Messages

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The Hohenzollern / Re: German Royal Palaces, Castles and Homes

« on: October 21, 2004, 06:45:21 PM »

In the "making of..." segment of the recent "The Lost Prince" TV movie, the documentarian said Wilhelm II "build the most sumptuous and elegant palaces in Europe". I have never known about such palaces. In Potsdam, the residences existed before Wilhelm came to power. The only new palace he built, I thought, was Ceceliehof for his son and wife. William did remodel some main rooms at Neues Palais but I was caught in a major surprise on the reference in the film. Any expert on this?

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The Hohenzollern / Re: Victoria Louise, Duchess of Brunswick

« on: October 21, 2004, 06:41:25 PM »

Did anyone take note of the "making of" aspect to "The Lost Prince" recent TV movie regarding Princess Viktoria's wedding? It appeared as if it was a huge internationally publicized event and well attended by the royals we are all interested in. Are there any good pictures of the wedding, events surrounding the wedding, etc? Was Viktoria known to have had any special relationships with AF or her grandmother Vicky or her sister in law Cecilie?

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The Imperial Family / Re: Romanovs and Relationship With/Visits To Foreign Relatives

« on: October 21, 2004, 09:24:58 AM »

This is a wonderful picture! I suspect the children are not unhappy; rather the custom of the day was not to smile in photos. Hence, the slight smile on the Kaiser is a great surprise and one of the only warm smiles I have ever seen of William. Clearly, he was pleased with the occasion.

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Alexandra Feodorovna / Re: Alexandra's Personal World

« on: October 21, 2004, 09:20:29 AM »

Is it in fact true that the jewelry, both coronation and those used on othe occassions, owned by Alexandra and the Romanov royal family was more extensive, grand, and worth much more than any other royal House?

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The Windsors / Re: Princess Beatrice, Prince Henry of Battenberg and family

« on: October 19, 2004, 09:18:22 AM »

yes indeed. I recall seeing Queen Elizabeth making a sarcastic remark about how Princess Beatrice's actions. Prince Edward, during his work on and study of Wallis Simpson and Edward VIII, commented about the tragic loss of history at the hands of Beatrice. This attitude, however, is an easy way for the current family to appear "open" when the reality is that the destroyed information will never be known.

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The Hohenzollern / Re: Crownprince Wilhelm & Crownprincess Cecilie, their family, Part I

« on: October 13, 2004, 08:33:18 AM »

Thanks Grandduchessella! Your resources are terrific! Cecilie was such a positive looking and acting member of the Hohenzollern family, do you know if the Kaiser used her for international PR so to speak? I have found nothing about the Hohenzollern international travel except after WWI. Her namesake cruise liner was a favorite of the rich and famous, so I have always suspected she must have had a global presence.
Going back earlier, I recall how her soon-to-be sister in law, Victoria Luise, saw her for the first time when Cecilie arrived at the Neues Palais in Potsdam to meet the family. VL wrote that Cecilie's arrival was like a fairy tale princess because of both her beauty and fabulous outfit. Lastly, was Ceciliehof a result of a particular affection between the Kaiser and his daugher in law?

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The Hohenzollern / Crownprince Wilhelm & Crownprincess Cecilie, their family, Part I

« on: October 12, 2004, 06:04:06 PM »

Is it the case that Princess Cecilie, wife of the Crown Prince of Germany, was the early 20th century's "Princess Diana"? I have heard Princess Cecilie was the storybook princess of Europe and was held in high regard and awe by not only the public but the German press and international press as well. The largest and most luxurious trans Atlantic cruise ships of the day was named for her. And, her style and beauty was classic during the pre-war period.

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The Hohenzollern / Re: Kaiser Wilhelm II

« on: October 12, 2004, 01:44:46 PM »

So right, Robert. Has any tracker of such things ever created a measurement of lost items? For example, after wars, it is typical to describe damage in percentages of cities destroyed. Has any offered a percent of total Romanov jewels or Hohenzollern jewels unaccounted for? Both in terms of volume and value?

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The Hohenzollern / Re: Kaiser Wilhelm II

« on: October 12, 2004, 12:44:18 PM »

Hi Marquis. I did not mean to search the warehouses of aristocracy. My point was that a more concerted effort be made to track down the looted wealth that is known to have disappeared over the last 7 decades...and return it to the public arena.

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The Hohenzollern / Re: Kaiser Wilhelm II

« on: October 12, 2004, 09:57:29 AM »

It seems to me that there is actually a blended concept to this idea of whose property belongs to whom. Robert and Marquis make excellent points especially, as Robert points out, that we are in a different era now and there is little chance of turning back some aspects of time...and property. The subjects of the aristocracies did in fact create the wealth of the monarchs, much to the subjects misery. But, the subjects, while acheiving little monetary wealth, had a HUGE benefit from the monachies in the social and religious systems that were set in place. Western civilization and the structure and nature of art, science, philosophy, architecture, sociology, etc, are due in large part to the aristocracies giving such things back to their subjects. So, it was a give and take, take and give. When the aristocracies got "fired", so went the corner office, the limo, and the other perks and bonuses. I think the bigger issue is not so much who among the current generation of generally unaccomplished aristocratic lineage have their forebearers' treasures or which museums/states have been recipients of such; rather, where are the treasures that were, in fact, stolen by private looters and military-sponsored looting? Ultimately, everything of value will be available for public viewing/enjoyment. We just need to find it all.

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The Hohenzollern / Re: Kaiser Wilhelm II

« on: October 11, 2004, 12:58:45 PM »

Wilhelm spent many years during the beginnings of his exile writing his memoirs. Overall, historians and the academic community did not look fondly on his memoirs as the writings were in large part an explanation from his point of view as to the elements leading up to and causing the Great War. As the vanquished, his view was not taken seriously or of much value. Wilhelm, much like Nickolas II, always had a fond image of the mystique of the life of a English country gentleman. Such dreams likely come from their days visiting Queen Victoria at her country estates. Wilhelm never got over the Versailles Treaty, having felt Germany got snookered. He believed that had he been able to hold off the Bolsheviks in Berlin, the outcome would have been much different for him and his country. He was in almost complete psychological breakdown during his flight to Holland, but it does seem in later years he came to not only accept but enjoy his exile. He even spoke, on occasion, lovingly about his mother. While he initially cheered Hitler and Hitler's acheivements, Wilhelm, who was not at all anti-semetic, scorned Hitler and other Germans who followed that course. Wilhelm, in the end, was horrified at what had become of his beloved Germany.

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The Windsors / Princess Beatrice, Prince Henry of Battenberg and family

« on: October 11, 2004, 11:14:25 AM »

Princess Beatrice edited and destroyed huge amounts of Queen Victoria's correspondences with, in particular, Empress Frederick (Vicky). I have read that the correspondence contain much Germanophile leanings that few in England would have enjoyed knowing. What was the conventional wisdom at the time of Beatrice's purging (30s and 40s I believe) and what is the view today as to the contents Beatrice so wanted to be wiped from history?

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The Hohenzollern / German Royal Palaces, Castles and Homes

« on: October 09, 2004, 03:23:45 PM »

The Stadt Schloss in Berlin was considered to be the most grand example of baroque palace architecture in all of Europe. A main attribute was the so-called White Salon. Are there details of the design and decoration of this room? Was it white marble with white furnishings? How did the Stadt Schloss compare in terms of opulence to other royal residences in Europe and England?

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The Myth and Legends of Survivors / Re: Anna Anderson and Anastasia

« on: October 09, 2004, 03:05:19 PM »

In actuality, Anna Andersen and the Grand Duchess had very little resemblances. Nearly every adult you know "looks like" their grade school photos; especally when comparing people in their early 20s to their youth. This was the timeframe of comparison for Anna. Anna Andersen bore no such similarites to Anastasia that would give us cause to say "that is she!".

Clearly, however, Anna had facts about the Romanovs that she must have learned by means other than studying published histories. Anna may have known one or more of the executioneers or guards during the imprisonment of the royal family. Such a person could have gained Anastasia's confidence, and Anastasia could have communicated many personal facts which were later told to Mrs. Andersen.

Manipulating the DNA test would be a serious crime, but not outside the realm of possibility, especially since there were many people, including some royals, who did not want the test to be positive. Of course, another lab could do the test to validate or invalidate the original findings.

Nonetheless, it seems the actual physical appearance from photos when the women were only a few years apart in age tells us these were not the same individuals. A person would age and contort under extreme stress from surviving the revolution, but she would not get a different facial structure.

Now the bigger mystery and questions are about how Anna Andersen came to know what she knew.

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The Hohenzollern / Re: Victoria Louise, Duchess of Brunswick

« on: October 09, 2004, 12:27:44 PM »

Did Nickolas and Alexandra bring their children to the wedding of Princess Louise in May of 1913? This was the last, big gathering of royalty prior to WWI and the demise of most of their positions. What was the full guestlist?