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Princess Victoria Melita: Grand Duchess Cyril of Russia 1876-1936
Princess Victoria Melita played a colourful role from her birth in 1876. The second daughter of Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, she made a brief and unhappy marriage at the age of 17 to her cousin, Ernest, Grand Duke of Hesse. In the face of strong opposition from her family she divorced him seven years later and married another cousin, Grand Duke Cyril of Russia, resulting in three years of exile. When revolution toppled the empire in 1917, the Grand Duke and Duchess and their children escaped to Finland, living in danger for three long years.
Following the atrocities of the Bolsheviks at the time, including the murder of most of the Romanov family, the Grand Duke believed he was the senior surviving member of the imperial house, and proclaimed himself Tsar. However, they were never able to return to their homeland, and the Grand Duchess died in exile in 1936. Using previously unpublished correspondence from the Royal Archives and Astor papers, this is a portrait of the Princess, set against the imperial courst of the turn of the 20th century and inter-war Europe.
Following the atrocities of the Bolsheviks at the time, including the murder of most of the Romanov family, the Grand Duke believed he was the senior surviving member of the imperial house, and proclaimed himself Tsar. However, they were never able to return to their homeland, and the Grand Duchess died in exile in 1936. Using previously unpublished correspondence from the Royal Archives and Astor papers, this is a portrait of the Princess, set against the imperial courst of the turn of the 20th century and inter-war Europe.
300 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1991
About the author
John van der Kiste
182 books52 followersJohn Van der Kiste, British author, was born in Wendover, Buckinghamshire, on September 15, 1954, son of Wing Commander Guy Van der Kiste (1912–99). He was educated at Blundell's School, Tiverton, where he briefly formed a rock band Cobweb with fellow pupil Miles Tredinnick, later vocalist with new wave band London and subsequently playwright and scriptwriter, and read Librarianship at Ealing Technical College, where he edited the librarians’ student magazine.
He has worked for several years in public and academic libraries, but is best known as a writer. His first book, Frederick III, appeared in 1981, and since then he has published over twenty historical biographies, as well as books on local history, true crime, rock music, a novel and a play. He is also a contributor to Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Guinness Rockopaedia, and has produced articles on historical, musical and art subjects in national and local journals, including Illustrated London News, Royalty Digest, European Royal History Journal, Best of British, BBC History Magazine, Record Collector, Antique Collector, This England, The Independent, and Gibbons Stamp Monthly. He has reviewed books and records for the press, written CD booklet notes, and between 1991 and 1996 edited the 70s rock fanzine Keep on Rockin.
In 2002 he was a consultant for the BBC TV documentary 'The King, the Kaiser and the Tsar', first screened in January 2003.
He married professional musician and teacher Kim Graham (née Geldard) in 2003 and lives in Devon.
He has worked for several years in public and academic libraries, but is best known as a writer. His first book, Frederick III, appeared in 1981, and since then he has published over twenty historical biographies, as well as books on local history, true crime, rock music, a novel and a play. He is also a contributor to Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Guinness Rockopaedia, and has produced articles on historical, musical and art subjects in national and local journals, including Illustrated London News, Royalty Digest, European Royal History Journal, Best of British, BBC History Magazine, Record Collector, Antique Collector, This England, The Independent, and Gibbons Stamp Monthly. He has reviewed books and records for the press, written CD booklet notes, and between 1991 and 1996 edited the 70s rock fanzine Keep on Rockin.
In 2002 he was a consultant for the BBC TV documentary 'The King, the Kaiser and the Tsar', first screened in January 2003.
He married professional musician and teacher Kim Graham (née Geldard) in 2003 and lives in Devon.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 27, 2012
Victoria (Ducky) Melita, strong-willed, artistic and fascinating in her own right, lived her life in the middle of the tangled family tree of European royalty at a pivotal time in the history of monarchy. Her father was Prince Alfred, the brother of King Edward and the younger son of Queen Victoria. Her mother was the sister of Tsar Alexander III, the daughter of Tsar Alexander II and the aunt of Russia’s final Tsar, Nicolas II.
Ducky’s first, unhappy marriage was to Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse, who like her was a grandchild of Queen Victoria and so was Ducky’s first cousin. It caused a scandal when she divorced him, and it particularly angered his adoring sister Alexandra, who was Tsar Nicolas II’s wife. This became a problem because Ducky had fallen in love with Grand Duke Cyril Vladimirovich of Russia, another of her first cousins though this time on her mother’s side of the family, and Cyril needed the permission of his cousin Tsar Nicolas to marry. Cyril was an officer in the Russian navy and Tsar Nicolas kept sending him off on distant, time-consuming missions that kept the lovers apart for months and years. After a particularly harrowing naval episode at sea Ducky and Cyril married without permission thinking that any punishment they’d receive would be a slap on the wrist. Instead Cyril was expelled from Russia and lost his imperial income, his position in the navy and his titles. The couple lived in Germany and then France until the death of Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich meant that Cyril was third in line to the Russian throne. They were invited back to Russia where they lived until the communist revolution.
As young, relatively liberal intellectuals the couple had difficult choices to make during Russia’s time of upheaval. They were among the few members of the imperial family to survive, fleeing Russia for Finland with their two young daughters while Ducky was heavily pregnant with their son. Queen Marie of Romania, one of Ducky’s sisters, helped support them financially, while Cyril tried to establish himself as the Tsar in exile.
It’s a breathtaking, heartbreaking, illuminating story, providing a different angle on a transitional time in European history, from the era of Belle Époque until the lead up to WWII.
Ducky’s first, unhappy marriage was to Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse, who like her was a grandchild of Queen Victoria and so was Ducky’s first cousin. It caused a scandal when she divorced him, and it particularly angered his adoring sister Alexandra, who was Tsar Nicolas II’s wife. This became a problem because Ducky had fallen in love with Grand Duke Cyril Vladimirovich of Russia, another of her first cousins though this time on her mother’s side of the family, and Cyril needed the permission of his cousin Tsar Nicolas to marry. Cyril was an officer in the Russian navy and Tsar Nicolas kept sending him off on distant, time-consuming missions that kept the lovers apart for months and years. After a particularly harrowing naval episode at sea Ducky and Cyril married without permission thinking that any punishment they’d receive would be a slap on the wrist. Instead Cyril was expelled from Russia and lost his imperial income, his position in the navy and his titles. The couple lived in Germany and then France until the death of Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich meant that Cyril was third in line to the Russian throne. They were invited back to Russia where they lived until the communist revolution.
As young, relatively liberal intellectuals the couple had difficult choices to make during Russia’s time of upheaval. They were among the few members of the imperial family to survive, fleeing Russia for Finland with their two young daughters while Ducky was heavily pregnant with their son. Queen Marie of Romania, one of Ducky’s sisters, helped support them financially, while Cyril tried to establish himself as the Tsar in exile.
It’s a breathtaking, heartbreaking, illuminating story, providing a different angle on a transitional time in European history, from the era of Belle Époque until the lead up to WWII.
September 23, 2013
Excellent and sympathetic biography of one of the lesser known members of the Royal circle who broke the model of the traditional royal marriage and lifestyle. Not quite the Princess Di of her day but not a 'whitewash' job either. Well writen, well put together and clearly well researched.
November 4, 2023
When I saw this book on my to-read list, I knew it was from my Royal Granddaughters of Victoria phase. Having read a book on Victoria's daughters, I was intrigued about how the family progressed with the next generation. The familial relationships of history make certain events more entertaining for me. Years later, I'm not in that phase as much. Also, I've read much better books that give the context of the time period and the relationships than this one. There's not a lot to this book. Victoria Melita (Ducky) wasn't a great letter writer. So, much of the bulk comes from others' views on the subject. Notably, her sister, Queen Marie of Romania. (Read her biography by Pakula and you basically have the gist of Ducky's story). My main qualm with this book is it skips over events that I think need to be mentioned. I didn't feel there was a lot of context explaining why things were unfolding. Also, it throws a lot of family in and out of the narrative without explaining their position or relationship.
March 10, 2024
Ducky's always been a side character in royal biographies. Queen Marie of Romania's little sister, Tsarina Alexandra's hated ex-sister-in-law, the alleged power behind Grand Duke Cyril's actions after the Revolution. It's especially difficult because she didn't leave any of her own thoughts behind, so we have to rely on the people around her, many of whom have their own agendas and views.
I think van der Kiste did a good job of providing context. He balances empathy with Ducky's character with the negative views of her actions without judgement or editorializing. He might not know exactly what she thought, but he does his best to widen the story and provide options to allow the reader to form their own opinions. This is probably the first time I've seen an author dive into why Grand Duke Cyril acted the way he did during the beginning of the Russian Revolution.
I think van der Kiste did a good job of providing context. He balances empathy with Ducky's character with the negative views of her actions without judgement or editorializing. He might not know exactly what she thought, but he does his best to widen the story and provide options to allow the reader to form their own opinions. This is probably the first time I've seen an author dive into why Grand Duke Cyril acted the way he did during the beginning of the Russian Revolution.
April 13, 2020
Interesting branch of Romanovs
As with many books dealing with Romanovs and the Windsors, you need a notebook to keep them all straight. Insightful if not sad.
As with many books dealing with Romanovs and the Windsors, you need a notebook to keep them all straight. Insightful if not sad.
December 2, 2021
3.5 stars.
May 5, 2024
[25 Aug 2020] An interesting biography about a little known member of the Royal family and the times she lived through.
June 7, 2019
This is my favorite book by John Van der Kiste. This small volume provides a biography of Princess Victoria Melita, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria and later Grand Duchess Victoria Feodorovna of Russia. "Ducky," as she was known by intimates, lived her live against the background of profound change in Europe. Highly recommend.
April 11, 2017
Felt this book was contradictory with some of Van der Kiste's other books.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews