Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia, Princess Nicholas of Greece

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

Elena Vladimirovna of Russia, Princess Nicholas of Greece; Credit – Wikipedia

Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia was the wife of Prince Nicholas of Greece. She was born January 17, 1882, the only daughter of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia and Duchess Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Through her father, she was the granddaughter of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia, niece of Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia, and first cousin of Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia. Elena had four older brothers:

Elena was raised at several palaces in Russia, as the family moved around frequently throughout the year. In St Petersburg, they lived in the grand Vladimir Palace and spent their summers at Tsarskoye Selo. There were also frequent visits to her mother’s family in Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Raised in a world of inordinate wealth, and the only girl in a family of boys, Elena was very spoiled and doted upon by her brothers. She developed a fiery temper and – much like her mother – she was very aware of her social status and rank, and was quick to remind anyone who treated her too informally. In the late 1890s, she became engaged to Prince Max of Baden, but he soon called off the engagement.

Nicholas and Elena at their wedding, August 1902. source: Wikipedia

On August 29, 1902, at Tsarskoye Selo, Elena married her second cousin, Prince Nicholas of Greece, the son of King George I of the Hellenes and Grand Duchess Olga Konstantinovna of Russia. The two had first met at a party in Livadia in 1894, and then again at the coronation of their first cousin Nicholas II, Emperor of All of Russia in 1896. Several years later, in the summer of 1900, a romance began and Nicholas soon proposed. Her mother was against the idea, feeling that Nicholas was too poor and had no prospect for the Greek throne. But she eventually relented, and the couple became engaged in June 1902. Theirs was a happy marriage from most accounts, and they had three daughters:

The former Nicholas Palace, now the Italian Embassy, in Athens. photo: by C messier — Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=47199266

Following their honeymoon at Ropsha Palace, the couple arrived in Greece and took up residence in a wing of the Royal Palace. They later moved to their new home – the Nicholas Palace in Athens – which was a wedding gift from Nicholas II of Russia.

Elena was visiting her mother in Russia when World War I broke out, and she quickly returned home to Athens. The Russian Revolution and the overthrow of the Russian Imperial Family saw her fortune diminish overnight. Already having been deprived of her assets in Russia, she lost them completely when the Provisional Government confiscated all the estates and assets of the Romanovs. In Greece, things were not good either. King Constantine I, Elena’s brother-in-law, was removed from the throne and they went into exile. Elena and her family joined him in Switzerland. There, they spent winters in St. Moritz and the rest of the year in Zurich and Lucerne. With her fortune gone, the family suffered the first financial difficulties for the first time in Elena’s life. 1920 saw Constantine return to the Greek throne, and the family made their way back to Greece. However, their return would be short-lived. In 1922, the King abdicated and the family all returned to Switzerland. The next few years were spent moving around Europe. The family lived in San Remo, Florence, and London before settling in Paris, where they were helped financially by her brother-in-law, Prince George of Greece, and his very wealthy wife, Princess Marie Bonaparte. They also leased their Nicholas Palace in Athens to the Hotel Grande Bretagne, which provided the family with a comfortable income.

1914 portrait by de László. source: Wikipedia

While in exile, Elena helped to support the many Russians who had fled to France after the Bolshevik Revolution. She helped establish an Orthodox Cemetery in Sainte-Geneviève-Des-Bois, as well as supporting a home for elderly refugees. In 1924, she established and helped fund an orphanage near Saint-Germain-en-Laye, providing housing and education for orphans. She sold some of her priceless jewels to help fund many of her ventures.

In addition to her charitable efforts, Elena focused much of her attention on the upbringing and education of her daughters. This included trying to arrange prominent marriages for each of them. Eldest daughter Olga was sent to London, hoping to catch the eye of the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII), with no success. In 1923, Olga went on to marry Prince Paul of Yugoslavia. The second daughter Elena was presented as a possible bride for the future King Umberto II of Italy and Prince Nicholas of Romania before marrying Count Carl Theodor of Toerring-Jettenbach. The Prince of Wales was also considered for the youngest daughter Marina, again without success. Instead, Marina married his younger brother George, The Duke of Kent, in 1934.

The family returned to Greece again in 1935, after the monarchy was restored, and King George II returned to the throne. In 1938, she lost two of the people most close to her. In February 1938, her husband died in Athens, and later that year, her brother Cyril died in Paris. As she had never accepted her other brothers’ morganatic marriages, Cyril was the only one of her siblings left with whom she maintained a relationship.

When Greece was invaded in 1941, Elena chose to remain in Athens and not join the rest of the Greek royal family in exile. Elena and her sister-in-law, Princess Alice, both stayed and worked together, organizing soup kitchens and helping those in need throughout Athens. Despite their previous frosty relationship, the two develop a friendship and provide much-needed moral support to each other in the years ahead. When Athens was liberated, Elena faced accusations of conspiring with the Germans, who had treated her very kindly during their occupation. When fighting broke out in December 1944, Elena was forced from her home and took up residence with Princess Alice at the home of their brother-in-law, Prince George. In 1946 the monarchy was restored, and King George II returned to the throne. Having been nearly totally cut off from her family during the war, Elena was able to meet up with her daughter Olga in 1947. Two years later, she reunited with daughters Elisabeth and Marina, neither of whom she had seen in eight years.

Tombs of Elena and Nicholas. photo: by HellenicSpirit — Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=53526810

Elena lived the rest of her life in Greece, enjoying a close relationship with King Paul and Queen Friederike, and a particularly close bond with the future King Constantine II. She died at her home in Athens on March 13, 1957. Following her funeral, her remains were interred alongside her husband at the Royal Cemetery at Tatoi Palace.

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