Messages

31

The Windsors / Re: Princess Diana - Part 2

« on: August 08, 2010, 08:05:37 AM »

more pictures of diana`s first pregnancy

Does anyone know Diana is with in this picture?

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Forum Announcements / Re: The United States Library of Congress has asked to Archive the APTM!

« on: August 08, 2010, 07:56:09 AM »

I'm so happy to hear this!!! This wonderful site very much deserves this honor.

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Books about the Romanovs and Imperial Russia / Re: Twenty-five Chapters of my Life

« on: August 08, 2010, 07:40:24 AM »

I enjoyed this book, because it was a first hand rather than just a biographer's account, although the Vorres biography also offers a lot of Olga's perspective, too. Royal memoirs of that time were not supposed to be tell alls, at least in the way we expect memoirs to be today. So I don't see the style of this memoir that Alixz refers to as a reflection of Olga A herself, but rather of a reflection of the times, much as the last poster says. Olga A's memoirs here are not that much diffferent than the style of other royal memoirs, although the memoirs of both Marie P, daughter of Grand Duke Paul, and the memoirs of Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovitch, were more colorful than Olga's. Okga was more revealing of her true opinions, thoughts, and feelings about her past/ people in it, when she talked to Vorres than she is here.. but that's not surprising. The thing that stood out most about this book to me was her account of her escape out of Russia after the Revolution and all that she had to go through, along with her family.

What was interesting to me was how much she mentions intuition in this part of the book, as she describes how she and her family had to make choices about where to go next after the Revolution had happened. It seems she relied a lot on inutuition during this difficult oart of her life story. That made me wonder about Nicholas II and his immediate family, and how much they relied on intuition during their last days. They, unlike Olga, could not use intuition to decide where to go next- they were imprisoned. But, I wonder, and wondered more after reading this book, just how much intuition told them about what would theor final fate.I liked this book, and think it's useful to read along with the Vorres book. This book's shortcomings, (like where Olga A seems to pass over or gloss over things and focus on the positive, without mentioning aspects of the truth that were negative), seem to be in line with other royal memoirs of tha time.

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Books about the Romanovs and Imperial Russia / Re: Julia P. Gelardi: From Splendor to Revolution: The Romanov Women, 1847-1928

« on: August 08, 2010, 07:13:27 AM »

I enjoyed her previous 2 books, so I am very much looking forward to this one..

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Books about the Romanovs and Imperial Russia / Re: Imperial Dancer by Coryne Hall

« on: August 08, 2010, 07:06:54 AM »

No, I don't think that any such scene happened. I thought, (but it has been awhile since I read the book, so I have to admit I don't remember specifics), that Imperial Dancer romanticized the Nicholas II/ MK affair a bit, but certainly not to the extent of that scene in Romanovy.

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Books about the Romanovs and Imperial Russia / Re: "Resurrection of the Romanovs: Anastasia, Anna Anderson" by King And Wilson

« on: August 08, 2010, 07:02:36 AM »

At what point did Gleb Botkin come iinto contact with Anna Anderson?  OPbviously someone who had intimate knowledge of GD Anastasia coached Anna Anderson well.  Was it Gleb?
  No matter how she was discredited and called a fraud,  Anna Anderson's life improved well beyond what a factory worker could hope for.

First off, I'm very excited to hear about this new book by King and Wilson. I know this is a bit off topic for this thread, but a book that has I recall- I read it awhile ago now- some info on the Gleb Botkin/ AA thing, is At the Court of Anna Anderson, a book published in 2007 or so. If you haven't read it, Constantinople, you should. I myself didn't think all that highly of that book but I recall it mentions Gleb Botkin. Sorry for going off topic..

37

Having Fun! / Re: What do you look like ?

« on: July 24, 2010, 06:22:38 PM »

You sound lovely.  where are you from

Decorah, Iowa, US.. very small town in Iowa.

38

Servants, Friends and Retainers / Re: Mathilde Kschessinska (1872 - 1971)

« on: June 28, 2010, 01:38:05 PM »

To go back to Ashanti's post from last fall, Sept 24,  the screen shots of Grand Duke Andrei and Mathilde, were did those come from? Just curious.

39

Having Fun! / Re: What do you look like ?

« on: June 28, 2010, 01:28:23 PM »

I am about 5'6, very naturally thin, 23, almost shoulder length light brown hair, currently dyed red, and brown eyes. I have never figured out how to post pics, or I would post a current pic, I did post one pic in another thread about 5 years ago and I look pretty much the same today. People always tell me I look more like 19 or 20 than 23/ 24 (in a month).

40

The Imperial Family / Re: Grand Duke Kyrill, his wife Victoria Fedorovna and children, Part II

« on: April 09, 2010, 08:25:08 PM »

No, they don't as much. The images of royalty, particularly in the Scandinavian countries, I've read, have become much more ordinary and like the rest of the people. That's a big contrast to Imperial Russia where the image of the splendor of the Czars was important. Victoria Melita is wearing very heavy jewels here. Also, less is more seems to be the opinion of jewelry in the modern era, whereas around the turn of the 19th century, especially in royal circles jewels where worn in profusion.

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The Windsors / Re: Cousin Toria

« on: April 09, 2010, 06:44:42 PM »

Thanks! I finally looked them both up in wikipedia, since the info was not as easy to find searching here on the forum. So he married Marie Louise about 4 years after he been interested in possibly marrying Toria. Such a pity we don't know Alexandra's reply to that letter. She always wanted to keep her children close though. By that time (1896) Louise was long married , she had married in 1889, and 1896 was the year Maud married on July 22. I would be curious, was that letter written before July 22, 1896 (date of marriage of Maud) or after? If after, then Alexandra had all the more reason not to pursue this possible marriage for her daughter, who was the only one left to her. Even if before Maud's marriage, it was the same year Maud married, so Alexandra likely didn't pursue this possible marriage for Toria. Maud's being soon married or recently married in 1896 may have given Max of Baden some hope regarding his possible courtship of Toria.

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The Windsors / Re: Cousin Toria

« on: April 09, 2010, 06:35:54 PM »

Toria's cousin, then. What year was that, do you know?

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The Windsors / Re: Cousin Toria

« on: April 09, 2010, 06:23:01 PM »

Regarding Max of Baden wanting to marry Toria in 1896. He came to see Empress Maria Feodorovna who wrote to Alix,
" Max of Baden asked to see me alone as he had something about which he wanted to talk to me, and imagine what it was. He asked if I believed he could have any hope of marrying your charming Toria. Naturally in a very modest way, he expressed himself as realising what a sacrifice it would be for her and a sorrow for you. I answered that I knew nothing at all about this and could not give him the slightest hope- only write to you about it. What answer you then would give me, I would let him know through his mother Maroussy (Maria of Leuchtenberg). I merely said to him that I knew for certain that she would never live in Berlin or Potsdam, to which he replied that yes, I know, and he would immediately leave it to go to Baden.
I am quite unhappy at having to give you this unpleasantness, to write all this, which I know will upset you, my poor angel Alix, but what was I to do, he so asked me, and he is, you know, such a nice, good-looking and distinguished young man of whom I am very fond, and who would probably be able to make a very good husband if she could love him. But that is the question. He is naturally waiting impatiently for an answer-through me".

Unfortunately I don't know Alix reply.

Interesting. This was the same Max of Baden who had been engaged to marry Elena of Russia ( cousin of Nicholas II), and it was then broke off? I assume so. I believe he eventually married elsewhere, but I can't remember who just now.

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The Yussupovs / Re: Princess Irina Yusupova,nee Romanova - discussion and pictures

« on: April 09, 2010, 05:21:21 PM »

Not the greatest painting, but I see a resemblence to Irina, I think it was intended to be her. The painting makes her look way too old. I see more of a resemblence to her cousin Olga N than Tatiana N here, but I agree when she had that hairstyle in photos she really looked like Tatiana.

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Their World and Culture / Re: Russian Morgantic Marriages

« on: February 10, 2010, 10:42:08 PM »

 The category of 'likely to succeed' was more rigid than in the days of Peter the Great, where a successor was chosen by the Emperor. It really wasn't whomever the Emperor decided.The morgantic children of IF members could never take the throne though or be in the line of sucession, nor could morgantic wives be recognized as Empress, or Grand Duchess, etc. This was one way of restricting the succession.