In a small two-bedroom apartment over a beauty salon in Toronto’s east end, the last Grand Duchess of Russia lived out her final days. But how she ended up there is a fascinating story of European royal history, revolution, deception, and eternal love.
I have lived in Toronto for 35 years and worked in the local news media for almost that long. But for some reason, I missed this tidbit of historical trivia.
A friend recently told me that he just learned that Russia’s last Grand Duchess was buried at York Cemetery. I know the cemetery well and have taken many walks there. I love wandering through a cemetery where figures from local history have been laid to rest. Sometimes a grave marker will catch my eye but I don’t read every headstone so it’s not too surprising I hadn’t stumbled across this one. But this little bit of information got me interested. And the more I researched and learned about this woman, the more fascinated I became.