Prince Andrew Romanoff

Prince Andrew Romanoff (born Andrew Andreevich Romanov; 21 January 1923) is a Russian American artist and author. He is a grand-nephew of Russia's last Tsar, Nicholas II. He is a great-great-grandson in the male line of Emperor Nicholas I of Russia and since the death of Prince Dimitri Romanov in 2016 a claimant to the headship of the House of Romanov.^[1][2] After Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh's death, Romanoff became the oldest living descendant of King Christian IX of Denmark.

Family bonds[]

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Andrew Andreevich belongs to the fourth branch of the Mikhailovich line of the House of Romanov. He is a great-great-grandson of Emperor Nicholas I and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna in a straight male line. Through his grandmother, Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna, he is a great-grandson of Emperor Alexander III and Empress Maria Feodorovna.

Through his great-grandmother, Empress Maria Feodorovna, Andrew Andreevich is a great-great-great-great-grandson of King George II of Great Britain, and therefore related to the royal families of Britain, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Sweden, Norway, Spain, Belgium, and Monaco. Additionally, through the same descent, Andrew Andreevich is related to the former royal families of Germany, Greece, Romania, and Serbia.

Through the Belgian royal family, who are also descended from King George II's grandmother, Sophia of Hanover, Andrew Andreevich is further related to the former Italian, and Austro-Hungarian royal families, as well as the Bonaparte heirs of Emperor Napoleon.

Childhood and education[]

Russian imperial family
Prince Andrew Romanov Inez Storer Prince Alexis Romanov Princess Olga Andreevna Dorrit Reventlow Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia
show Extended imperial family Prince Rostislav Romanov (born 1985)
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Andrew Andreevich was born on 21 January 1923 in London, England, in the family of Prince Andrei Alexandrovich of Russia (1897–1981) and his first wife Princess Elizabeth Fabricievna, née Duchess of Sasso-Ruffo and Princess of San-Antimo.^[3] His godfather was the future King Edward VIII.^[4]

The third child and youngest son in the family, Andrew Andreevich spent his childhood with his sister and brother in the guest house of Windsor Castle, granted to his family by King George V. Up to 12 years of age, Andrew Andreevich studied at home and received a private traditional education, characteristic for the House of Romanov. Then he studied at the Haileybury and Imperial Service College.

Life in America[]

After the end of the war, Andrew Andreevich became an intern on an English farm in Kent, learning to become an agronomist. He also worked in a special garden near London. Finding no further prospects in Europe, after the invitation in 1949 of his uncle Prince Vasily Alexandrovich, along with his cousin Prince Nikita Nikitich, and having only 800 dollars in his pocket, he emigrated to the United States on a cargo ship carrying racehorses, pigeons, and eight passengers.

After settling in California, he started working in a store, then worked with his uncle at California Packing, where he grew tomatoes using hydroponics and worked on the introduction of new varieties of vegetables.^[5] He studied sociology and criminology at the University of California at Berkeley. Then he worked as a broker in a shipping company and spent three years in Japan and Korea. After his return to San Francisco, Andrew Andreevich became a real estate agent. He also worked as a simple employee behind the chair factory and became a designer. He became a naturalized US citizen on 20 December 1954.^{[citation needed]} After the death of his second wife, he moved to the city of Inverness, Marin County, California, where he worked as a carpenter and joiner and later was engaged in a jewelry business.

He began to draw as a primitive artist, without a formal art education, drawing pictures by intuition and relying on imagination. Andrew Andreevich also engaged in artistic photography. After retirement, he devoted himself entirely to art. On his preferred medium of Shrinky Dinks (plastic sheets that shrink by two-thirds when cooked in an oven), he draws and paints, shrinks the inimitable scenes, then mounts them on painted panels. Andrew's artwork is firmly rooted in the traditions of American folk art. His work typically depicts personal memories, impressions of American news, culture, and scenes of domestic life.

Currently, Andrew Andreevich lives with his wife, the American painter Inez Storer, in Inverness, California. They reside in a house that is 110 years old, during which time it has been a tourist hotel and a private home. In 2007, he released an autobiography called The Boy Who Would Be Tsar, which is illustrated with his artwork. His work has been exhibited worldwide, including recent exhibitions at Gallery 16 in San Francisco.

Marriages and children[]

Prince Andrew has been married three times. He was married firstly in San Francisco on 9 September 1951 to Elena Konstantinovna Dourneva (5 May 1927, Tokyo – 31 May 1992, Oakland). She was the only daughter of Konstantin Afanasievich Durnev (1896–1970) and Felixa Stanislavovna Zapalsky (1903–2002). They had one son before divorcing in 1959:

• Prince Alexis Andreevich Romanov (born 27 April 1953, San Francisco). He graduated from St. Mary's High School in San Francisco, and then studied at the University of California, Berkeley. Currently, he owns a company which provides accounting and fiduciary services to individuals. He married on 19 September 1987 in Oakland, California, to Zoetta "Zoe" Leisy (born 25 November 1956, Memphis, Tennessee), daughter of Robert Leisy and Ellen Telfer. No issue. Prince Alexis Andreevich is heir to his father as Head of the House of Romanov.

He was married secondly to Kathleen Norris (1 March 1935, San Francisco – 8 December 1967, San Francisco) in San Francisco on 21 March 1961. She was a granddaughter of American authors Kathleen Norris and Charles Gilman Norris. She died after pneumonia at 32. They had two children:

• Prince Peter Andreevich Romanov (born 21 November 1961, San Francisco). He worked as an auto mechanic. His current job is also related to cars. He married on 2 May 2009 in Marin County, California, to Barbara Anne Jurgens (born 1968). No issue. He is second in the line of succession to the title of the head of the Romanov Family.
• Prince Andrew Andreevich Romanov (born 20 February 1963, San Francisco). He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley and works as a Project Manager. He married on 12 July 1986 in Point Reyes Station, California, to Elizabeth Flores (born 25 April 1964, San Francisco). She is a daughter of Armando Flores and Cecil Sherrod. He is third in the line of succession to the title of the head of the Romanov Family. They have one daughter:
  • Princess Natasha Catherine Romanov (born 2 February 1993, Greenbrae, California). She graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 2016 with honours in Psychology.

He was married thirdly on 17 December 1987 in Reno, Nevada, to the American artist Inez Storer (née Bachelin; born 11 October 1933, Santa Monica, California). She is a daughter of Franz Bachelin and Anita Hirschfeld.

Title and style[]

• His Imperial Highness Prince Andrew Andreevich of Russia.

N.B. Since the Russian revolution members of the Romanov family have tended to drop the territorial designation "of Russia" and use the princely title with the surname Romanov.^[6] However this title, and even his right to the surname Romanov are disputed by some.^[7]

Ancestry[]

References[]

External links[]

• The Boy Who Would Be Tsar: The Art Of Prince Andrew Romanoff
• Romanov Family Association
• NPR Interview, January 2007 with Andrew Romanoff: "The Boy Who Would Be Tsar"