Prince Rostislav Romanov (born 1985)

Birth and family

Prince Rostislav Rostislavovich was born in Lake Forest, Illinois, the eldest son and second child of Prince Rostislav Rostislavovich and his second wife, Christia Ipsen (b. 1949). He has an older sister, Princess Alexandra (b. 1983), and a younger brother, Prince Nikita (b. 1987). From his father's first marriage to Stephena Verdel Cook, Prince Rostislav has an older half-sister, Princess Stephena (b. 1963). Rostislav belongs to the Mihailovichi branch of the Romanovs as a male line descendant of Grand Duke Michael Nikolaevich of Russia, the youngest son of Emperor Nicholas I. He is also a descendant of Emperor Alexander II and Emperor Alexander III, being the great grandson of Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia, the sister of the last Russian Emperor Nicholas II, and of her husband, Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russia.

Prince Rostislav has been a member of the Romanov Family Association since 1985, the year of his birth, and a committee member for the period 2007 to 2013.

Death of father

In 1998 Prince Rostislav visited Russia with his parents and siblings to attend the funeral of Emperor Nicholas II and his family. Six months later his father died on 7 January 1999, during the Russian Christmas celebration. Though he had a cancer treatment, some speculate that, while in Russia he contracted a rare illness from the dust at the church where the funeral was held. This left Rostislav and his family facing financial difficulties due to the loss of his father's income. In order to provide for the family, Rostislav's mother turned an 18th-century mansion in Rye, East Sussex into a bed and breakfast. The mansion however was in a semi-derelict state and in need of renovation. As there was no kitchen to begin with, Rostislav and his siblings used to have to carry buckets of water up to the bathroom in order to wash the dishes in the bathtub. His widowed mother married David Whitney Erskine Russell the heir to the title Baron Ampthill on 6 July 2002.

Russian prince

On 23 September 2006 Prince Rostislav was a guest at the divine service for his great-great grandmother the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna (born Princess Dagmar of Denmark) at Roskilde Cathedral in Denmark. Shortly after this, he attended the reburial of his great-great grandmother's remains in Russia where he announced he was considering moving to Russia. As one of the youngest male members of the Imperial Family, Rostislav could also one day be an heir to the defunct Russian throne. As a descendant of the Electress Sophia of Hanover he is also in the Line of succession to the British throne.

In November 2007 Prince Rostislav was featured in a documentary produced by France 3 called "Un nom en heritage, les Romanov" where he was filmed visiting St. Petersburg the former Imperial capital. In July 2009 accompanying his cousin Prince Dimitri Romanovich, he attended events in St. Petersburg to commemorate the 91st anniversary of the murder of Nicholas II and his family. It was also announced that he had come to Russia in order to learn the language.

Current life

Prince Rostislav is the only descendant of the former ruling Russian Imperial dynasty to have moved back to Russia—in 2009. He currently resides in Moscow, where he is improving his Russian.

The president of the Romanov Family Association, Prince Nicholas, appointed him the official representative of the Association in Russia.

In 2010, Prince Rostislav was appointed Director of the Board of Russia’s oldest factory, founded by his ancestor Peter the Great: The Petrodvorets Watch Factory – Raketa. He is also advisor to the factory's Creative department.

Titles and styles

N.B. Since the Russian revolution members of the Romanov family have tended to use a princely title with the surname Romanov while keeping the appropriate style. However this title, and even his right to the surname Romanov are disputed.