Prince Michael Feodorovich of Russia

Prince Michael Feodorovich of Russia (; 4 May 1924 – 22 September 2008) was a French filmmaker. A descendant of the Russian emperors, he was a grandnephew of the last Russian emperor, Nicholas II.

Early life Prince Michael Feodorovich was born in the 18th arrondissement of Paris, the only son of Prince Feodor Alexandrovich of Russia and his wife Princess Irina Pavlovna Paley. He descended from the Romanovs through both his father and his mother. Through his father he was a grandson of Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russia and his wife Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia. His mother was a daughter of Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia and his second wife Princess Olga Valerianovna Paley, Countess of Hohenfelsen (née Karnovich). Prince Michael Feodorovich was called in France Michel Romanoff de Russie (his civil name in his French identity papers). He was brought up in Paris and Biarritz. As a child he learned to speak French, English and Russian. In his later years he learned Spanish and Catalan.

After the separation of his parents in 1932, Prince Michael Feodorovich went to live with his mother in Neuilly where he attended the École du Montcel school. Following the outbreak of World War II his family moved back to Biarritz. He served in the French infantry between 1945 and 1946 and accompanied the army of General Leclerc into Germany.

Prince Michael Feodorovich first visited Russia in 1990. He made another trip in 1994 to attend a book launch with the St Petersburg authorities looking to provide him with a house in return for his help in promoting Russian culture. When asked about the house he said "First the house, then I'll ask for a passport." He made another visit to Russia in 1997 to attend the opening of his Romanov photographic exhibition which was also attended by a number of his cousins. Prince Michael Feodorovich refused to attend with other members of the Imperial family, the burial of his great uncle Nicholas II as he doubted the bones were genuine. He later tried unsuccessfully to prevent the reburial of the remains in St Petersburg of his great-grandmother, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, as he felt that "members of the Imperial family who died in exile should stay where they passed away". They had one son before divorcing in 1992. Prince Michael Paul Mikhailovich Romanoff de Russie (Paris, 31 July 1959 – Mumbai, 24 January 2001), unmarried

After his divorce he was married secondly in Josse on 15 January 1994 to María de las Mercedes Ustrell Cabani (b. L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, 26 August 1960). In 1995 he adopted her natural daughter and his natural paternal granddaughter Tatiana Alexandra Romanova de Russie (b. Bayonne, 21 October 1986), who works with her mother in real estate.

Filmography as assistant director 1957 : Pot-Bouille directed by Julien Duvivier 1949 : Black Jak directed by Julien Duvivier 1961 : Fanny directed by Joshua Logan 1951 : Juliette ou la clé des songes directed by Marcel Carné 1967 : Diaboliquement vôtre directed by Julien Duvivier 1957 : L'Homme à l'imperméable directed by Julien Duvivier 1953 : Le retour de Don Camillo directed by Julien Duvivier 1955 : Les Diaboliques directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot 1959 : Marie-Octobre directed by Julien Duvivier 1965 : Le dimanche de la vie directed by Jean Herman 1968 : Un soir, un train directed by Jean Delvaux 1967 : Les Demoiselles de Rochefort directed by Agnès Varda and Jacques Demy 1967 : Trois Chambres à Manhattan directed by Marcel Carné 1957 : Les espions directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot 1956 : Trapèze directed by Carol Reed 1953 : Les Orgueilleux directed by Yves Allégret and Rafael E. Portas 1953 : Le Salaire de la peur directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot 1956 : Anastasia directed by Anatole Litvak.

Ancestry