Countess Xenia Czernichev-Besobrasov facts for kids

Countess Xenia Czernichev-Besobrasov was an important person from a Russian noble family. She was born in Paris, France, on June 11, 1929. Xenia became the first wife of Archduke Rudolf of Austria. Rudolf was the youngest son of Charles I, who was the last Emperor of Austria-Hungary. Xenia passed away on September 20, 1968, in Belgium.

Xenia's Early Life and Family

Xenia was the younger daughter of Count Sergei Czernichev-Besobrasov and Countess Elisabeth Dmitrievna Sheremeteva. Her family came from two well-known Russian noble families. Her father, Count Sergei, was part of the Russian court before the Russian Revolution.

After the Russian Revolution, Count Sergei and his family moved to the United States. Xenia grew up there with her brother Alexander and her older sister Irina. In 1949, her sister Irina married Prince Teymuraz Bagration.

Education and Career

Xenia went to Miss Hall's School in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. After that, she studied at Smith College for two years. She did not finish her degree there. Before she got engaged, Xenia worked for Air France. She was based in New York City at that time.

Marriage to Archduke Rudolf

The engagement of Archduke Rudolf and Countess Xenia Czernichev-Besobrasov was announced on April 30, 1953. They were married on June 23, 1953. The wedding took place at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Roman Catholic Church in Tuxedo Park, New York.

Rudolf and his mother, the Dowager Empress Zita, were said to live on a "large estate" nearby. Bishop Fulton J. Sheen led the wedding ceremony. More than 100 guests attended, including Empress Zita.

A New Type of Royal Marriage

Countess Xenia Czernichev-Besobrasov was one of the first non-royal brides to marry into the former Imperial House of Austria. This marriage was accepted as an equal union. This was special because her father's family was not as well-known among royal families.

The Habsburg family rules were changed in 1953 by former Crown Prince Otto of Austria. This change allowed archdukes to marry people who were not from ruling royal families. This meant that younger archdukes could marry into noble families that were not as high-ranking.

Xenia was the second Russian Orthodox royal bride to become an archduchess of Austria. The first was Grand Duchess Alexandra Pavlovna of Russia.

Later Life and Children

When they first married, Archduke Rudolf worked at a private banking firm in New York City. Rudolf and Xenia planned to live in New York. However, their children were born in different countries, mostly in the Belgian Congo.

Xenia and Rudolf had four children:

• Archduchess Maria Anna (born 1954): She married Prince Peter Dimitrovich Galitzine in 1981. They have six children:
  • Princess Xenia Petrovna Galitzine (born 1983)
  • Princess Tatiana Petrovna Galitzine (born 1984)
  • Princess Alexandra Petrovna Galitzine (born 1986)
  • Princess Maria Petrovna Galitzine (1988–2020)
  • Prince Dimitri Petrovich Galitzine (born 1990)
  • Prince Ionn Teimouraz Petrovich Galitzine (born 1992)
• Archduke Carl Peter (born 1955): He married Princess Alexandra von Wrede in 1998. She is a niece of his father's second wife. They have two children:
  • Archduchess Antonia (born 2000)
  • Archduke Lorenz (born 2003)
• Archduke Simeon of Austria (born 1958): He married Princess María of Bourbon-Two Sicilies in 1996. She is a cousin to Juan Carlos I of Spain. They have five children.
• Archduke Johannes Karl (1962–1975): He sadly died in a bicycle accident when he was young.

Tragic Accident

Xenia died on September 20, 1968, in a car accident. The car she was in with her husband crashed into a truck. Her husband, Archduke Rudolf, was seriously injured in the accident. Xenia was buried on the grounds of the Chateau de Belœil in Belgium.

Archduke Rudolf later remarried Princess Anna Gabriele von Wrede in 1971. They had more children together.