Aleksandr Mikhaĭlovich grand duke of Russia

Alexander was born the son of Grand Duke Michael Nicolaievich of Russia, the youngest son of Nicholas I of Russia, and Grand Duchess Olga Feodorovna (Cecily of Baden). Through his mother, Grand Duke Alexander was a great-grandson of the reputedly imbalanced king Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden, the last Swedish Grand Duke of Finland (at the time of Alexander's life, Finland belonged to Alexander's agnatic house and its ruler was head of its senior branch, making Alexander entitled to eventual succession to the Finnish Throne and also one of the "Princes of Finland"). He was mostly known as "Sandro".

Alexander lived in Paris and wrote his memoirs. "Once a Grand Duke" (Farrar & Rinehart 1933) is a source of dynastical and court life in Imperial Russia's last half-century. He also spent a time as guest of the future Abyssinian Emperor Ras Tafaro. He talks about why he was invited to Ethiopia ,in his continuation of his biography "Always a Grand Duke". He died in 26 February 1933 in Roquebrune, France. He was buried on 1 March in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin in the south of France. His wife Xenia died in Hampton Court Palace in 1960.