Countess Sophie de Torby

Countess Sophie de Torby was born Countess Sophie (or Sophia depending on the sources) Nikolaevna von Merenberg on June 1, 1868 in Geneva, Switzerland. She was the eldest child of Prince Nicholas Wilhelm of Nassau and Countess Natalia von Merenberg. Countess Natalia von Merenberg was born Natalia Alexandrovna Pushkina in Russia. Sophie had two younger siblings named Alexandrine and George Nicholas. Sophie also had some older half-siblings in Russia. It is not exactly known if she ever met her half siblings.

While there is little information available to the public about Sophie's upbringing, there is some evidence that Sophie grew up cultured and well-read. Her mother, known as Tasha, made sure that Sophie, Alexandrine and George Nicholas were taught to learn and highly appreciate her native language Russian and to always keep the memory of their talented maternal grandfather, the famous Russian poet Alexander Pushkin, alive and well. One can also assumed that Sophie was also taught social etiquette, dancing, French, and German since it was common to taught these kinds of lessons to women of the nobility class. Sophie also learned English as well.

Sophie grew up to be a beautiful and well-cultured woman. Oddly, there isn't a lot of documented physical descriptions of Sophie except she was beautiful, had blue eyes and grew stout in later years (according to the popular magazines of her time). It was her beauty that caught the eye of a certain wealthy Russian gentleman. His name was Grand Duke Michael Mikhailovich Romanov.

Grand Duke Michael, known as Miche-Miche to his family, was a member of the powerful and influential Romanov dynasty in Russia. He was born on October 16, 1861 in Russia as the second son of Grand Duke Michael Nikolaevich of Russia, therefore, making him one of the numerous grandsons of Tsar Nicholas I. Michael came from an intriguingly interesting branch of the family called the Mikhailovichi. He was known as the less talented member of that family who had an obsession to get married early, party and having some flings with women. It was one of these flings that made Michael's parents sent him abroad to make him forget about marrying the woman whom they considered to be an unsuitable match. It was this trip abroad where Michael met and eventually married Sophie.

Royal and aristocratic historians aren't exactly sure when, where and how Sophie first encountered Grand Duke Michael. There is an amusing myth that the couple met when Michael saved Sophie from a runaway horse and it was love at first sight for the both of them. While there are conflicting dates on what month and day the couple married, all accounts agreed that Michael and Sophie married in 1891. Michael was so in love with Sophie that he didn't even ask his first cousin, Tsar Alexander III, permission to marry Sophie.

It is well known that Michael's marriage to Sophie caused a huge uproar in the extended Romanov family. Alexander was so furious that he banished Michael from Russia and removed his military rank. To the newlywed couple's relief, Alexander didn't cut off Michael's income.

Sophie and Michael first lived in Germany and Cannes, France before eventually settling in Staffordshire, England in 1900. During this time they had three children, Anastasia "Zia", Nadejda "Nada", and Michael "Boy". Also around the same time, Sophie was created Countess Sophie de Torby by her paternal uncle Grand Duke Adolphe of Luxembourg. Her new title was bestowed on her's and Michael's children as well, making them Countess Anastasia de Torby, Countess Nadejda de Torby and Count Michael de Torby.

Sophie and Michael soon became well known in British aristocratic circles by having lavish parties. The couple was also friends with King Edward VII and was part of his coronation in 1902. Many people had fond members of Sophie for her kindness and tactfulness. The same thing cannot be said for Michael. He was known to be a bit crazy with a weird sense of humor that the British aristocracy weren't extremely thrilled about. Despite having some extramarital flings, Michael was strongly devoted to Sophie.

Sophie and Michael moved to Kenwood House in London in 1910. It was here when Sophie and Michael felt threatened when they heard the news Tsar Nicholas II's youngest brother Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich chose England as his exile since he married a divorcee commoner hoping he would not rule in case his brother and nephew dies. Due to their bitter first memories together on how they were treated, the couple did not open their doors to Michael (Alexandrovich) nor his wife Natalia. Not surprisingly, the wealthy and aristocratic British society followed suit. Michael eventually settled in a staffed country house in Hertfordshire, England until Michael was allowed to return to Russia on the onset of World War I.

The Russian Revolution of 1917 wiped out Michael's income, forcing him and Sophie to leave Kenwood and live in reduced living arrangements. It was the marriage of their eldest daughter Anastasia to Sir Harold Wernher in that same year that saved Sophie and Michael from living in poverty.

Hearing the news about three of her brother-in-laws' and other Romanov relations murdered by the Bolsheviks was not an easy time for Sophie. Michael took the dreadful news very hard. He unfortunately became unstable for a while. He became extremely irritable and was extremely rude to the servants and his family. He and Sophie argued constantly. Sophie was so paranoid that she had her residence guarded in fear of being found and murdered by the Bolsheviks.

Sophie put on a lot of weight throughout the 1910s and 1920s. The stress of her new found external circumstances and her weight gain put a huge toll on Sophie's health. She died in London on September 14, 1927 from heart failure. She was 59 years old.

Her family were deeply sadden by her passing. Michael began to stabilize again and visited Sophie's grave every day. He joined her on April 26, 1929 and was buried next to her in the Hampstead Cemetery in London, England.

Sources:

• Beéche, Arturo. The Other Grand Dukes, Eurohistory, 2012.
• Cockfield, Jamie H. White Crow: The Life and Times of the Grand Duke Nicholas Mikhailovich Romanov: 1859-1919. Praeger. Westport, Conn., US. 2002.
• Crawford Rosemary & Donald. Michael and Natasha, Phoenix, 1998.
• Trevelyan, Raleigh. Grand Dukes and Diamonds: The Wernhers of Luton Hoo. Secker & Warburg, 1991.
• "A Romanov Love Story at Keele and a Royal Visit." Retrieved from https://www.keele.ac.uk/thekeeleoralhistoryproject/aromanovlovestoryatkeele/
• "Grand Duke Michael at Keele." Retrieved from https://davidbecket.mycouncillor.org.uk/grand-duke-michael-at-keele/
• Zeepvat, Charlotte.The Camera and the Tsars: A Romanov Family Album, Sutton Publishing, 2004.
• "How Natalie, The Youngest Daughter of Pushkin, Almost Became a Princess?" Retrieved from http://instadvices.com/how-natalie-the-youngest-daughter-of-pushkin-almost-became-a-princess/