Princess Olga

Overview

This is very much a human interest story, told with humour by a down to earth woman struggling to make ends meet in the 21st century. The upkeep of her historical childhood home, Provender House, in the depths of the English countryside, is indeed a constant daily battle for this modern-day princess. Princess Olga Romanoff, is the daughter of the eldest nephew of Tsar Nicholas II, murdered with his family by the Bolsheviks in 1918. She is the youngest child of the late Prince Andrei Alexandrovich of Russia, who was born in the Winter Palace in St Petersburg in 1897. He fled Russia in 1918 with his pregnant (first) wife and his father, Grand Duke Alexander Michaelovich, while his mother, Grand Duchess Xenia, and his grandmother, Her Imperial Highness Maria Feodorovna, followed a few months later. The fabled Romanov jewels that they were able to smuggle out had to be sold and the exiled family were accommodated for some time by the British Royal Family at various grace-and-favour homes at Windsor Castle and Hampton Court. The book is peppered with amusing anecdotes about the British Royal Family, their British cousins. The reader will also get a glimpse of the Princess's cosseted childhood. She was looked after by a number of nannies and then privately educated at home, as her mother remembered the terrible time she herself had had at boarding school. But Princess Olga preferred the outdoor life and riding her ponies. She still laughs at one of her mother's ambitions which was to marry her off to Prince Charles! It was indeed an unusual upbringing with a snobbish and strict mother of Scottish and Scandinavian background, and a more relaxed and indulgent Romanov father whose occupation was stated as 'Prince of Russia' on Olga's birth certificate. Her home, Provender House is crammed full of fascinating Romanov memorabilia, from the crockery used by the tsar and his family during their final captivity in Ekaterinburg, to the diamond blade penknife used for scratching ContentsCast of Main Characters; List of Illustrations; 1 The Romanov Legacy; 2 My Mother's Family; 3 Nursery Days; 4 Wild in Kent; 5 Out into Society; 6 Highland Fling; 7 Provender; 8 My Children; 9 Provender Deteriorates; 10 Restoration; 11 Lost Heritage; 12 Reflections

Reviews

"Most importantly, Princess Olga is also a candid revelation of Princess Olga's own childhood under her more relaxed father and stricter mother. Her memoir details her unconventional childhood experiences of being taught by governesses, her introduction to high society as a chaperoned debutante, and her own relationship with the British Royal family." —Sophie Walker, Russian Art and Culture

"Rasputin's murder, sexual misconduct and the Loch Ness monster; the newly released memoirs of Princess Olga Romanoff make for quite an extraordinary read . . . A richly entertaining book has emerged which will defy many expectations." —Jonathan Whiley, Mayfair Times

"A very readable autobiography . . . some fascinating anecdotes." —Elma Voogdt, thenewroyaltyworldblog.wordpress.com

"An enthralling book" —Michele Magwood, Johannesburg Sunday Times

"An enthralling book." —Michele Magwood, Johannesburg Sunday Times

Author Biography

Coryne Hall is the author of Little Mother of Russia, a biography of Princess Olga's great-grandmother, and co-author of Once a Grand Duchess: Xenia, Sister of Nicholas II, a biography of Princess Olga's grandmother. Princess Olga is the youngest child of Prince Andrew Alexandrovich of Russia, nephew of Nicholas II, the last Tsar. Her mother was Prince Andrew's second wife. She was brought up and privately educated at Provender House, an historic house in the English countryside. On the death of her mother, she returned to care for Provender House which is now open to the public.