Natalia Dragomiroff

Dame Wendy Hiller as Princess Dragomiroff in the 1974 film

Princess Natalia Dragomiroff is one of the main characters in Murder on the Orient Express.

Dragomiroff has been played on screen by various actresses, including Dame Wendy Hiller, Leslie Caron, Dame Eileen Atkins, and Dame Judi Dench.

Biography

Princess Dragomiroff was a wealthy Russian aristocrat who lived in Paris, France.

Her husband had realised his wealth before the Russian Revolution and had invested it in Europe, where they lived after leaving Russia.

At the time of the events in the book, the Princess lived at 17 Avenue Kléber in Paris and was a naturalized French citizen, although her husband also had an estate in Germany.

Natalia, who would frequently visit America, became great friends with the Shakespearean Broadway actress Linda Arden, and became an admirer of her work. The two of them became best friends, and Dragomiroff even became the godmother to Arden's daughter Sonia Goldenberg. Sonia would later marry Colonel Armstrong, and become the mother of Daisy Armstrong.

After the kidnap and murder of Daisy Armstrong, the perpetrator Cassetti was arrested and tried but got off on a technicality because of his wealth and influence. Linda Arden gathered a group of interested parties for the purpose of avenging the crime and bringing the criminal to justice. Princess Dragomiroff joined in and boarded the Orient Express with the rest of the group. Just prior to boarding the Orient Express at Stamboul, she had been staying as a guest at the Austrian Embassy.

Portrayals

Murder on the Orient Express (1974)

In the 1974 film, Princess Dragomiroff is portrayed by Wendy Hiller.

This portrayal is quite faithful to the novel; however, in this version, she owns two Pekingese dogs which accompany her on the train, and this is not mentioned in the novel.

• This is a trait later carried on to the 2017 film.

In the murder scene, she receives the dagger from Hildegarde Schmidt, and stabs Ratchett for her goddaughter, Sonia Armstrong. She is the eighth person to stab Ratchett, before handing the dagger to Hector MacQueen.

Murder on the Orient Express (2001)

In the 2001 TV movie, she is played by Leslie Caron.

In this version, the character of Princess Dragomiroff is replaced by Señora Nina Alvarado, the widow of a South American dictator.

There is, however, still a Russian connection as she is friendly with a Russian ballet dancer named Yevgeny Dragomiroff, who gave her a handkerchief with the Cyrillic letter N on it.

Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express (2006)

In the 2006 video game, Dragomiroff is voiced by Carolyn Seymour.

The portrayal in the game is largely faithful to the original but the character has been fleshed out with additional biographical detail: She was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, growing up in the Dragomiroff Family, an ancient Russian noble family. Her father was a Tsar, and her mother was a Tsarina. When she was a young woman, Dragomiroff's mother died, and she became Princess.

Physical Appearance

In the novel, Princess Dragomiroff is very ugly, described as being "ugly as sin". She is an elderly woman with a yellow, toad-like face, dark, jewel-like eyes, and heavily beringed hands.Her hands are also described as being yellow,and "claw-like". She has a clear and courteous voice, but an autocratic tone. She also suffers from rheumatic pains in her back.

She wears a small but expensive black toque, a sable coat with a collar of large pearls, and rings covering her hands. It is presumed that these are the only clothes she has worn since 1917.

• In the 1974 film, Dragomiroff has greying blonde hair in a bun, grey eyes, pale makeup, and red lips.
  • She is dressed entirely in jet-black clothes - a veil, shawl, and dress - with jet jewelry. She also wears golden earrings with black jewels, and a golden necklace with a cross and black jewel inserts.

Research notes 

• It is presumed that Princess Dragomiroff's favorite food is fish - specifically sole - as she orders this in most of the adaptations.
  • In the novel, she orders cooked chicken and boiled fish without sauces, with a bottle of mineral water and a large glass of orange juice.
  • In the 1974 film, she orders poached sole with 1 new potato and a small green salad with no dressing.
  • In the 2001 version, Princess Dragomiroff revealed to be is allergic to nuts.
  • In the 2006 video game, she orders the same dish as in the novel, but when she is told there is no chicken or fish on the menu for tonight, she orders lamb without sauces.
  • In the 2017 film, she orders a similar dish to the 1974 film: sole with potato and velouté sauce, replacing the original dish: grouper with escarole and beef sauce.
• Princess Dragomiroff's address at 17 Avenue Kléber, Paris is a real address, and it belongs to Hôtel Raphael, a 5-star hotel in the 16th Arrondisment of Paris.
  • This would most likely be the residence of Princess Dragomiroff, because not only was it built in 1925, but the other buildings at 17 Avenue Kléber are La Terrasse - a restaurant - and Bar anglais - a bar.
• In the 1974 film, 2010 television film and 2017 film, Princess Dragomiroff is played by an actress who was knighted, i.e. made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE).
  • In the 1974 film, Dragomiroff is played by Wendy Hiller, who was made a Dame in 1975.
  • In the 2010 episode of Agatha Christie's Poirot, Dragomiroff is played by Eileen Atkins, who was made a Dame in 2001.
  • In the 2017 film, Dragomiroff is played by Judi Dench, who was made a Dame in 1988.