Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Princess Anastasia may open her Newport home

Embed from Getty Images 
 April 13, 1921


Princess Anastasia of Greece, the former Mrs. William B. Leeds, may open Rough Point, her large estate in Newport, this summer.  The estate has been closed for a "number of years," according to the New York Times.

The Princess, who is married to Prince Christopher of Greece, plans to return to the United States "as soon as her health permits," and Rough Point, located on lower Bellevue Avenue, would be the perfect place to recuperate. 

The report has been "given further impetus" as the Princess' son, William B. Leeds, Jr., is to marry Princess Xenia of Russia, and he has said that "he and his bride intended to make America their home."

Princess Xenia's mother, Grand Duchess Marie, is the sister of Prince Christopher of Greece.

[Rough Point was originally built for Frederick W. Vanderbilt, the sixth son of William H. Vanderbilt.  The house was commissioned in 1887 and was for a time the largest house in Newport.   Vanderbilt sold the estate to William B. Leeds in 1906.  He left the house to his widow, Nancy,  later known as Princess Anastasia of Greece, who sold it to James B. Duke in 1922.    Major renovations were made to the house, which was completed in 1924.  Duke died the following year, leaving the house and his fortune to his 12-year-old daughter, Doris.

Doris Duke died in 1993.  She left Rough Point to the Newport Restoration Foundation.  The house is now a museum and is open for public tours.

http://www.newportrestoration.org/ ]

1 comment:

Charles von Hamm said...
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