What did the exiled Russian aristocrats live on?

Answer 1

In the spring of 1919, not quite a year after the Tsar, his wife, the Empress Alexandra, the Tsarevitch Alexei and his four sisters were shot and killed by the Bolsheviks while in captivity in Ekateriburg, numerous senior members of the Imperial Family took their last leave of Russian soil forever aboard the British Royal Naval cruiser HMS Marlborough. Among the exalted personages were the Dowager Empress Marie, mother of Nicholas II, the Tsars two sisters Grand Duchess's Xenia and Olga along with their husbands Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich and Col Nicolai Kulikovsky respectively. Also aboard were Xenia eldest daughter Princess Irina and her husband Prince Felix Yusopov who's fortune was rumored quite rightly to be greater than the Tsar. The moment the HMS Marlborough drew anchor and set course for Malta the livelihood of the bedraggled looking albeit august royals standing on deck, each taking what would be the last glimpse of their motherland; was in the hands of fate.

Few of the Russian Imperial's in exile were prepared figuratively and quite literally for the realities of life in exile. Waited on hand and foot since birth, never having engaged in monetary transactions nor the day to day reality of earning an income for survivals sake. The Romanov's in exile were wholly dependent upon the kindness and generosity of their English Royal cousins. Living at first with her sister Queen Alexandra, the former Dowager Empress of Russia, Marie or Minnie as she was known to her family lived in relative comfort and isolation on the grounds of Sandringham in a grace and favour cottage provided by her nephew King George the V. Minnie never quite recovered from the shock of learning of the regicide of her son Nicky, The Tsar Nicholas II and his family which none of the world particularly those who were closest to the Tsar knew the fates of until early 1921. Some three years after the massacre at Ekaterinburg. Marie returned to her native Denmark living in a wing of the Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen until her nephew King Christian X made life so unbearable, sending his valet several nights a week to the Dowager Empress's apartments rudely informing [the former Empress of Russia and ruler of one sixteenth of the planet]"His Majesty, The King asks me to remind you the electricity bill he paid recently was quite excessive and asks that you switch off the lights immediately." to which the Dowager Empress replied by ringing for her own servant and coolly informing him to light her wing of the palace from top to bottom and to leave it lit until further notice! Empress Marie Feodorovna, the dark-eyed Danish consort of Alexander the III who she married three quarters of a century before when her intended betrothed; the Tsarevitch Nicholas joined their two hands together on his death bed, died alone and penniless in Copenhagen in 1929. She never acknowledged the massacre at Ekaterinburg and some said she believed her "darling Nicky was still alive and would restore the throne when the time was appropriate."

Most of the women had brought with them a small but significant portion of the vast wealth they had in jewelry and while some fared better than others it was still a black market in the post war years of London and Paris and sadly Grand Duchess's Xenia and Olga were an easy target for opportunistic buyers both having no knowledge of course of the real, monetary value of the multitude of uncut diamonds, rubies and sapphires which adorned the settings of their necklaces, rings, tiara's and bracelets. To them they were simply gracious keepsakes presented for just about every reason and for every occasion by loved ones like their father; "dearest Papa" or their brother "Nicky darling" or Xenia's husband and family prankster, "Sandro". By the beginning of 1930 Xenia was virtually penniless and having aimlessly wandered the European continent as guests of this or that Serene Highness Xenia found herself estranged from her husband Grand Duke Sandro and without a place to live. When it seemed her next domicile could well and likely would be a work farm for the destitute and penniless her dignity was rescued by her first cousin King George the V who granted Xenia a "grace and favor" cottage for "dearest cousin Xenia" on the grounds of Hampton Court Palace for life. Incidentally, George V'S consort, Queen Mary was one of the most visible of those who fleeced Xenia unfairly in the purchase of several pieces of Imperial jewelry. Queen Mary was well known in royal and common circles as well for her zealous parsimony when it came to opening the royal pocketbook. Queen Mary made several significant purchases at shockingly well below market value at the time. Most notably was the Vladimir Tiara which Princess Diana famously wore when she danced with American film actor John Travolta at a White House State Dinner given by President Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy in 1984.

Prince Felix Yusopov and his wife Princess Irina, daughter of Grand Duchess Xenia and Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich (Sandro) also left Russia aboard the HMS Marlborough and managed to leave with a good deal more of their riches intact including a bag of twenty-nine uncut diamonds ranging in size from three to ten carats a piece. The diamonds were a gift from the Tsar to his niece, Princess Irina on her wedding day. Felix and Irina mostly lived in Paris in exile among other endeavors to earn a living they designed couture gowns which for a time were in high demand among the ladies of cafe society. In 1933 they won a lawsuit against film studio MGM for libel in which they claimed was an unflattering and incorrect depiction of Prince Felix's involvement in Rasputin's murder at the Yusopov Palace in St Petersburg in 1916.

Grand Duke Dimitri, a cousin of Tsar Nicholas the II was raised by his aunt and uncle Grand Duchess Elizabeth (sister of the Empress Alexandra) and Grand Duke Serge. His participation in the murder of Rasputin forced the Tsar to exile Dimitri to the Persian front in 1916 which ultimately saved his life. In 1933 he married American heiress and socialite, Audrey Emery in Palm Beach, Florida. Their son was elected mayor of Palm Beach in 1989 and became the only Romanov to ever hold elected office.