Page "Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich of Russia" Paragraph 14

Michael's attention turned to Alexandra Kossikovskaya ( September 1875, Orel region – 1923, Berlin ), known affectionately as " Dina ", who was his sister Olga's lady-in-waiting.

Dina's father, Vladimir Kossikovsky, was a lawyer, and Dina was a commoner.

Michael rejected the notion, proposed by his friends, that he keep her as a mistress, and in July 1906 he wrote to Nicholas asking permission to marry her.

Nicholas and Dowager Empress Marie were appalled.

Both Nicholas and Marie felt that royalty should marry royalty, and according to Russian house law any royal that married outside of royalty was removed from the line of succession.

Nicholas threatened to revoke Michael's army commission and exile him from Russia if he married without his permission.

Marie had Dina dismissed as Olga's lady-in-waiting, and took Michael to Denmark until mid-September.