Monday, March 9, 2015

Princess Tatiana Metternich: Five Passports in a Shifting World




Some years ago I read a lovely book, Five Passports in a Shifting World, the memoirs of Princes Tatiana Metternich (1915-2006)

Princess Tatiana was born in St. Petersburg, the second daughter of Hilarion Sergueïevitch Vassiltchikov and Princess Ldiya Vyazemskaya.   She and her younger sister, Marie (1917-1978)  known as Missie, became noted authors. 

I wrote to Princess Tatiana to say how much I enjoyed her book.  It remains one of the best royal memoirs ever written.  Her sister wrote  Berlin Diaries: 1940-1945, which provided an first hand account of the 1944 plot against Hitler.  This is also a very fine book, and recommended for royal libraries.

Princess Tatiana was married in 1941 to Prince Paul Alfons von Metternich-Winneburg (1917-1992.)  Their marriage was childless.

Princess Missy married Peter Harnden, a US Army Captain, who worked in military intelligence, in 1946.  They had four children: Marina, Anthony, Michael and Alexandra.