A cache of letters written by members of the Romanov family during its most turbulent years are included in William George & Co’s timed auction in London, ending on May 28.
The group of more than 50 letters was written by the Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna to her sister Grand Duchess Xenia between 1916-20. They were the younger sisters of Tsar Nicholas II.
The correspondence was written mostly in English (to avoid censors) and includes references to Rasputin, the Tsar’s visit to Kiev where the Duchess Olga was living for a time with her mother and, later, anger towards the Allies following Nicholas II’s assassination.
After the downfall of the Romanovs, the duchess fled to the Crimea with her second husband, cavalry officer and commoner Nikolai Kulikovsky. During this period, there is a pause in the letters before she resumes writing. Latterly, the duchess lived in Germany and Canada, and on her death, was widely known as the last Grand Duchess of Imperial Russia.
The lot has come through the duchess’ grandson and is being offered at auction for the first time. Estimate £70,000-100,000.
