Thinking Allowed

Interview with a Romanov Princess

It is not every day that you can claim you are interviewing a real-life princess! However, on 25 May this was a unique opportunity that I was able to share with two Year 11 Modern History students, Selena and Ariane. In Year 11 Modern History we study “The Decline and Fall of the Romanov Dynasty”, with a particular focus on Nicholas II and the lead-up to the 1917 Revolution. By chance, an opportunity arose via the mother of a student who had a connection to a Romanov descendent. And thus, an interview over Zoom was arranged with the wonderful Princess Olga Romanoff.

Olga Romanoff is the great-niece of the last Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II. Her father Prince Andrei Alexandrovich was Nicholas II’s eldest nephew whom he “treated like a son”, as Nicholas and Alexandra had four daughters before the birth of their own son Alexei. Prince Andrei was 20 at the start of the Russian Revolution and was forced to flee from the Bolsheviks. He, with several members of his family, were held under house arrest in the Crimea before ending up in England with help from the British royal family. He married Nadine McDougall and Olga was born in 1950. In 2017, she was appointed as the Head of the Romanov Family Association and is currently the most senior Romanov in the world. One issue that she has been particularly involved in is the ongoing efforts to have the final two imperial children, Maria and Alexei, buried with the rest of their family.

To prepare for the interview our students worked as historians, brainstorming thought provoking and analytical questions. It was interesting to see the variety and depth of questions they came up with. Some were about specific points that we had studied in class including elements of the First World War or the impact of revolutionary groups. However, the majority stemmed from ideas and concepts outside of the syllabus, for example, the influence of Cold War politics and culture and queries about the infamous Anastasia pretenders such as Anna Anderson. It was pleasing to see the students engaging deeply with a range of concepts that demonstrated both their historical thinking and interest.

Whilst we were certainly nervous to speak with a member of royalty, any nerves were quickly forgotten once the very easy and captivating conversations with Olga began. The structured interview that had been carefully planned out with a long list of questions transformed into what felt like more of a conversation. Olga was generous with her answers, and we gained valuable insights into her Romanov background and different experiences she had growing up.

Her stories ranged from her interactions with imposter “long lost cousins”, or as she referred to them, “weirdos”, to her family changing the spelling of their last name to try and take them off “Stalin’s hitlist”. She had a great sense of humour and provided anecdotes about the actions of former Russian President Boris Yeltsin and his wife, and of almost being locked out of the 1998 ceremony and burial of the imperial family due to a bathroom break. However, throughout the interview there was a strong theme of family and connections, and she even noted at one point that her first visit to St Petersburg felt like she was “home”.

There were several moments when Olga became emotional, reminding us of the highly personal nature of history. She told us about what it was like to hear about the discovery of the imperial family’s remains in the early 1990s, and how important it was that her brother was present for their excavation amongst all the scientists. She shared insights into her experiences of the burial and what it was like to reunite the Romanovs from around the world, noting that most of them “hadn’t been together since the war”. This served as an important reminder about the nature of history and its ongoing impact. At the end of the day these figures are distant and far removed from our lives, and for our students their focus is often the key facts they need for their exams. However, for Olga these figures are her family and less distant than we might assume. She shared her frustrations about Nicholas II refusing to listen to the advice of her grandfather, Alexander. You can’t help but think how history may have been different if he had.

This interview allowed us to recognise the value of oral history. We gained insights that were personal, sensitive, and shaped by family stories and memories rather than school textbooks. Princess Olga made a point of reminding us of this at the beginning of the interview, stating that the things she was going to share were shaped by her father and extended family, not the history books. This is the value of oral history and is something that we will be able to refer to in future years.

When reflecting on this experience Year 11 students, Selena Hughes and Ariane Moisidis said the following:
It was such an incredible experience to be able to discuss the history of the Romanovs with a living descendant, Princess Olga Romanoff. To be able to witness the physical and ongoing family connection and the history of different family members. It was amazing to be able to hear accounts of the Romanovs fleeing Russia and the different experiences of her father and uncle. It was especially interesting to listen to her opinion on the representation of the Romanovs in the media and in movies, as well as what her life was like growing up as a Princess. We are so grateful to have been given the unique experience of interviewing someone so closely connected to our studies in Modern History and that she took the time to discuss her family’s rich history.

Sophie Craddock
History Teacher