Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg (1876–1936)

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Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg (1876–1936)

Grand duchess of Hesse-Darmstadt. Name variations: Victoria of Saxe-Coburg; Grand Duchess Kiril or Cyril; (nickname) Ducky; known as Marie Feodorovna following her second marriage. Born in Malta on November 25, 1876; died of a stroke in Amorbach, Germany, on March 2, 1936; daughter of Alfred Saxe-Coburg, duke of Edinburgh, and Marie Alexandrovna (1853–1920); sister of Alexandra Saxe-Coburg (1878–1942), Beatrice of Saxe-Coburg (1884–1966), duchess of Galliera, and Marie of Rumania (1875–1938); married Ernest Louis, grand duke of Hesse-Darmstadt, on April 19, 1894 (divorced 1901); married Cyril Vladimirovitch (grand duke and grandson of Alexander II of Russia), on October 8, 1905; children: (first marriage) Elizabeth of Hesse-Darmstadt (1895–1903) and one son (1900–1900); (second marriage) Marie of Russia (1907–1951); Kira of Russia (1909–1967); Vladimir Cyrillovitch (1917–1992).

suggested reading:

Sullivan, Michael John. A Fatal Passion: The Story of Victoria Melita, the Uncrowned Last Empress of Russia. NY: Random House, 1997.

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