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Leonida Georgievna, Grand Duchess of Russia

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Grand Duchess Leonida Georgievna of Russia, Leonida Georgiyevna Romanova (Леонида Георгиевна Романова) (born 23 September 1914) is the widow of Grand Duke Vladimir Cyrillovich, Pretender to the Russian throne.

The Grand Duchess was born as Princess Leonida Georgievna Bagration-Moukhransky, a noble family in Russia descended from former rulers of Georgia. She first married Summer Moore Kirby, and had a daughter Helen, who was given the title Countess Dvinskaya by her stepfather. After divorcing Kirby, the Princess remarried Grand Duke Vladimir Cyrillovich, who claimed to be the Head of the Imperial Family of Russia and Titular Emperor and Autocrat of all the Russias from 1938 to his death, and used the title Grand Duchess Leonida Georgievna. By him, she had another daughter, Maria, who claims to have succeeded her father as Titular Empress when he died.

The Grand Duke's marriage to Princess Leonida is controversial; some consider it to be morganatic (though the princess descended from a dynasty that had ruled as kings in Armenia and Georgia since the early Middle Ages, it had been reduced to the status of Russian nobility for over a century prior to the Russian Revolution — Leonida's branch had not been regnant in the male line as Kings of Georgia since 1505. Because of this, the Romanov Family Association considers Maria to be unentitled to claim the throne. However, since Grand Duke Vladimir was at the time the Head he declared his marriage to be equal, legally his marriage would be considered equal . The Grand Duchess, despite these arguments, continues to use the title of Grand Duchess of Russia and the style of Her Imperial Highness.

Titles from birth

She has also used the title HIM The Dowager Empress Leonida and is often referred to as such on her daughter's official website, however, abroad she travels under the title of Grand Duchess Leonida Georgievna of Russia.

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Last updated on Thursday March 13, 2008 at 14:38:53 PDT (GMT -0700)
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