I had a wonderful childhood, breif as it was; Papa doted on Misha and I, and as the youngest, Flopsy and me were particularly close! Papa used to take we two on hikes, and enjoyed our pranks and visits. When I was twelve, our most beloved Papa died, and my brother Nicky because Tsar of All-Russias. Being so young, I suffered greatly at the loss of dear Papa. Mama, now Dowager Empress at only 47, had hoped Nicky could serve was a father figure for Misha and I, but our older brother could never take the place of our beloved father, be he the head of the family or not. I stayed mainly with my poor widowed mother -- who loved me dearly -- but tended to treat me more and more like a servant; Mama was used to getting her way, and while she loved us all, I think sometimes she didn't quite know how to show it. As a teenager, I found this rather irratating.

At nineteen I married Prince Peter of Oldenburg. He was handsome, sophisticated, and "not interested in ladies," to put it delicately. At the time, I was completely naive about this. I spent our wedding night alone and crying, while my husabnd was off gambling! We were married on 9 August, 1901 at Gatchina, but our "marriage" was never consummated. However, Peter was stationed at Tsarskoe Selo for most the marriage, so I was able to develop a closer relationship with Nicky and his wife, Alexandra (Alicky!), since their main residence was the Alexander Palace in Tsarskoe Selo.

In 1903, I met the true love my life, Nikolai Kulikovsky. He was a friend of Misha, and I fell in love with him at first sight. Dear Flopsy arranged a lucheon the next day. I was now twenty-two and hopelessly in love for the first time. I marched right back home and asked Peter for a divorce. We had never lived as husband and wife as it was. Peter was calm, and told me that, because of family dignity, an immediate divorce was unthinkable. However, he said, we might be able to discuss it in seven years! Peter was not completely heartless however: he apointed my Kukushkin as a personal aide-de-camp, and he lived in my house on Sergievskaya street. Our romance was a kept a secret, and we did not act on it, but at least we were able to see each other.

I was also close to the younger generation of Grand Duchesses; my nieces Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia. Since Alicky hated parties and the like, I took it upon myself to escort my excited nieces to St. Petersburg and to parties I organized for those delightful girls. I must admit, I did have a favorite in my youngest niece and god-daugther, Anastasia, whom we called "Shvibzik" (Imp).

With the onset of WWI, the parties stopped, as I became a nurse, like Alicky and her two eldest daughters, Olga and Tatiana Nikolaievna. My Kukushkin and I had to be separated in 1914 when I went about my nursing and he followed his regiment. Happily, my marriage to Prince Peter was annuled with Nicky's permission, and Kukushkin and I were married on 14 November, 1916, in Kiev. Mama was there, and she said she understood my reasons, but she never thought of my husband as family.

During the Revolution, we lived in Kiev and then the Crimea before running practically all over Europe, until we settled first in Denmark and then Canada. Our time in the Crimea was terrifying, (Mama and Ksenia were also there, as well as several other family members) and our hearts were all broken when we heard the news, in the fall of 1918, that Nicky and his family had been murdered in July! All of them. Nicky, Alicky, and those poor children! My poor brother Flopsy and Aunt Ella were also killed, along with many others. We didn't believe it at first, and I don't think my mother ever did accept the news.

I spent my days raising my boys, Tikhon (born 12 August, 1917) and Gury Kulikovsky-Romanov (1919), and painting. I don't wish to brag, but I was quite the talented artist, and I enjoyed my artistic pursuits. My dear Anastasia had as well. During my later years I was often plagued by the slew of Romanov pretenders that seemed to pop up everywhere, every one of them wishing to speak with "dear Aunt Olga." No, I believe they all died together, these were all imposters. One had to pity that Anna Anderson woman, however. Poor wretched thing.

My neighbors in Canada would sometimes ask me if I was a princess. I would tell them that I certainly was not a princess, I was a Russian Grand Duchess! Royalty visiting the area would always pay me a visit, but I very much appreciated and accepted the kindness of those around me in Canada. I died on 24 November, 1960. I only outlived my sister Ksenia by a few months.

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