Prince Dimitri Romanov

Prince Dimitri Romanovich
Prince Dimitri (c) and wife Dorrit with Vladimir Putin at a state reception
Spouse Johanna von Kauffmann
Dorrit Reventlow
Full name
Dimitri Romanovich Romanov
House House of Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov
Father Prince Roman Petrovich of Russia
Mother Countess Praskovia Sheremeteva
Born 4 March 1926 (1926-03-04) (age 86)
Cap d'Antibes, France

Dimitri Romanovich Romanov (born 4 March 1926) is a Russian prince, banker, philanthropist, and author. He is also the heir to the prerogatives of Nicholas Romanov, Prince of Russia a claimant to headship of the Imperial House of Russia.

Contents

Early life

Russian Imperial Family
  • HH Prince Nicholas
    HH Princess Sveva
    • HSH Princess Natalia
    • HSH Princess Elizabeth
    • HSH Princess Tatiana
  • HH Prince Dimitri
    HH Princess Dorrit
Extended imperial family

Dimitri Romanovich Romanov was born on 4 March 1926 in Cap d'Antibes, France, the second son of Prince Roman Petrovich of Russia and Countess Praskovia Sheremeteva. His older brother, Prince Nicholas Romanovich. Through his paternal lineage, he is a great-great grandson of Emperor Nicholas I of Russia (1796–1855) and his consort, Princess Charlotte of Prussia, who founded the Nikolaevichi branch of the Russian Imperial Family.

Romanov spent the first ten years of his life in Antibes, France where he received a traditional Russian education.[1] In 1936 his family moved to Italy where he continued his education and for a time he lived at the Royal Palace in Rome. In 1946 his family moved to Egypt where they lived for a number of years before returning to Italy. In 1960 he moved to Denmark where he worked for a number of banks including the Danske Bank where he was an executive until his retirement in 1993.[1] He is fluent in Russian, French, English, Danish, and Italian.[1]

Marriages

Romanov has been married twice. His first wife was Johanna von Kauffmann (1936–1989), who he married in Copenhagen on 21 January 1959. After being widowed in 1989 he married Dorrit Reventlow (born 1942) in Kostroma on 28 July 1993. His second marriage was the first time a Romanov had been married in Russia since the fall of the dynasty.[2]

Charity work

Since his retirement Prince Dimitri has been involved in a number of charitable endeavours. In June 1992 he was one of seven Romanov princes who met in Paris where they decided to create the Romanov Fund for Russia with the task of carrying out charitable acts in post communist Russia.[3] He visited Russia in July 1993 on a fact finding mission to decide on what areas the charity should focus on.[4] Prince Dimitri has served as Chairman of the Romanov Fund for Russia since its creation.[4]

He is also the Chairman of the Prince Dimitri Romanov Charity Fund which he founded in 2006.[5]

Romanov Family Association

Prince Dimitri has been a member of the Romanov Family Association since 1979 the year of its creation and currently serves as a committee member.[3][6] In July 1998, he joined other members of the Imperial family in St. Petersburg to attend the funeral of the last Russian Emperor, Nicholas II and his family.[7] In March 2003 the then Bulgarian Prime Minister, and former Tsar, Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha invited Prince Dimitri to attend events celebrating the liberation of Bulgaria from Ottoman rule during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878.[8]

In September 2006 after a successful lobbying campaign of the Danish royal family and President Vladimir Putin of Russia, he arranged for the remains of Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna to be moved from Denmark, where she died in exile, to Russia so she could be buried alongside her husband Emperor Alexander III.[9] After attending the divine service for Maria Feodorovna at the Roskilde Cathedral in Denmark,[10] Prince Dimitri accompanied her remains on the Danish naval ship that transferred them to Russia.[11] After their arrival, Prince Dimitri with other members of the Imperial family attended the reburial service in Russia.[12]

As a descendant of the Electress Sophia of Hanover he is also in the Line of succession to the British throne.[13]

Title, styles and honours

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 while keeping the appropriate style.[14] However this title, and even his right to the surname Romanov are disputed by some.[15]

Prince Dimitri has been awarded the Danish Order of the Dannebrog,[16] and the Montenegrin orders of Saint Peter of Cetinje[17], Petrović-Njegoš[18] and Prince Danilo I.[19] He has also been decorated with Bulgarian orders and a Russian medal in honour of the 300th Anniversary of St Petersburg.[1] On 20 June 2011 the Russian President Dmitry Medvedev presented him with the Order of Friendship.[20]

Bibliography

Ancestry

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Prince Dimitri Romanovich Romanov". The Prince Dimitri Romanov Charity Fund. http://www.dimitriy-romanov-fund.eu/about-Dimitriy-Romanov-english.htm. Retrieved 23 July 2008. 
  2. ^ Raymond, Allan. "Russian Royal Family". Monarchies of Europe. http://www.btinternet.com/~allan_raymond/Russian_Royal_Family.htm#4.97222. Retrieved 23 July 2008. 
  3. ^ a b "The Romanoff Family Association". Romanov Family Association. 29 March 1998. Archived from the original on 6 July 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080706190519/http://www.romanovfundforrussia.org/family/family.html. Retrieved 23 July 2008. 
  4. ^ a b "Creation of the Romanov Fund for Russia". Romanov Fund for Russia. http://www.romanovfundforrussia.org/fund.html. Retrieved 23 July 2008. 
  5. ^ "Founders". The Prince Dimitri Romanov Charity Fund. http://www.dimitriy-romanov-fund.eu/founders-english.htm. Retrieved 23 July 2008. 
  6. ^ "A General Assembly of the Romanoff Family Association". Romanov Family Association. Archived from the original on 22 June 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080622235706/http://romanovfundforrussia.org/family/ga.html. Retrieved 23 July 2008. 
  7. ^ "17 July 1998: The funeral of Tsar Nicholas II". Romanov Family Association. Archived from the original on 11 June 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080611120013/http://romanovfundforrussia.org/family/funeral.html. Retrieved 23 July 2008. 
  8. ^ "Prince Romanov at Mass in Sofia". Novinite. 2 March 2003. http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=19894. Retrieved 23 July 2008. 
  9. ^ Cecil, Clem (5 December 2003). "Tsar's mother to be returned home". The Times (UK). http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article1034429.ece. Retrieved 23 July 2008. 
  10. ^ "Guest list to Roskilde Cathedral". The Danish Monarchy. http://kongehuset.dk/publish.php?id=4185. Retrieved 26 July 2009. 
  11. ^ "Mother of tsar makes last voyage". BBC. 23 September 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/5372956.stm. Retrieved 23 July 2008. 
  12. ^ "The Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna reburied in St Petersburg". Romanov Family Association. Archived from the original on 19 June 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080619180938/http://www.romanovfundforrussia.org/family/empress.html. Retrieved 22 July 2008. 
  13. ^ Reitwiesner, William Addams. "Persons eligible to succeed to the British Throne as of 1 Jan 2001". http://www.wargs.com/essays/succession/2001.html. Retrieved 23 July 2008. 
  14. ^ Almanach de Gotha (186th ed.). 2003. pp. 314. ISBN 0953214249. 
  15. ^ "Dynastic Succession". imperialhouse.ru. http://www.imperialhouse.ru/eng/imperialhouse/succession.html. Retrieved 26 July 2009. 
  16. ^ "Prince Dimitri Romanoff". Almanach de Gotha. Archived from the original on 14 December 2001. http://web.archive.org/web/20011214000533/http://www.almanachdegotha.com/romanov_biog.htm. Retrieved 23 July 2008. 
  17. ^ Order of Saint Peter
  18. ^ Order of Petrović-Njegoš
  19. ^ Njegoskij|org :: Grand Master Nicolas Petrovitch Njegosh decorates H.S.H. Prince Dmitri Romanovich and his wife Dorrit Reventlow with the Order of Danilo I
  20. ^ http://sg.news.yahoo.com/photos/russian-president-dmitry-medvedev-left-hands-over-order-photo-143153910.html Yahoo news]

External links

Prince Dimitri Romanov
Cadet branch of the House of Oldenburg
Born: 4 March 1926
Russian royalty
First in line Line of succession to the Russian throne
1st position (disputed)		 Succeeded by
Prince Andrew Romanov