Sergei Georgievich, 8th Duke of Leuchtenberg

Prince Sergei Georgievich Romanowsky, 8th Duke of Leuchtenberg (4 July 1890 – 7 January 1974), was the son of Prince George Maximilianovich Romanowsky, 6th Duke of Leuchtenberg, and his second wife, Princess Anastasia of Montenegro. He succeeded his half-brother Alexander Georgievich as Duke of Leuchtenberg in 1942 and held the title until his death in 1974.

Background and early life Coat of arms of the Russian Dukes of Leuchtenberg (1856), representing the family's heritage, their connection to the House of Beauharnais, and their status within both German and Russian nobility, and dynastic alliances through heraldry. Prince Sergei was born on 4 July 1890 in Peterhof, Russian Empire, to George Maximilianovich, 6th Duke of Leuchtenberg, and Princess Anastasia of Montenegro. By patrilineal descent, he stemmed from the French noble House of Beauharnais, which settled in Russia. Sergei was styled His Serene Highness from birth until 1899 when he was granted the style of His Highness. George's first wife, Duchess Therese Petrovna of Oldenburg, died in 1883, leaving a young son. Sergei's father remarried six years later, when he caught the attention of Princess Anastasia of Montenegro at her sister Milica's engagement. George and Anastasia soon married and produced two children, Prince Sergei Georgievich and Princess Elena Georgievna, later Countess Tyszkiewicz (1892–1971). Anastasia divorced her husband in 1906 in order to marry Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich of Russia.

Later years Sergei introduced Alexander Andreyevich Svechin to his step-father Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich, who was known for his religiosity and interest in mysticism. Grand Duke Nicholas died in 1929, and Sergei attended his funeral along with his sister Princess Elena.

Sergei died 16 December 1974 in Rome and was buried in the non-Catholic cemetery for foreigners in Testaccio, Rome, Italy. He never married and was the last undisputed Duke of Leuchtenberg (now living descendants of the Dukes of Leuchtenberg have descended from a morganatic marriage, which is why they lost their dynastic status of the members of the Russian Imperial House and the right to the Bavarian ducal title and style).

Honours and arms He received the following honours:

50px Knight of the Order of St. Anna, 1st Class, 1912; 4th Class, with inscription "for Valor", 19 January 1915

50px Knight of the Order of St. Vladimir, 4th Class, with Swords and Bow, 5 March 1915

Ancestry