The Prince George of Russia perfumery brand was founded by Martin de Markoff (aka Martin de Botelho). The full name of the brand was "The Perfumes of His Highness Prince George Kostantinovich Romanov of Russia, Inc. of New York, New York. This was established for the former Russian prince, George Constantine.
The company was associated with Markoff's other brands
Ballarde Inc and
Alexandra de Markoff.
In business until 1946.
Brief History:
Prince Georgy Konstantinovich of Russia (6 May 1903 – 7 November 1938), was the youngest son of Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich of Russia and his wife Grand Duchess Yelizaveta Mavrikiyevna (the former German princess Elisabeth of Saxe-Altenburg).
George Constantine's great grandfather was Czar Nicholas I, and he was a favorite cousin of the late Czar Nicholas who was killed during the Russian Revolution. George Constantine was eighth in succession for the Russian throne when the Revolution drove his family from their native land.
Prince George and his sister, Princess Vera Konstantinovna remained at Pavlovsk, St Petersburg throughout the war, the chaotic rule of the Provisional Government, and after the October Revolution.
In the fall of 1918, they were permitted by the Bolsheviks to be taken by ship to Sweden, via Tallinn to Helsinki and via Mariehamn to Stockholm, at the invitation of the Swedish queen. His mother, with help of the German Consul at St Petersburg, was able to obtain faked German passports for herself, Prince George, his younger sister Vera, and two grandchildren, the young son and daughter of her oldest son John and his wife Helen, daughter of the assassinated Serbian king.
They escaped on the Swedish ship Ångermanland with little difficulty, although they reported instances of rough handling by the Bolshevik custom officers when they boarded their escape ship located at the St Petersburg docks. The customs officers dumped their luggage onto the dock, where they began a very thorough search for silver, gold and jewelry, the sort of valuables royalty might have carried. However, being careful and anticipating seizures of the treasured heirlooms, the family had German friends take the jewelry and valuables out of the country before their departure.
At Stockholm harbor they met prince Gustaf Adolf who took them to the royal palace. George, Vera, and their mother lived for the next two years in Sweden, first in Stockholm then in Saltsjöbaden, but Sweden proved too expensive for the family so they moved to Belgium by invitation of Albert I of Belgium, and then to Germany, settling in Altenburg, then to the south of France, and finally to England. His mother died of cancer on 24 March 1927 in Leipzig.
Prince George had explained in a 1937 newspaper article that "Many royalists were assisted in their flights from terrorized Russia by the Germans, the English, the French, and other nationalities, including the Americans. Everyone was very kind to us - everyone but our own people."
The prince had reason to be angry and saddened at the same time as his life seemed to be full of heartbreak. The Bolsheviks killed two of George's brothers, another had managed to escape and was residing in with his mother in Europe, a fourth brother who was serving with the Russian army was killed in action during the early days of the first World War, while his father, the Grand Duke Constantine, died after a brief illness in 1915.
George had attended school for two years while in Sweden and received higher education in Belgium and England. He was becoming interested in interior decorating, and began studying arts and decoration, eventually went into business in London as an interior decorator. His pride swelled as he proved to be a success, having decorated some of the finest and most famous homes in England. He styled his name as George Constantine.
Afer arriving in New York in 1929, he sought to establish himself in the interior decorating business, hoping to mimic the success he achieved in England. However, his customers seemed to be fixated on another topic - furs. Based on his Russian ancestry, people insisted on asking him about furs, most notably Russian furs, Siberian furs. They seemed to think because he was of Russian royalty, he would be somewhat of an authority on furs. It turned out he knew very little of the subject, but quickly resolved that problem. He went to the great fur houses of New York and talked to various experts in the field, especially those who were his own countrymen. Pretty soon his knowledge of quality furs was expanding, he knew the furs from every angle. He was fascinated by the fur trade and worked in shops helping to sort, grade, and match pelts, finally he was designing the luxurious coats and stoles.
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Confident in his experience, he applied for a position in the fur department of Saks Fifth Avenue as George Constantine, Russian fur expert, an everyday ordinary man, not the regal Prince George of Russia. With his good references from the prior fur shops he worked for, he was immediately hired. He proved himself a very valuable asset to his employers before they found out his true royal identity. One of his employers commented "We hired him as a man and found him to be a prince." He was considered "a regular guy."
In the five years he spent with the firm his excellent capabilities allowed him to take over the management of their Long Island, Southampton, Newport and Palm Beach Florida stores. He even circulated among the seasonal shops and during the off-seasons, he traveled on the road for the firm, as far away as the Pacific Coast. In 1932, he was promoted as manager of the Palm Beach shop during the winter, for the season, accompanied by Charles S. Rose. While he was there, George spent a week at the Miami Biltmore Hotel as part of the Florida Year Round Club. During the summer, he was installed at the Southampton shop.
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He made his permanent home at a Park Avenue apartment in New York City. He was neither married nor engaged as his work consumed much of his time. He eventually lost his Russian accent and spoke perfect English. George was content being a plain old American citizen to the trappings of royalty. He explained that "Russia, my own country, is doing very well without her royalty...Royalty is doing much better without its royal robes. As free, unrestricted men and women, we have equal opportunities with other citizens - the chance to get out into the world and seek success through enterprise and hard work. It's a satisfaction that no empty title can give. The kings of the future will be the kings of commerce and industry - not men and women who are born at the top of the ladder and have nothing to work for. In my case, I've enjoyed fighting for a living. It is the most gratifying feeling anyone can experience - to know he is working out his own destiny - attaining his own success through his own efforts...Would I be as happy living the life of a Russian price at court as I am as plain George Constantine in America? I don't believe I would."
George, who never married, became a successful interior designer. He died on November 7, 1938 of complications following surgery in New York City at the age of 35.
He is buried next to his sister Princess Vera Konstantinovna at the Russian Orthodox Cemetery of Novo-Diveevo in Nanuet, New York.
Foray into Perfumery:
Around 1936, he began to show interest in perfumery, much like his fellow expats Prince Matchabelli and Prince Obolensky. The Prince George of Russia perfumery brand was founded by Martin de Markoff (aka Martin de Botelho) and established for the former Russian prince, George Constantine. The full name of the brand was "The Perfumes of His Highness Prince George Kostantinovich Romanov of Russia, Inc." of New York, New York.
The Prince George line was under the umbrella of
Alexandra de Markoff.
Drug & Cosmetic Industry, 1936:
"Alexandra de Markoff has been granted exclusive rights to the name “His Highness Prince George of Russia"
The first perfume was released in 1936. Elixir, was contained in a black glass flacon with a long neck.
While George Constantine was just as happy being an ordinary guy, the glamour of aristocracy was too precious to leave behind, so the advertisements for the perfumes brought it back into the forefront. One such ad from a 1938 edition of The Capital Times newspaper reads:
"Sables and Ermine, gold and platinum - scintillating tiaras of precious jewels and lovely faces - and all the atmosphere depicting the fabulous glamour of Romanov Court - has been recreated by His Highness Prince George Romanov of Russia in his superb perfume "Tiara".Truly and intoxicating fragrance instantly surrounding the user with an aura of glamour. It is such a truly beautiful presentation that I thought you would find place for it on your Christmas shopping list."
While the prince died in 1938, the perfumery company named for him did not, it lasted into the 1940s. It was a shame that the prince did not live long enough to see the success that his perfume company brought, I feel that if he lived longer, his company would have been more well known and remembered.
In 1938, Alexandra de Markoff attempted to rename the brand simply Prince George, Inc. The line would carry men's fragrances. A separate line created in 1944, called Alexa Perfumes absorbed some of the fragrances originally sold under the Prince George of Russia name such as Tiara. The Alexa line also repurposed the black glass bottles originally used by the Prince George of Russia line. The Alexa line was shelved by 1949 and Tiara was relaunched under the Alexandra de Markoff name in 1955.
In 1947, Herman L. Brooks, chairman of the board of the Toilet Goods Association and former president of Coty, had purchased the Alexandra de Markoff Facial Preparations Co. and affiliated companies, Alexa Perfumes and Prince George Men's Line. Martin de Markoff, founder of the business, continued to assist in the packaging, designing and creation of new products.
The perfumes of Prince George of Russia:
- 1936 Cologne Elixir Prince George of Russia (an heady, exotic oriental perfume)
- 1938 Tiara (a dry, heady blend, sophisticated, voluptuous perfume)
- 1938 Aqua Rex
- 1938 Aqua Regina
- 1938 Her Majesty's Lilac
- 1940 Moonflower (light, sweet and elusive perfume)
Stage, 1936:
"Royalty seems to be on a cosmetic vibration this year anyway; witness the new Ballarde perfume, done up in a handsome black carafe, and called "Elixir Prince George of Russia."
Drug and Cosmetic Industry - Volume 41, 1937:
"Lait de Cologne is said to be non-alcoholic and is recommended for after shaving
and after bathing. One of the most interesting Cologne packages to make its
appearance this year is Ballarde's Cologne Elixir Prince George of Russia."
The New Yorker, 1938:
"Prince George of Russia has done Her Majesty's Lilac, as well as a moody and fascinating scent called Tiara."
