Audrey Emery
Encyclopedia
Anna Audrey Emery was an American heiress
and socialite
who was the wife of one of the last Russian Grand Dukes.
Born in Cincinnati, Ohio
, she was the youngest daughter of John Josiah Emery, a real-estate millionaire
, and his wife, the former Lela Alexander (later the Hon. Mrs. Alfred Anson). She had two sisters, Alexandra (Mrs. Benjamin Moore and Mrs. Robert Gordon McKay) and Lela (Mrs. Alastair Mackintosh and Duchess of Talleyrand), and two brothers, Thomas Emery and John Josiah Emery, Jr. (who married Irene Gibson Post, the daughter of the artist
Charles Dana Gibson
).
She married, morganatic
ally, in 1926, Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich of Russia, an exile after the 1917 Russian Revolution.
Grand Duke Cyril Vladimirovich of Russia
, Dmitri's cousin, elevated Audrey to Russian knyaz (princely) rank (rank of nobility, not dynastical) with the usual name Romanovsky and granted her an additional princely name, Ilyinsky
, from Dmitri's former property in Russia. Some society circles and/or celebrity publications apparently took this as a ducal title (which is a possible translation, but not the conventional one) and sometimes Audrey has been referred to as a Duchess. Anyway, as grantee of the (exile) substantive title, she started the princely house of Ilyinsky in the exiled Russian nobility. Due to the lack of ebenbuertigkeit restrictions on otherwise valid marriages, she is regarded as having become a duchess of Schleswig and Holstein-Gottorp
through her marriage to a bridegroom who as a younger male member of that house was entitled also to the said titles.
In 1928, she gave birth to her only child, Prince Paul Romanoff-Ilyinsky
. In 1937 she divorced Dmitri and moved to France
with her son, marrying that same year a member of a princely house of Georgia
, Prince Dimitri Djordjadze
; that marriage also ended in divorce. After the end of both marriages, she resumed her maiden name and was known legally and socially as Mrs. Audrey Emery.
In the 1940s she lived in South Carolina, later moving to Biarritz, France. Over the years, she owned several houses in Palm Beach, Florida. In the 1960s she built a house in Cincinnati, Ohio, to which she moved in order to be closer to her son and his family. She died in Palm Beach, Florida
.
In 1992, her son, Paul Ilyinsky, who had become an American citizen, served in the U.S. Marine Corps, and was a three-time Mayor
of Palm Beach, Florida
, technically succeeded as head of the ducal and princely House of Holstein-Gottorp.
Beneficiary
A beneficiary in the broadest sense is a natural person or other legal entity who receives money or other benefits from a benefactor. For example: The beneficiary of a life insurance policy, is the person who receives the payment of the amount of insurance after the death of the insured...
and socialite
Socialite
A socialite is a person who participates in social activities and spends a significant amount of time entertaining and being entertained at fashionable upper-class events....
who was the wife of one of the last Russian Grand Dukes.
Born in Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
, she was the youngest daughter of John Josiah Emery, a real-estate millionaire
Millionaire
A millionaire is an individual whose net worth or wealth is equal to or exceeds one million units of currency. It can also be a person who owns one million units of currency in a bank account or savings account...
, and his wife, the former Lela Alexander (later the Hon. Mrs. Alfred Anson). She had two sisters, Alexandra (Mrs. Benjamin Moore and Mrs. Robert Gordon McKay) and Lela (Mrs. Alastair Mackintosh and Duchess of Talleyrand), and two brothers, Thomas Emery and John Josiah Emery, Jr. (who married Irene Gibson Post, the daughter of the artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
Charles Dana Gibson
Charles Dana Gibson
Charles Dana Gibson was an American graphic artist, best known for his creation of the Gibson Girl, an iconic representation of the beautiful and independent American woman at the turn of the 20th century....
).
She married, morganatic
Morganatic marriage
In the context of European royalty, a morganatic marriage is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which prevents the passage of the husband's titles and privileges to the wife and any children born of the marriage...
ally, in 1926, Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich of Russia, an exile after the 1917 Russian Revolution.
Grand Duke Cyril Vladimirovich of Russia
Grand Duke Cyril Vladimirovich of Russia
Grand Duke Cyril Vladimirovich of Russia was a member of the Russian Imperial Family. After the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the deaths of Tsar Nicholas II and his brother Michael, Cyril assumed the Headship of the Imperial Family of Russia and later the title Emperor and Autocrat of all the...
, Dmitri's cousin, elevated Audrey to Russian knyaz (princely) rank (rank of nobility, not dynastical) with the usual name Romanovsky and granted her an additional princely name, Ilyinsky
Ilyinsky
Ilyinsky , Ilyinskaya , or Ilyinskoye may refer to:-People:*Alexander Ilyinsky , Russian composer*Igor Ilyinsky , Soviet actor...
, from Dmitri's former property in Russia. Some society circles and/or celebrity publications apparently took this as a ducal title (which is a possible translation, but not the conventional one) and sometimes Audrey has been referred to as a Duchess. Anyway, as grantee of the (exile) substantive title, she started the princely house of Ilyinsky in the exiled Russian nobility. Due to the lack of ebenbuertigkeit restrictions on otherwise valid marriages, she is regarded as having become a duchess of Schleswig and Holstein-Gottorp
Holstein-Gottorp
Holstein-Gottorp or Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp is the historiographical name, as well as contemporary shorthand name, for the parts of the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein that were ruled by the dukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp. Other parts of the duchies were ruled by the kings of Denmark. The...
through her marriage to a bridegroom who as a younger male member of that house was entitled also to the said titles.
In 1928, she gave birth to her only child, Prince Paul Romanoff-Ilyinsky
Paul Ilyinsky
Paul R. Ilyinsky was a three-time mayor of Palm Beach, Florida, and the only child of Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich of Russia and his morganatic wife, Cincinnati heiress Audrey Emery...
. In 1937 she divorced Dmitri and moved to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
with her son, marrying that same year a member of a princely house of Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
, Prince Dimitri Djordjadze
Dimitri Djordjadze
Prince Dimitri Jorjadze was a Georgian nobleman, Ambassador Hotel executive and race car driver. He was a member of the nobility of the province of Tiflis, who became exiled after the overthrow of Tsarist Russia and the subsequent Bolshevik takeover.The 6'3" Prince was probably best known in...
; that marriage also ended in divorce. After the end of both marriages, she resumed her maiden name and was known legally and socially as Mrs. Audrey Emery.
In the 1940s she lived in South Carolina, later moving to Biarritz, France. Over the years, she owned several houses in Palm Beach, Florida. In the 1960s she built a house in Cincinnati, Ohio, to which she moved in order to be closer to her son and his family. She died in Palm Beach, Florida
Palm Beach, Florida
The Town of Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The Intracoastal Waterway separates it from the neighboring cities of West Palm Beach and Lake Worth...
.
In 1992, her son, Paul Ilyinsky, who had become an American citizen, served in the U.S. Marine Corps, and was a three-time Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Palm Beach, Florida
Palm Beach, Florida
The Town of Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The Intracoastal Waterway separates it from the neighboring cities of West Palm Beach and Lake Worth...
, technically succeeded as head of the ducal and princely House of Holstein-Gottorp.
- Skott, Staffan (1997). Kõik need Bernadotid. ISBN 9985-65-142-1