HIH Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna with His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia 

On November 6, 2012, during a meeting with His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, the Head of the Russian Imperial Family, Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna, raised the question of the position that the Russian Orthodox Church takes on the evidence discovered in Brussels. It was originally found in 1918 by the investigator Nikolai Sokolov at Ganina Pit near Ekaterinburg, the site connected to the tragedy of the Royal Family.

In the opinion of several scholars and public figures, the physical materials discovered in Brussels should spur further research with the aim of establishing the truth of the matter of identifying the so-called “Ekaterinburg remains.”

At the present time, the Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church is not prepared to assume as a fact the results of the genetic testing of the Ekaterinburg remains, since their representatives were not granted access to the information on exactly which genetic materials were used for comparing data.

During the meeting, His Holiness declared that the Church is prepared to participate in continuing research of the identification of the remains of the Royal Family with the consideration of the newly-found materials, on the basis of transparency in the expertise and access to all genetic materials connected to the Romanov Dynasty. His Holiness expressed the hope that such research will help establish the truth, which many Orthodox faithful hope for.

© Patriarchia.ru. 12 November, 2012

Her Imperial Highness the Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna and her son – the Grand Duke Georgii Mikhailovich arrived in St. Petersburg, to honor the memory of Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich and Grand Duchess Leonida Georgievna.

An official visit by HIH Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna to Peterhof took place on April 25th. She was accompanied by her son, the Grand Duke Georgi Mikhailovich.

They toured the Grand Palace and the recently restored palace church. The Grand Duchess Maria was invited to sign the guest book for distinguished guests to the palace-museum. She expressed her thanks and appreciation to the dedicated staff at Peterhof for their ongoing work to preserve Russia's history and cultural heritage.

From Peterhof, they visited Oranienbaum to view the ongoing restoration at the Chinese Palace and the Menshikov Palace.

© Peterhof Palace-Museum. 02 May, 2012

St. Petersburg Governor, George Poltavchenko met with the Head of the Russian Imperial House, the Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna, at the Smolny today, where they discussed preparations for the 36th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee to be held this year in St. Petersburg. The main topic of the session will be devoted to the preservation of the historic center of the former Russian capital.

The Governor met with the Grand Duchess and her son, the Grand Duke Georgi Mikhailovich, also noted that the program is being developed to preserve the historic city center, which will be financed from both federal and municipal budgets, as well as private investors. It will enable a comprehensive approach to addressing the conservation of the historical center of the Northern capital. "The city looks great, it has changed a lot since I visited it for the first time in 1992,"--said the Grand Duchess. She also acknowledged the the amount of restoration work already accomplished of historic sites around the city.

Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna and Governor Poltavchenko also discussed preparations marking the 400th anniversary of the Romanov Dynasty in 2013. A number of events are scheduled to take place in St. Petersburg, as well as the suburban palace-museum complexes.

"This is a celebration not only of the history of my family. The most important thing we can do is develop events and activities that will benefit everyone,"--said the Grand Duchess.

During her visit to St. Petersburg this week, the Grand Duchess Maria also visited Kronstadt, Oranienbaum, and Tsarskoye Selo. At Kronstadt, she signed a sponsorship agreement between the Russian Imperial House and the Baltic Fleet's escort ship, Yaroslav the Wise.

While in St. Petersburg, the Grand Duchess Maria and Grand Duke Georgi also attended a service marking the 20th anniversary of the death of her father, the Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich, who served as Head of the Russian Imperial House for more than 50 years, from 1938-1992.

© Paul Gilbert @ Royal Russia. 25 April, 2012

Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna and her son Grand Duke George Mikhailovich were among the guests at the wedding of Prince Georg Friedrich of Prussia and Princess Sophie Johanna Maria of Isenburg. The wedding took place at the Church of Peace, located in the former Sanssouci Palace at Potsdam on 27 August 2011, in commemoration of the 950^th anniversary of the founding of the House of Hohenzollern.

After the wedding, the newly married royal couple rode through the streets of Potsdam in a carriage drawn by six horses. Among the 700 guests invited to the wedding were representatives of all the royal houses and noble families of Germany and Europe. The wedding was telecast live for three hours on German television.

Prince Georg Friedrich is the current head of the House of Hohenzollern. Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna married Prince Franz Wilhelm of Prussia 22 September, 1976. The couple separated in 1982, a year after their only child Grand Duke George Mikhailovich was born. As the son of a Prussian Prince, George also retains the title of Prince of Prussia with the style of Royal Highness.

© Royal Russia. 29 August, 2011

Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna and her son Grand Duke George Mikhailovich (left) and Cyrille Boulay (right) at the wedding of Prince Albert II of Monaco and Christine Wittstock

Grand Duke George Mikhailovich (left) and Her Imperial Highess Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna, Cyrille Boulay and Prince Radu of Romania (right)

© Royal Russia. 3 July, 2011

The Head of the Russian Imperial House, HIH Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna arrived in Simferopol today on her first official visit to the Crimea.

Today, the grand duchess stopped to pray at the Church of the Resurrection at Foros. The church was built in 1892 to commemorate the survival of Emperor Alexander III and his family after the Borki train disaster in 1888.

Her next stop was the former palace of Emperor Alexander III at Massandra. She was given a tour of the palace, and afterwards greeted the staff of the museum and signed the guestbook. Later in the day, the grand duchess had lunch at the Swallows Nest, before departing for Kitchkine, the former palace of Grand Duke Dimitri Konstantinovich.

Her Imperial Highness plans to visit other palaces (including Livadia)  and historic places associated with the Romanov dynasty in the region before returning home to Madrid.

© Royal Russia. 27 May, 2011