Would Be Czar - American Story with Bob Dotson

There once lived a Prince, who became a pauper and then lived happily ever after. This year, he turned 94 and is painting his life on little bits of plastic, a life that would have been filled with pomp—if the circumstances had been different. Andrew Romanoff was born into Russian royalty, a prince raised in a castle. That’s usually a recipe for a grand life, but he lost his kingdom in the Russian Revolution, only to find a fairy tale ending in northern California. The day we met, all that remained of his royal past was baking at three hundred degrees, distant memories, shriveling on Shrinky Dinks. Romanoff sounded anything but regal when he giggled, “Well, it’s really cool, man. I enjoy painting these tiny pictures” with a children’s art kit. They illustrated a fascinating tale about a boy who would be king in a country that didn’t want one. Andrew’s parents fled to England during the Russian Revolution. His grandfather was one of the last Czars. His great uncle—the British King, George