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Servants, Friends and Retainers / Baroness Sophie Buxhoeveden (1883-1956)
« on: May 12, 2004, 08:06:27 AM »
Having read Greg and Penny's book "The Fate of the Romanovs" I wondered how long it would be before the subject of Baroness Buxhoeveden was raised. Not knowing an awful lot about her, I was very surprised to encounter their theory that she had betrayed the family by revealing the existence, and possibly the whereabouts, of the personal jewellery that they had taken with them into exile, in exchange for her personal safety. It does seem rather curious that she did not suffer the same fate as Mlle Schneider and Countess Hendrikova and that she left Russia with so many of the family's personal effects. Did any of these effects reach GD Xenia or GD Olga?
Is it true that GD Xenia loathed the baroness because she was aware of this betrayal and if this is the case, how is it that she ended up being a sort of unoffical lady-in-waiting to Victoria Milford Haven? I would have thought that if there had been even the slightest doubt about her loyalty to the family that Victoria MF would have summarily dismissed her forever from her presence. Could Xenia's dislike of Sophie Buxhoeveden been linked to the blame that she attributed to Alix for the downfall of the entire Romanov family; the fact that the baroness had been so intimate with Alix could have made her a scapegoat for the anger and frustration that could not be vented upon Alix herself. Just a theory - what does anyone think?
Is it true that GD Xenia loathed the baroness because she was aware of this betrayal and if this is the case, how is it that she ended up being a sort of unoffical lady-in-waiting to Victoria Milford Haven? I would have thought that if there had been even the slightest doubt about her loyalty to the family that Victoria MF would have summarily dismissed her forever from her presence. Could Xenia's dislike of Sophie Buxhoeveden been linked to the blame that she attributed to Alix for the downfall of the entire Romanov family; the fact that the baroness had been so intimate with Alix could have made her a scapegoat for the anger and frustration that could not be vented upon Alix herself. Just a theory - what does anyone think?