NINA (Princess of Russia, 1901-1974, daughter of Grand Duke Georgi Mikhailovich, 1863-1919, and of Princess Maria of Greece, 1876-1940, married Prince Paul Chavchavadze and spent her life from 1914 in exile) and her sister XENIA (Princess of Russia, 1903-1965)

Pair of photographs signed and dated by Xenia showing the young girls full length, seated, wearing matching white dresses, 9" x 4½", in frames 13" x 9", no place, signatures rather indistinct

In the summer of 1927, Xenia involved herself in the Anna Anderson/Anastasia Tchaikovsky affair by telephoning Gleb Botkin (son of imperial physician Eugene Botkin, who had been murdered along with the former tsar and his family in 1918) with an invitation for Anna to live as a guest at Kenwood. Xenia explained her hospitality: "I had heard that Botkin was arranging to bring 'the invalid' to the United States through a newspaper organization. This bothered me ... It then occurred to me that I should take her myself and avoid all this proposed publicity. For if she were indeed an impostor it would save much unpleasantness for my family, and if she were the real Anastasia it was ghastly to think that nothing was being done for her.... This solution would be simple, so it seemed to me."
As children, Xenia and her sister Nina had played frequently with the two youngest daughters of Tsar Nicholas II, Grand Duchesses Maria and Anastasia, as well as the youngest child, the Tsarevitch Alexei. Through her father, Xenia was Anastasia's second cousin, once removed and through her mother they were second cousins. Both sisters possessed vivid memories of Anastasia, whom they described as "frightfully temperamental" and "wild and rough". According to Xenia, Anastasia "cheated at games, kicked, scratched, pulled hair, and generally knew how to make herself obnoxious."
Princess Nina even said, "Anastasia was madly jealous of me because I was taller than she was. As the daughter of the Emperor she thought she ought to tower over everyone."

Item Date:  1913

Stock No:  37148      £1750

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