Nicholas Romanov, Prince of Russia
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Nikolai Romanovich Romanov (Николай Романович Романов), (born September 26, 1922) is the President of the Romanov Family Association. Although he is undoubtedly a descendant of Tsar Nicholas I of Russia, his claimed titles and official membership in the former Imperial House are disputed by those who maintain that his parents' marriage violated the Romanov House Laws.
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[edit] Childhood
He was born in Cap d'Antibes near Antibes, France, the eldest son of HH Prince Roman Petrovich of Russia and Countess Prascovia Cheremeteva. Prince Roman was the eldest son of TIH Grand Duke Peter Nikolaievich and Grand Duchess Militsa Nikolaievna, the former the younger son of Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaievich and Grand Duchess Alexandra Petrovna, the former a younger son of TIM Emperor Nicholas I of Russia and Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna, the former Princess Charlotte of Prussia.
[edit] Education
Prince Nicholas was educated in France. He aspired to be a naval officer; however, as there was a Soviet Navy and not a Russian Navy, he decided to climb towards a job in the Italian Navy, using his family's close relationship to the Italian Royal Family (his grandmother Militsa (daughter of Nicholas I of Montenegro) was a sister of Queen Helena wife of Victor Emmanuel III of Italy ). However, these hopes vanished when Nicholas showed signs of near-sightedness. In 1936, his family moved to Italy.
[edit] Life during the War
During World War II, Prince Nicholas and his family lived at the residence of Victor Emmanuel III of Italy. When the King left, his family went into hiding for nine months. During the occupation of Rome by Germany, Nicholas's grandmother, who was at great risk of deportation as sister of the Queen, had to take shelter in the Holy See. After the war, Prince Nicholas has had civilian jobs. He lived for a couple of years in Egypt.
[edit] Associations & business
He is the elected president of the Romanov Family Association, which claims as members all male-line descendants of Emperor Nicholas I of Russia. It is unclear how many of the claimed members actually participate in the association's activities. Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna and Grand Duke Vladimir Cyrillovitch clearly did not participate but were nevertheless listed as members.
[edit] Succession claims
The official position of the Romanov Family Association is that the rights of the family to the Russian Throne were extinguished when Tsar Nicholas II abdicated in favor of his brother Grand Duke Michael who then renounced power in favor of the Provisional Government. [1]. At various times, however, Prince Nicholas' supporters have claimed that he is the rightful heir to the Russian throne. He is recognized by the Almanach de Gotha as the head of the Imperial House of Romanov [2]. He and the Romanov Family Association contest the rights of his cousin, Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna, to the throne, for reasons detailed in the article on the line of succession to the Russian throne.
[edit] Marriage and children
Prince Nicholas' wife, Italian-born Sveva della Gherardesca, who uses the title Her Highness Princess Sveva of Russia, is a descendant of the Italian Count della Gherardesca. They have three daughters.
The couple resides in Rome, Italy and also has a house in Rougemont, Switzerland. The prince still uses the Julian calendar. He is fluent in French, Russian, Italian, and English.
