Great-grandson of Russian tsar dies alone in Australia

[Ромејац]

Leonid Kulikovsky, 72, a great-grandson of Russia’s Tsar Alexander III and a distant relative of both the Queen and Prince Philip, died in outback Australian town but it took two months for authorities to realise his identity

 

Leonid as a child with Grand Princess Olga (left) and parents Rut and Guriy

 

A great-grandson of Russia’s Tsar Alexander III has died in a small town in outback Australia but his remains were left in a morgue for two months because authorities were unaware of his identity.

Leonid Kulikovsky, 72, a distant relative of both the Queen and Prince Philip, died while walking his dog at a caravan park on September 27 in Katherine, a remote town in the Northern Territory, where he lived alone.

A member of Russia’s exiled Romanov family, he was the son of Guriy, whose mother was Grand Princess Olga, the youngest daughter of Emperor Alexander III, Russia’s penultimate Tsar.

 

Grand Princess Olga with grandchildren Leonid (L) and Kseniya

 

 

His identity was only discovered after the head of Russia’s Orthodox Church in Australia visited Moscow recently and was told a member of the Romanov family had died in the Northern Territory. The funeral will take place in the territory next Monday following a request by his sister, who lives in Denmark.

 

Mr Kulikovsky moved from Denmark to Sydney in 1967 but he made little of his royal lineage and it went largely unnoticed. He worked in water management until retiring seven years ago.

Mr Kulikovsky’s great-grandmother’s brother was Prince William of Denmark whose son was Prince Andrew of Greece – the father of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. His great-grandmother’s sister was the wife of King Edward VII, the great-grandfather of the Queen.

Following his retirement, Mr Kulikovsky travelled around the country in a camper van which was stolen and damaged while he was in Katherine – so he decided to stay in the town.

 

Leonid as a teenager © with Grand Princess Olga, meeting her biographer

 

Peter Byers, the owner of the caravan park where Mr Kulikovsky lived, said he was known as “Old Nick” – possibly a reference to his relative Nicholas II, the last Tsar of Russia, who was executed along with his family in 1918.

“Old Nick decided it was all a bit much for him and traded his Winnebago for a car. He rented a small unit from us and stayed put,” Mr Byers told The Northern Territory News.

“He said he’d made a few friends in Katherine and was happy here … He got on with everybody. He loved his dog and took great care of him. He was great reader and had a huge number of books on Vikings.”

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/australia/12015691/Great-grandson-of-Russian-tsar-dies-alone-in-Australia.html

[Ромејац]

Kulikovsky funeral: Russian royals searched for relative just days before his death in NT

 

 

The funeral of a Russian royal who died alone in the Northern Territory town of Katherine has been told his family were trying to find him just days before they learned he was dead.

 

Leonid Gurevich Kulikovsky, who was the great grandson of Tsar Alexander III, who reigned in Russia in the 1800s, was farewelled at a service attended by at least 30 people in the Darwin suburb of Malak.

The NT Government was represented at the 45-minute funeral by Multicultural Affairs Minister Peter Styles, while the Chancellor of the Russian Orthodox church in Australia, Dr Michael Protopopov, was also present, as was Maxim Raku from the Russian Embassy in Canberra.

A message from Mr Kulikovsky's family was read out to the service.

"The death of Leonid Gurevich Kulikovsky came as a great shock to his family," the message said.

"We had just been taught he was far away from Moscow, about finding him, and had renewed hope that we would be able to come into contact, but a few days later we were informed by the police that he was found dead."

The message said the family had lost contact with Mr Kulikovsky after he left Denmark to live in Australia in 1967.

"We guessed that not many of you know about his life before he arrived in Australia," it said.

"Those who met him during his time in Sydney or in Katherine most likely did not know that he was a descendant of the Russian Tsar Alexander III.

"Leonid did not show or talk about his roots very much."

They said Mr Kulikovsky never married and had no children.

Because there was no Russian Orthodox church in Darwin, Mr Kulikovsky's funeral was held at a Serbian Orthodox church.

Mr Kulikovsky died a pauper under a tree in Katherine, accompanied only by his faithful dog.

Although his funeral has taken place, his burial has been delayed because the NT's richest family, the Paspaleys, have offered a gravesite for the Russian royal at their private family burial area.

The Paspaleys, immigrants from Greece who fled the World War I conflict for Australia and made their fortune in pearling, approached Russian representative in the NT Simon Andropov to make the offer as he was making enquiries to arrange a burial site.

Mr Andropov said Mr Kulikovsky, whose body lay in a hospital morgue for two months before his identity was determined, had a "remarkable ancestry".

Much of the Russian royal family was shot dead in 1918 by Bolsheviks in the wake of the 1917 Russian revolution but other relatives went into exile.

Mr Kulikovsky lived in a caravan park in Katherine and was found dead under a tree in September, having suffered from a heart attack, Mr Andropov said.

NT Police confirmed Mr Kulikovsky died on September 27.

 

Friends remember 'Nick' Kulikovsky

 

Brendan Hiller from Katherine who went to the funeral said Mr Kulikovsky, who called himself as Nick or 'Boxing Nick', was a down-to-earth man who was always reading and went for a seven-kilometre walk each morning.

Mr Kulikovsky did once hint at his royal ancestry, Mr Hiller said.

"I said to him one day, that name sounds like a Russian name, and he said 'yes it is'," Mr Hiller said.

"He did tell me that he was related to the Tsars and I said 'oh you're famous then', and he looked up at me and smiled and said 'yes'.

"I didn't think much of it at the time, I thought he was embellishing."

Former Katherine pub worker Zdravko Radovic said his friend Mr Kulikovsky never mentioned his royal ancestry.

'Tragic end' to Kulikovsky's life

 

Mr Andropov said the death was a tragic end for a man who grew up in royalty and died alone next to his dog in a small town.

"No-one knew of his royal heritage and on retirement he decided to travel around Australia," Mr Andropov said.

"He got as far as Katherine, and then he had problems with his vehicle.

"He's been living in a caravan park with his dog for the last five to six years."

Identity unknown for two months after death

Mr Andropov said Mr Kulikovsky's body was left in a hospital morgue for two months before his identity had been determined.

He said he had been in touch with Mr Kulikovsky's family in Denmark.

"When I contacted his sister in Denmark she said she lost contact with him 20 years ago," he said.

"I think Darwin will be honoured to have a royal buried here and the funeral here."

Leonid travelled to Australia for 'greener pastures'

Mr Andropov said Mr Kulikovsky grew up in Denmark with his family and was "well aware" of his royal descent.

"No doubt, there would have been absolutely no doubt about that," Mr Andropov said.

"Leonid completed his education in Denmark, he worked for a while in Denmark and then he decided he wanted greener pastures and he immigrated to Australia."

He said he worked in Sydney, living "incognito, no-one knew of his royal heritage" before travelling around Australia on retirement.

 

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-11-30/russian-royal-kulikovsky-farewelled-in-darwin-after-dying-alone/6984476