Princess Olga Andreevna Romanoff
| Princess Olga Andreevna | |
|---|---|
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| Spouse | Thomas Mathew |
| Issue | |
| Nicholas Mathew Francis Mathew Alexandra Mathew Thomas Mathew |
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| Full name | |
| Olga Andreevna Romanoff | |
| House | House of Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov |
| Father | Prince Andrei Alexandrovich of Russia |
| Mother | Nadine Sylvia Ada McDougall |
| Born | 8 April 1950 London, England, United Kingdom |
Princess Olga Andreevna Romanoff (born 8 April 1950) is a Russian princess and descendant of the House of Romanov.
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[edit] Biography
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Extended imperial family
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She was born in London the daughter of Prince Andrei Alexandrovich of Russia and his second wife Nadine Sylvia Ada McDougall (1908–2000). Her father was the son of Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna, sister of Tsar Nicholas II.
Princess Olga is the great-granddaughter of the Dowager Empress Maria, through which she is related to all the major royal houses of Europe. She is also a cousin of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. She is the only child of Prince Andrei to have been educated at home by private tutors. She joined the Romanov Family Association in 1980 and currently serves as a committee member.
She lives with her family in Provender Manor near Faversham, Kent. Provender is 29-room, 14th-century manor house that she spent a large sum of money restoring.
Princess Olga uses the English version of her family name, preferring 'Romanoff' to the Russian 'Romanova'. From 1950 to 1975, she held the title Princess Olga Andreevna Romanoff. In 1975, she obtained the title Princess Olga Andreevna Romanoff, Mrs Thomas Mathew.
In 2006, she was on Australian Princess (an Australian reality TV show) giving advice to competitors.
[edit] Marriage and children
Once seen as a possible bride for Charles, Prince of Wales,[1] she married Thomas Mathew (b. 1945) on 1 October 1975 in London. They separated in 1989 after having had four children:
- Nicholas Mathew (b. 1976)
- Francis Mathew (b. 1978) a freelance photographer
- Alexandra Mathew (b. 1981)
- Thomas Mathew (1987–1989)
[edit] Title and styles
- Her Serene Highness Princess Olga Andreevna of Russia
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.[2] However this title, and even her right to the surname Romanov are disputed by some.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ Ghirardani, Jane (1998-08-22). "I might be a Russian princess but I still go to Safeway's, do all the cleaning and muck out the pony; My Diary: By Princess Olga Romanoff, Housewife.". Daily Mirror.
- ^ Almanach de Gotha (186th ed.). 2003. pp. 314. ISBN 0953214249.
- ^ "Dynastic Succession". imperialhouse.ru. http://www.imperialhouse.ru/eng/imperialhouse/succession.html. Retrieved 26 July 2009.
