sad personality) (May 6, 1871 in Tsarskoe Selo - August 9, 1899 in Abbas Tuman, Caucasus) was the third son of Alexander III and Empress Marie of Russia. At the time of his birth, his father, as the eldest son of Tsar Alexander II, was titled as the Tsarevich of Russia. After his elder brother, the Grand Duke Nicholas, the infant Grand Duke was third in succession to the imperial throne, an elder brother, Alexander having died the year before George's birth.

As an infant, George was stronger and healthier than his brother Nicholas. However, as he entered childhood, George was often ill and had respiratory problems. He accompanied his elder brother on a world tour in 1891, but his health problems made it impossible for him to keep up with the tour and he returned home, much to his dismay.

In November of 1894, Alexander III died and Nicholas assumed the throne. At the time, Nicholas had no children, thus the next in the line of succession was George, who became Tsesarevich.

George's health continued to be a problem. He developed tuberculosis in the early 1890s and was relocated to Abbas-Tuman. His health made it impossible for him to return to St. Petersburg for the christenings of Nicholas' elder daughters, Olga and Tatiana. Shortly after the birth of Nicholas' third daughter, Maria, in June 1899, George wrote to his brother that his only regret in life was that he had never met his nieces.

George died on August 9, 1899, leaving his family devastated. Nicholas was especially grief-stricken at losing his younger brother and childhood playmate. George would always tell great jokes that amused his brother very much, and Nicholas would dutifully write out the best jokes on pieces of paper and save them in a box. Years later, the Tsar would be heard laughing by himself in his room, looking through his old box of George's jokes. George's title as Heir was passed to his younger brother, Michael, until the birth, in 1904, of Nicholas' son, Alexei. In 1910, Michael named his newborn son, George, after his late brother.