The Old Scoundrel

Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich Romanov of Russia was born into tremendous privilege. However, his was a life dominated by recurring tragedies. His mother died giving birth to him, and his father abandoned him and his sister Marie. In the First World War he was aide-de-camp to his cousin the Tsar, when he took command of the army. His involvement in the murder of Rasputin earned him exile in Persia, yet ironically saved his life as he was not in Russia when the Revolution took place a few months later and ended the 300-year rule of the Romanovs.

In Europe, wearing a British uniform, he began the second half of his life, wandering between London and Paris, hoping for a return to Russia, even to the throne of his ancestors. Debts not helped by gambling problems led him to seek a suitable wife – preferably one with a large fortune. En route to that goal, he had a memorable affair with Coco Chanel. He eventually found an American heiress to marry. During the thirties, Dmitri became more involved in Russian émigré politics, particularly the fascist-leaning Mladoross (Young Russia) group. At the outbreak of the Second World War, Dmitri died in Switzerland of tuberculosis.

Often only remembered as the killer of Rasputin, or (more correctly) a lover of Chanel, Dmitri lived through world-shaping events and has many stories to tell us, often through his largely unpublished diaries, which are brought to life in these pages.