Princess Xenia Petrović-Njegoš of Montenegro, also known as Princess Ksenija or Kseniya, (22 April 1881 – 10 March 1960) was a member of the House of Petrović-Njegoš as a daughter of Nicholas I of Montenegro.
As a young woman, Princess Xenia's appearance in contemporary newspapers was almost entirely the result of seemingly never-ending rumours of suitors, engagements, and marriages. Speculated candidates included but were not limited to Alexander I of Serbia; Greek brothers Prince Nicholas, Prince George, and Prince Andrew; and Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse, among others.
Early life
Princess Xenia of Montenegro was born in Cetinje on 22 April 1881 as the eighth daughter of Nicholas I of Montenegro and his wife Milena Vukotić. Unlike her eldest sisters, Princess Xenia was not sent to study in Russia at the Smolny Institute.<ref name=H213>Houston, Marco, Nikola & Milena. King & Queen of the Black Mountain.Leppi publications, 2003, . P. 213.</ref> Along with her younger sister, Vera, Xenia was educated at home by tutors in Cetinje. Xenias's sisters were particularly noted for achieving marriages with powerful royal figures, causing their father, like the contemporary Christian IX of Denmark, to earn the sobriquet "father-in-law of Europe"; one source declared that these advantageous marriages "had done more for Montenegro than all the brave deeds of this nation of warriors". As young girls, Xenia's father had high hopes that she and her sister Vera would marry members of the Russian Imperial family: specifically one of the sons of Grand Duke Constantine Constantinovich of Russia or one of the sons of Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russia. Two of her elder sisters had already done so, as Princess Milica was married to Grand Duke Peter Nikolaevich and Princess Anastasia had married firstly to George Maximilianovich, 6th Duke of Leuchtenberg and secondly to Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich.
In 1898, Princesses Xenia and Vera, and Crown Prince Danilo traveled with their mother to Italy in order to visit the recently married Elena of Montenegro (who had married Crown Prince Victor Emmanuel of Italy). They were warmly welcomed by local residents in Naples as "our Princess' relations". Later that year, arrangements were made for Xenia to wed Alexander I of Serbia. However, when Alexander went to the court at Cetinje to claim his soon-to-be wife, Xenia professed such "disgust and horror" at his appearance and manners that despite her father's entreaties, she refused to marry him, humiliating and angering him so much that diplomatic relations between Serbia and Montenegro were severed. Alexander's adoption of her brother Prince Mirko of Montenegro as heir apparent in 1901 was meant, among other things, to smooth over these old affronts.
Rumours and engagements
At the July 1899 wedding of her brother Crown Prince Danilo to Duchess Jutta of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Princess Xenia met Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark, who was there representing his father George I of Greece. Later that year, the betrothal of Princess Xenia to Nicholas was announced. For reasons unknown, their engagement fell apart and the couple never married. Nicholas later wed Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia. Other news stories reported that Xenia was engaged at different times to Nicholas' brothers Prince George and Prince Andrew.
In 1902, rumours spread of Xenia's engagement to Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse, who had recently divorced Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. These were stressed to be untrue, and only arose because Xenia had visited her sister Princess Anna of Montenegro in Darmstadt, where Ernest Louis was residing. Another rumour coincidentally spread that Xenia would marry Grand Duke Cyril Vladimirovich of Russia, barring that his entreaties of marriage to Princess Victoria Melita were denied because of her divorced status. This particular rumour was greeted with some popularity, as Xenia had been raised in Russia, and was, like Cyril, a follower of the Eastern Orthodox religion.