 Maternally, she was granddaughter of Prince Nicolae Sturdza and Princess Maria Rosetti-Roznovau.Through her mother's side, she also had some German ancestry, descending from famous German physician Christoph Wilhelm Hufeland (1762-1836), whose daughter Elisabeth married Ioan Sturdza, reigning Prince of Moldavia and they became parents of Prince Nicolae.Natalie grew up in Dănuțeni, Bessarabia and Iași, United Romania.