On 2nd July 2022, the Grand Duchess Elizabeth Romanov Society, U.K. organized a Romanov
Day dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the birth of the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna (born
on 6th June 1872, Neues Palais, Darmstadt; murdered by Bolsheviks on 17 July 1918,
Ekaterinburg).
That included:
- visit to Provender, the Kent residence of Princess Olga Romanoff, great niece of Emperor Nicholas II;
- garden party at St Benedict, headquarters of the Society in St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex;
- prayers to the Holy Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth and Holy Royal Martyrs of Russia at our headquarters;
- chamber music concert, performed by Alexander Groves (piano) and Henry Bristow (violin), and solo piano performance by Nazeli Manukyan;
- readings from the memoirs of the Alexandra’s Lady in Waiting Lili Den with comments by Dr Maria Harwood, Chairman of the Society;
- concluding words by John Harwood, Hon Secretary of GDERS;
- visiting newly built Orthodox chapel of the All-Merciful Saviour.
Report of the Society’s Visit to Provender, home of Princess Olga Romanoff
by Nadia Slepova, Member of GDERS
On the sunny morning of 2d July 2022 we arrived at the Provender House which is a breath-taking property
with a walled garden near Faversham in Kent.
Princess Olga warmly welcomed our group and we had a light informal chat in front of the house. Princess
Olga invited us to a fascinating tour where she explained the mysteries of the house and about her family
and ancestors.
In a friendly and informal way, Princess Olga was covering the history of the Provender, its extensive
restoration by architects Ptolemy Dean and Malcolm Simmonds. Together they revealed a house that
represents a fascinating record of English life over seven centuries.
The tragedy happened in July 1918 when Tsar Nicholas II, Tsaritsa Alexandra, their 5 children and other
members of the Romanov family, including Alexandra’s sister Grand Duchess Elizabeth, were murdered by
Bolsheviks.
Princess Olga took an important part in the commemorative events in July 2021, organized by GDERS on
the Isle of Wight at the Romanov Monument, dedicated to the 40th anniversary of canonization of the Tsar’s
Family and Grand Duchess Elizabeth as Holy Martyrs. Provender dates back to the 13th century. In 1890 the house was rented to Princess Olga’s maternal great-grandmother. Then, in 1912 it was sold at an auction to her grandmother Sylvia McDougall. During the Second World War, Provender was requisitioned and used by army officers. It was then returned to the family after the war to Sylvia’s daughter, Nadine who in 1942 had married Prince Andrew Romanoff.
Princess Olga is the cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, and many Romanovs were closely related to the British
Royal Family in the past. Princess Olga’s father, Prince Andrew was Tsar Nicholas II’s eldest nephew, and
Tsar Nicholas II was the first cousin of King George V, Queen Elizabeth’s grandfather.
Olga was also related to the Queen’s late husband, Prince Philip.
