December 18, 1939
Grand Duke Wladimir of Russia has been proclaimed "as the rightful claimant to the toppled Russian throne."
Nearly 5000 former aristocrats, officers, and soldiers who now live in exile "thronged a public hall" near Paris's War ministry to "pay homage to the 21-year-old pretender."
Due to the meeting, Paris "was short of taxicabs this afternoon" as many titled Russian emigrés now drive cabs for a living.
Young Wladimir was dressed in a dark business suit as he stood before "an altar under an Imperial Russian banner during the high mass and reading of his proclamation."
This is the first formal recognition of Wladimir as the Czar since his father's death on October 12.
He will leave for Berlin tomorrow and will spend the Christmas holidays with his sisters, Grand Duchess Marie, who is married to the Prince of Leiningen, and Grand Duchess Kira, the wife of Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia.
Wladimir told reporters that he has no plans to meet with Hitler and is "not interested" in any offer of a throne in Ukraine.
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