The Disappearance of Michael Romanov — Susan Appleyard

Natasha Sergeyevna, the twice-divorced daughter of a lawyer, thought her dream had come true when she married Grand Duke Michael Romanov, the little-known brother of Tsar Nicholas II.But the fairy tale turned into a hideous nightmare when in February 1917, St. Petersburg was overrun by revolutionaries whose purpose was to abolish the imperial family and which paved the way for the bloody and pitiless Bolshevik revolution of October. Lenin was unleashed, and his intent was nothing less than the destruction of every Romanov. Was Michael one of them? Did he escape? Michael and Natasha’s story is reminiscent of the Duke of Windsor and his love for Wallace Simson – also a divorcee. The marriage of both couples earned almost universal criticism, but they chose exile and renunciation rather than give up the one they loved.