Dancer Wastes Grand Duke’s Huge Fortune

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 351, 11 May 1928, Page 7

Dancer Wastes Grand Duke’s Huge Fortune

16,000,000 FRANCS LOST BY GAMBLING

A million-franc mortgage placed on the Villa Alam, on the Riviera, property of the Grand Duke Andre of Russia, has led to the discovery tha l the family fortune of the Duke and his wife. Princess Krassinskaya. one famous Russian dancer, has been lost Three years ago is was said to be 16,000,000 francs.

Several years ago Grand Duke Andre received more than 20,000,000 francs as his share from the sale of family jewels brought out of Russia during the revolution. An old family home at Cap d’Ail, French Riviera, was renovated and he commenced to entertain in true court style. Now his servants are leaving him one by one, and but seven faithful retainers remain of 90 that formerly tried to keep up in France the memories of royalty before the Russian revolution. Princess Krassinskaya, friends eay, is the world’s unluckiest gambler. In 1890, when she was the Czar’s proteg*and recognised as Russia’s greatest dancer of all time, she got 80,006 | roubles for a single presentation at the Royal Opera. She was then 21 ; and gifts that were sent her the next i morning more than doubled thr 1 money. In 1914, when M. Poincare visilei Russia on a diplomatic mission ju: j before the outbreak of the war. Mathilde Krassinskaya, as she wa then called, was summoned to dam privately before the imperial famil • I and the then President of Franc# She received for this dance oO.OO't roubles and a diamond necklace, the present of the Tsar. M. Poir.car, i was one of the last to see her dance, J for since then she has never appeared j in public. The outbreak of the revolution found Mathilde living in a palace worth 18,000,000 roubles, which sbehad built near the imperial palace. It is notable that the first shot of the revolution, which had broken oir. at a fortress a mile distant, was fired under her windows, where angry soldiers cried out for vengeance on the dancer protected by the Tsa: The next day her palace was raided | and she escaped detection hidden in a bath tub covered with soiled liner Friends urged her to escape but it took a week to make her see the necessity. All her liquid wealth was i in jewels and all her jewels at the { time were in the hands of men who had loaned her money to purchase a i set of solid gold plate that would surpass the Tsar’s. She finally reached France, where she first met and married her fellow refugee, the Grand Duke Andre, who is now 49, she is 62.