Princess Helen of Serbia

Princess Helen with her husband Prince John Constantinovich of Russia

Princess Helen of Serbia (4 November 1884 – 16 October 1962) was the daughter of King Peter I of Yugoslavia and his wife Princess Zorka of Montenegro. She was the older sister of George, Crown Prince of Serbia and Alexander I of Yugoslavia. Helen was also a niece of Anastasia of Montenegro, or Stana, wife of Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich of Russia, and of Milica of Montenegro. They were the women who introduced Grigori Rasputin to Tsarina Alexandra. She was born as Princess Jelena of Serbia. Her mother died when she was younger, so she was brought up mostly by her aunts. After she was married, she was known as Elena Petrovna, Jelena Petrovna, Hélène Petrovna or Ellen Petrovna. Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna of Russia liked her very much. After the Imperial family died, she was questioned about Anastasia Nikolaevna. When she was put in prison for a short time at Perm in 1918, she said that a guard took a girl who called herself Anastasia Romanova to her cell and asked her if the girl was the Tsar's daughter. When she did not recognize the girl, the guard took her away.