Grand Duke Cyril of Russia

Grand Duke Cyril Vladimirovitch of Russia, Kirill Vladimirovitch Romanov (Кири́лл Влади́мирович Рома́нов) (October 12 (N.S.), 1876—October 12, 1938) was the Head of the Imperial Family of Russia and Titular Emperor and Autocrat of all the Russias from 1924 until his death.

His Imperial Highness The Grand Duke Cyril Vladimirovitch of Russia was born in 1876, the son of HIH Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovitch of Russia (22 April, 1847 - 17 February, 1909) and HIH Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna née HH Duchess Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. His paternal grandparents were Alexander II of Russia and Marie of Hesse and by Rhine. His maternal grandparents were Friedrich Franz II of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Augusta of Reuss- Köstritz.

Cyril was a nephew of (among others) Alexander III of Russia and Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna of Russia.

His first cousins included (among others) Alexander Romanov, Nicholas II of Russia, Xenia, Grand Duchess of Russia, Grand Duke Michael of Russia , Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia, Prince Alfred of Edinburgh, Princess Marie of Edinburgh, Princess Victoria of Edinburgh, Princess Alexandra of Edinburgh, Princess Beatrice of Edinburgh and Dmitri Pavlovich Romanov.

He married his first cousin HRH Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha in 1905. Victoria was daughter of Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna of Russia. Duke Alfred was a son of HM Victoria of the United Kingdom and HRH Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Prince Consort. She was also the divorced wife of HRH Prince Ernst Ludwig of Hesse .

After this marriage which was disapproved by Nicholas II, Cyril was stripped of his imperial titles. However, after several deaths in the family put Cyril third in the line of succession to the Imperial Throne, Nicholas reinstated Cyril's royal titles, and the latter's wife was given the title Grand Duchess of Russia, who from then on was styled as Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Viktoria Feodorovna.

In 1924, Grand Duke Cyril proclaimed himself Emperor in exile; by the laws of the Russian Empire he was the prime pretender after the execution of Tsar's family by bolsheviks.

His sole son, Vladimir, chose not to proclaim himself Emperor.