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Princess Olga Dolgorouky

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The Right Honourable
The Viscountess Tredegar
Princess Olga Dolgorouky, later Viscountess Tredegar, Tatler, Hay Wrightson, 1939
Born13 May 1915
St. Petersburg, Russia
Died22 January 1998 (aged 82)
Guernsey
TitlePrincess Olga Dolgorouky Viscountess Tredegar
Spouse(s)George Trotsky-Seniutovich, (m. 1934, div.) Evan Morgan, 2nd Viscount Tredegar (m. 1939, div; 1943)
Parents
  • Major General Prince Sergey Aleksandrovich Dolgorouky (father)
  • Irina Vassilievna Naryshkina (mother)

Olga Sergeivna Morgan, Viscountess Tredegar (1915-1998) neé Dolgoruky (Russian: Ольга Сергеевна Морган (княжна Долгорукова), romanized: Olga Sergeyevna Morgan, princess Dolgorukova) was a socialite and member of Russian and British nobility, through her marriage to Evan Morgan, 2nd Viscount Tredegar while retaining her adherence to the Russian Orthodox Church. She was among those saved in 1919 when King George V sent the battleship HMS Marlborough to Crimea to rescue what was left of the family of the Tsar after the Russian Revolution.[1]

Early life

[edit]

She was born the daughter of Major General Prince Sergey Aleksandrovich Dolgoruky (Russian: Сергей Александрович Долгорукий, 1872-1933[2]) and Irina Vassilievna Naryshkina (Ирина Васильевна Нарышкина, 1879-1917[3]). Following the death of her mother in 1917, Olga and her father moved to Frogmore, and Paris, where they lived alongside other Russian exiles.

After the death of her father in 1933, 'she was often seen in London in the company of White Russians, and frequented the various Russian tea rooms as well as the wider social scene. Olga was photographed by Hay Wrightson in Tatler[4] and was a lover of fun, high society parties and dancing'. [1]

In those days we did not have television and the art of conversation, wit, and interesting and intelligent friends where in much demand.[5]

During World War II, she practiced nursing in the Royal Gwent Hospital, visited the local medical departments of St John's Ambulance, where she had trained, and was among those who donated gifts for the children of the Royal Gwent at Christmastime.[5][6]

In 1940, she was appointed President of the Pontypool Women's Conservative and Unionist Association, and President of the Newport and Monmouthshire Art and Craft Society.[7][8][9]

Marriages

[edit]
The Hon. Evan Morgan, later Viscount Tredegar, Bassano, 1923.

She married firstly in 1934, to George Trotsky-Seniutovich, the son of a noted businessman. The marriage was unsuccessful, and they later divorced in Paris.[10][11]

On 13 March 1939, the then Princess Olga, married Evan Morgan, 2nd Viscount Tredegar, and from then on was styled Viscountess Tredegar.[12] The marriage was conducted at a registry office in Singapore, with the couple having a honeymoon in Java, Indonesia. At the time of the marriage they told the Daily News that they 'intended to make their home in the East Indies island of Bali, where Lord Tredegar had a native-style home'.[13]

Olga and Evan made Tredegar House their main residence. Although they both enjoyed similar things, the marriage was one of convenience and was never consummated. It simply gave Olga a higher social standing as a Russian exile, and provided a much-needed cover for Evan's affairs and known homosexuality.[14] As time went on and the marriage broke-down, the couples' bedrooms in Tredegar became further and further apart until they were living on different sides of the house.[14] Finally, marriage was annulled in 1943 due to Evan's "incapacity".[15][10]

In 1949, Evan became ill in Rome. After returning to Middlesex Hospital, he was sent home to Honeywood House to pass.[16] Olga was among his final visitors, and nursed him in his final days.[11][14] After their annulment, Evan continued to pay Olga a yearly allowance. On his death, Olga claimed that the remaining life balance she was owed amounted to £20,000.[a] However, Evan's executors argued that £6,000[b] would be more than sufficient. Olga quickly agreed when the executors offered to discharge the £534[c] she owed to Evan, which it was estimated she could not afford.[18]

Later life

[edit]
North-western façade of Tredegar

Following her annulment, Olga Morgan lived in London and Guernsey where she joined a small group of upper-class, British expatriates.

As of 1950, she was appointed Director of Keystone Tourist Association, which arranged shopping and business appointments abroad. She was the only female on the board.[19]

She frequently visited Tredegar House when it was St. Josephs Catholic School, having been sold by Evan's cousin, John Morgan, in 1951. When St. Josephs had a fete in 1968, Olga was found walking around the lake by headmistress, Sister Pauline, who insisted on Lady Tredegar opening the fete.[14] Olga Morgan helped Curators, David Beevers and David Freeman, in the restoration of Tredegar House to its former glory, after it was sold to Newport Council in 1973, by answering questions regarding the layout of rooms at Tredegar, and providing information about her infamous husband.[14][15]

In corespondence regarding Evan, Olga stated, ‘my husband, who was an eccentric, used to have great flights of fancy at times and I never knew what was fact or fiction'.[20]

Olga Morgan died of heart failure on 22 January 1998 at her home in Guernsey, aged 82. She was paid tribute in the South Wales Echo, which published an article stating that even after moving away from Tredegar, "she remained in contact by writing to staff. Everyone at the house is saddened by her death". Her funeral took place on 27 January 1998 at Folum Chapel and Crematorium.[5][11]

Although the last Lord Tredegar died in 1962, Olga Morgan continued to be styled Viscountess Tredegar until her death, making her the last person to hold a Tredegar title.[14]

Footnotes

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  1. ^ £20,000 in 1949 equates to approximately £893,000 in 2023, according to calculations based on the Consumer Price Index measure of inflation.[17]
  2. ^ £6000 in 1949 equates to approximately £268,000 in 2023, according to calculations based on the Consumer Price Index measure of inflation.[17]
  3. ^ £534 in 1949 equates to approximately £24,000 in 2023, according to calculations based on the Consumer Price Index measure of inflation.[17]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Cross, William (5 June 2024). "The Two Wives of Evan Frederic Morgan, Lord Tredegar". Yolasite. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  2. ^ кн. Долгорукий Сергей Александрович, catalog "Russian Army in World War I"
  3. ^ Потребовать развод после 14 лет брака, имея 5 детей, ради своей девичьей любви? Красавица княгиня Ирина Нарышкина, April 20, 2023
  4. ^ Wrightson, Hay (18 January 1939). "THE PRINCESS OLGA DOLGOROUKY". The Tatler. p. 3. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  5. ^ a b c "Princess Who Lived At Tredegar House Dies". South Wales Echo. 23 January 1998. p. 27. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  6. ^ "Gifts To Royal Gwent Hospital". Western Mail & South Wales News. 27 December 1940. p. 6. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  7. ^ "A Russian princess, philanthropist and a bird enthusiast: The lives of three Ladies of Tredegar House". South Wales Argus. 2018-08-04. Retrieved 2024-07-09.
  8. ^ "Lady Tredegar's Appeal To Women". Western Mail & South Wales News. 18 June 1940. p. 6. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  9. ^ "Gwent Art & Craft Show". Western Mail & South Wales News. 24 September 1940. p. 2. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  10. ^ a b "Nullity Decree For Viscountess". Gloucester Citizen. 20 July 1943. p. 8. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  11. ^ a b c "Princess Olga Sergievna Dolgorouky" (PDF). Nationaltrust.org.uk. 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  12. ^ "Marriage of Viscount Tredegar and Princess Olga Dolgorouky". The National Archives. 13 March 1939. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  13. ^ "Briton weds descendant of 1st Czar". Daily News, New York. 14 March 1939. p. 256. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  14. ^ a b c d e f Little Knowledge Podcast (2023-12-22). Tredegar House and the Morgan Family, Part 4: End of the Line. Retrieved 2024-06-05 – via YouTube.
  15. ^ a b Jones, Evan (2001). "MORGAN, EVAN FREDERIC (1893 - 1949), 2nd VISCOUNT TREDEGAR, poet, artist, soldier, and statesman" (PDF). Dictionary of Welsh Biography. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  16. ^ Cross, William P. (30 October 2014). Evan Frederic Morgan: Viscount Tredegar. The Final Affairs: Financial and Carnal. 58 Sutton Road, Newport, United Kingdom: William Cross with Book Midden Publishing. p. 7.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) CS1 maint: location (link)
  17. ^ a b c Clark, Gregory (2023). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Archived from the original on 1 April 2023. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  18. ^ Cross, William (30 October 2014). Evan Frederic Morgan: Viscount Tredegar. The Final Affairs: Financial and Carnal. 58 Sutton Road, Newport, United kingdom: William P. Cross with Book Midden Publishing. p. 130.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) CS1 maint: location (link)
  19. ^ "Novel Tourist Plan". Western Mail & South Wales News. 2 May 1950. p. 2. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  20. ^ Dart, Monty (23 January 2018). "Princess Olga Dolgorouky" (PDF). Friends of Tredegar House. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
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