Prince Andrei Alexandrovich of Russia - Exile

Exile

Prince Andrei spent the first couple of years in exile in France. For a time he lived in the French Riviera in a property that belonged to his aunt Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia. The two eldest children of Prince Andrei and his wife Elisabetta Ruffo-Sasso, called Elsa within the family, were born in France and the youngest one in London:

• Princess Xenia Andreevna (1919–2000) m. 1 1945 to Calhoun Ancrum (1915–1990); they divorced in 1954. m. 2 1958 Geoffrey Tooth (1908–1998). She had no children from either marriage.
• Prince Michael Andreevich (1920–2008) m. 1 1953 Jill Murphy (b. 1921); they divorced in 1953. m. 2 1954 Shirley Cramond (1916–1983).m. 3 1993 Giulia Crespi (b. 1930). Michael had no children from any of his marriages.
• Prince Andrew Andreevich (b. 1923)m. 1 1951 Elena Dourneva (born 1927). They had one son before divorcing in 1959. m. 2 1961 Kathleen Norris (1935–1967). They had two children. m. 3 1987 Inez Bachelin (born 1933).

Short of money and without a steady occupation, Prince Andrei eventually settled permanently in England at Frogmore, where his mother Grand Duchess Xenia had a grace and favor residence named Wilderness House. They later moved to Hampton court. They were living there during World War II when Prince Andrei's wife, Elisabetta Ruffo-Sasso, stricken with cancer died during an air raid in October 1940. One bomb hit very close to their house knocking the ceiling beam down onto Elisabetta who succumbed to the injuries shortly thereafter.

Two years later, while staying in Balmoral, Prince Andrei met his second wife Nadine McDougall (1908–2000). She was the eldest of the three daughters of Lieutenant colonel Herbert McDougall and his Finnish wife Sylvia Borgstrom. They became engaged on 18 June 1942 and married at Norton, Kent church, near Provender on 21 September 1942. The Archbishop of Canterbury officiated the Anglican service while the Russian Orthodox wedding was presided by Archimandrite Nicholas who, as Sydney Gibbes, had been tutor of the children of Tsar Nicholas II.

Prince Andrei had one daughter from his second marriage:

• Princess Olga Andreevna (b. 1950) m. 1975 Thomas Mathew (b. 1945). They had four children.

In 1949, Prince Andrei moved into Provender house in Faversham, Kent which was owned by the family of his second wife. The house was also famous for being a hunting lodge of Edward, the Black Prince. Provender was the prince's only real home in exile. He spent his time gardening, entertaining and even cooking, which he had learn from the French chefs in his parents' palaces. He was an artist and had several exhibitions of his works in Paris before World War II. He designed the cover of Let's light the Candles, a book of memoirs by his mother in law. Over the years he became to enjoy his role on an English country squire, opening fetes, sporting charitable causes, particularly in the village where he lived. He had some outside interest as well. After the death of his mother grand Duchess Xenia, he inherited her position as President of the Lagat ballet and his nephew, the Marquis of Milford Haven, made him president of the Chaine Des Des Rotisseurs for London and the Home Counties. Prince Andrei was the protector of the Sovereign Order of the Orthodox Knights Hospitaller of St. John of Jerusalem.

Prince Andrei Alexandrovich lived quietly until his death at home in Faversham on 8 May 1981 aged 84. He was buried in the church at Norton. His widow died in 2000.