Grand Duchess Maria Kirillovna of Russia
Grand Duchess Maria Kirillovna of Russia, was the eldest daughter of Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich of Russia and Grand Duchess Victoria Feodorovna. She was born in Coburg when her parents were in exile because their marriage had not been approved by Tsar Nicholas II. She was generally called Marie, the French version of her name, or by the Russian nickname Masha. The family returned to Russia prior to World War I, but was forced to flee following the Russian Revolution of 1917.
Maria was raised in Coburg and in SaintBriac, France. She was born Princess Maria Kirillovna of Russia, but her father granted her the title Grand Duchess of Russia with the style Imperial Highness when he declared himself Guardian of the Throne in 1924. As a child, the darkhaired, darkeyed Maria took after her maternal grandmother, Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia, in appearance, with a wide, round face and a tendency to be overweight and to look older than her actual age when she was still a teenager. She was described as shy and easygoing, but also had her share of mishaps. In 1924, when she was seventeen, the flighty Maria visited her aunt, Queen Marie of Romania, and carried on a flirtation with the soninlaw of a ladyinwaiting at the Romanian court. Her fifteenyearold cousin, Princess Ileana of Romania, spread rumors about the flirtation when Maria returned home, resulting in strained relations between Marie of Romania and Marias mother, Victoria. The conflict was eve
Source: Wikipedia