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Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna Of RussiaHer Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia, Maria Wladimirovna Romanova (Мари́а Влади́мировна Рома́нов) (born December 23, 1953) has been the Head of the Imperial Family of Russia and Titular Empress and Autocrat of all the Russias since 1992. She was born in 1953, the daughter of HIH Grand Duke Vladimir Cyrillovitch of Russia and HIH Grand Duchess Leonida Georgievna of Russia ne Her Illustrious Highness Princess Leonida Georgievna Bagration-Moukhransky. Her paternal grandparents were HIH Grand Duke Cyril Vladimirovitch of Russia and HIH Grand Duchess Viktoria Feodorovna ne HRH Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. On September 22, 1976, she married HRH Prince Franz Wilhelm of Prussia. He styled himself His Imperial Highness Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovitch of Russia at this time. When they divorced on June 19, 1985, he reverted to his old title. In 1992, upon the death of her father, she succeeded as the Head of the Imperial Family of Russia. However, this claim to the throne is not uncontested; "Prince" Nicholas Romanov (who is a male-line descendant of Nicholas I of Russia, but is the product of a morganatic marriage) was elected President of the Romanov Family Association and is considered by the Association as the true Head. Also, the RFA asserts that there are many faults to Maria's claim to the throne. Here are their reasons: 1. Her grandfather, HIH Grand Duke Cyril Vladimirovitch's marriage to HRH Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha was unapproved by the Emperor. This claim is invalid because the marriage was later approved by HIM Emperor Nicholas II in ]1907, and gave Victoria the title of Grand Duchess of Russia, taking the style Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Viktoria Feodorovna of Russia.
2. Grand Duke Cyril married a divorce, whose former husband was HRH Grand Duke Ernest Louis of Hesse. This claim is also invalid because there are no laws in the Russian succession barring marriage to divorces.
3. Grand Duke Cyril and Grand Duchess Viktoria were first cousins, and first cousins marrying was prohibited by the Russian Orthodox Church. This claim is also invalid, because again, the Emperor gave his approval to the marriage, and the Emperor of Russia is the supreme Head of the Russian Orthodox church.
4. At the time of their marriage, Grand Duchess Viktoria was a Protestant, not Orthodox. This is also invalid because the Emperor designated people who had to marry Orthodox women, namely people who were high on the succession line. At the time of his marriage, Grand Duke Cyril was not one of these people.
5. No female could take the throne of Russia. This argument is debatable because HIM Emperor Paul I of Russia established the succession laws that upon extinction of his male heirs, females could succeed. However there are still a large number of male heirs among Romanov descendents.
6. The marriage between Maria's father, HIH Grand Duke Vladimir Cyrillovitch, and HIllH Princess Leonida Georgievna Bagration-Moukhransky was morganatic, since the Bagration-Moukhranskys were serfes of the Romanovs. This is debatable; on one hand, at the time of their marriage, Grand Duke Vladimir was the Head of the Imperial Family of Russia and Titular Emperor and Autocrat of all the Russias, and he approved the marriage. On the other hand, though it was approved by Vladimir, the marriage is clearly morganatic and cannot be considered otherwise. But neither Maria nor Nicholas Romanov holds an actual legal position, and unless for some reason, the monarchy in Russia is risen to power again, there will never be a clear head. Maria's current heir-apparent is her son, HIH Grand Duke Georgij Mikhailovitch. Maria Vladimirovna of Russia Maria Vladimirovna of Russia Maria Vladimirovna of Russia
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