To Queen Victoria she was Aunt Julie; to Catherine the Great \n\nshe was Grand Duchess Anna Feodorovna, \n\ngranddaughter-in-law. This is the story of Princess \n\nJuliane-Henriette-Ulrike of Saxe-Coburg, the Rebel Romanov. \n\n \n\nBorn in 1781 in a small impoverished duchy of Germany, Julie's quiet life \n\ntook a fairy-tale turn when she married into the Russian Imperial \n\nFamily - the Romanovs. But this world of baroque splendour, of opulent \n\npalaces and grandeur, was no happily ever after. Taken to Russia at just \n\nfourteen, her marriage was hastily brokered to save the Saxe-Coburg \n\nduchy from financial ruin. Her husband, Grand Duke Konstantin, was \n\ncruel and abusive, Julie was uprooted from her home, family, language \n\nand culture. \n\nAs Russia and Europe were thrown into tumult by the murder of Emperor \n\nPaul and the rise of Napoleon, Julie finally made her escape back to \n\nGermany, where she lived for two decades as a social pariah, denied a \n\ndivorce by the Imperial Family. Forced to give up two illegitimate children \n\nto protect her family's honour, she eventually built a life for herself in \n\nSwitzerland, where she entertained poets and philosophers, regaling them \n\nwith tales from the Russian court. \n\nHelen Rappaport recreates the extraordinary life of this forgotten figure. \n\nIn doing so she sheds new light on the Romanovs, reveals the sacrifices \n\nJulie made to further her family's interests - her brother became king of \n\nBelgium, her sister gave birth to Queen Victoria - and investigates the true \n\nnature of Julie's relationship with Tsar Alexander I. Rich in history, drama \n\nand royal intrigue, Julie's remarkable story is told at last.