Romanov Claimants – Larissa Tudor
An Introduction to the Woman Some Believe was Grand Duchess Tatiana
May 19, 2009
In July 1926, a young woman died leaving her husband an unusually large inheritance. After her death, speculation regarding her identity became rife in the town of Lydd, Kent, England.
Larissa’s Early Life and Marriage
Information regarding the childhood and early life of Larissa Tudor before her marriage to Owen Frederick Morton Tudor in 1923 is rare but two accounts of her up-bringing have grown about her.
The first being that her father was a pork butch in Constantinople, where Larissa and Owen met while she was working as a belly dancer in a local nightclub. The second is more mysterious, with speculation that Larissa was from a noble family and had had to escape from St Petersburg.
Upon their marriage in 1923, Larissa’s father is listed as being Adolph Haouk and her age as 27. Owen is listed as serving as an officer in the 3rd Battalion of the King’s Own Hussars, but had left shortly before the marriage. Rumours claimed that he had been forced to resign because of his marriage to Larissa.
Larissa’s Illness and Death
Upon his transfer to the 3rd Battalion, Royal Tank Corps, Owen and Larissa settled in the English town of Lydd in Kent. Larissa suffered from pulmonary tuberculosis and spinal caries and her health fast deteriorated.
Owen was said to have been devastated upon Larissa’s death, having to be physically supported at her funeral. Her tombstone described her as a “very beloved wife” and listed her age as 28.
Was Larissa Grand Duchess Tatiana?
Several theories have risen as to how a survivor could have escaped or been rescued from the Romanov massacre of 1918. Author Michael Occleshaw puts forward the idea that Tatiana was rescued by air with the help of the Japanese, after which she was handed over to Prince Arthur of Connaught who was travelling to Canada by sea.
This theory is seemingly reinforce by a diary entry by Col. Richard Meinertxhagen, who claimed the rescue took place in July 1918, but only one child was successfully rescued. Together with this, a Red Army Guard, George Nikolaevich Biron, claimed under interrogation that Tatiana has escaped.
Upon investigation, no record has ever been found of a Larissa Haouk entering the United Kingdom between 1918-1923, leading to the conclusion that Larissa changed her name to hide her true identity.
Other supposed evidence claims that the financial situation of Larissa and Owen was suspect. Despite his having no personal fortune and his income being reduced by leaving the Hussers, Owen was able to employ personal nurses for Larissa and keep a horse stabled near by. Together with this is the large amount of money bequeathed to Owen upon Larissa’s death, which was said to have been approximately a year’s salary.
The physical resemblance between Larissa and Tatiana was strong, with people identifying Tatiana (from a photograph) as Larissa more than 60 years after her death. It was also noted that Owen placed flowers upon his wife’s grave on 10th June every year- Tatiana’s birthday.
The discrepancies in Larissa’s age and name support the assumption that she hid her true identity, her financial situation seems to indicate a privileged upbringing. However, who Larissa was or what she was hiding from remains a mystery.
Source:
The Romanov Conspiracies: The Romanovs and The House of Windsor by Michael Occleshaw, Orion, 1993.
See also:
Romanov Claimants- Eleonora Kruger
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