 Her maternal grandmother Anastasia Sergeyevna Saltykova was a member of the Russian princely Saltykov that belonged to the high nobility; other members of this family were Field Marshal Prince Nikolai Saltykov and Catherine the Great's lover Sergei Saltykov.She grew up in a liberal-conservative household, along with eight sisters and two brothers.Her brother Per Lasson became a noted composer and her sister Caroline "Bokken" Lasson a singer and writer.