Russian Imperial House

Official site of the Romanov Dynasty

The Chancellery
of the Head of the Russian Imperial House,
H.I.H. Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna

(Informational Memorandum)

The Chancellery of the Head of the Russian Imperial House, H.I.H. Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna (hereafter, Chancellery of H.I.H) was formed by the Head of the Russian Imperial House, the Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia , on 19 December 2002 and was registered on 17 January 2003 under the legal category “Nonprofit organization.”

The Chancellery of H.I.H is an institution that performs the clerical and organizational work of the Russian Imperial House and carries out the directives of the Head of the Imperial House.

Historically, the Chancellery of H.I.H. is the successor to His Imperial Majesty’s Own Privy Chancellery which existed in the Russian Empire up to the revolution of 1917, and is the successor to subsequent bodies created in exile: the Chancellery of the Curator of the Imperial Throne (1922–1924); the Chancellery of His Imperial Majesty (1924–1938); the Administration for the Affairs of the Head of the Russian Imperial House (1938–1941); the Secretariat of the Head of the Russian Imperial House, H.I.H. Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich of Russia (1941–1944); the Privy Chancellery of the Head of the Russian Imperial House, the Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich of Russia (1945–1992); and the Privy Chancellery of the Head of the Russian Imperial House, H.I.H. the Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia (1992–2002).

The Founder and Supreme Authority of the Chancellery of H.I.H. is the Head of the Russian Imperial House. The principal activity of the Chancellery of H.I.H. is the organization of the Imperial House’s participation as appropriate in the social life of Russia.

The goal of the activities of the Chancellery of H.I.H. is to assist the integration of the Russian Imperial House into the social life of Russia.

In order to achieve this goal, the Chancellery of H.I.H. fulfills the following basic tasks: serving as a link between the Head of the Russian Imperial House with governmental institutions; with religious, social, political, philanthropic, and other organizations; with mass media and with private individuals; facilitating the charitable works of the Russian Imperial House; participating in activities supporting civil, religious, and national harmony in Russian society; aiding the reconstruction of Russia on the basis of its historical traditions; and encouraging patriotic sentiments.

To fulfill these goals and to meet these tasks, the Chancellery of H.I.H. engages in the following fundamental activities:

organizes an office to conduct business related to the social, charitable and other activities of the Russian Imperial House;

in the name of the Head of the Russian Imperial House, establishes and supports contacts with governmental institutions; and with religious, social-political, charitable, and other organizations through the mass media and private individuals;

supports research into the history and legal foundations of the Russian Imperial House and its contribution to the history of Russia;

gathers and compiles information on the relations between Russian society and the Russian Imperial House and its activities in Russia and abroad; conducts interviews; and offers commentaries on all publications that appear on relevant topics;

distributes information on the life and activities of the Russian Imperial House, publishes statements, decrees, and other announcements issued by the Head and other Members of the Russian Imperial House;

prepares the formal documentation for all honours that the Head of the Russian Imperial House may be pleased to award;

hosts social and cultural events (in the form of academic conferences, lectures, panel discussions, expositions, exhibits, etc.);

supports print publications (periodicals, books, brochures, collections, calendars, and other publications).