Marie Feodorovna and her relationship with other relatives

[Mgmstl]

There was also a wonderful antecdote about May's visit to Princess Louise, Victoria's daughter who married Lord Lorne.   May admired a clock that was in Louise's posession, it may have come down through the Royal Family somehow, but Louise was well apprised of her niece in law's habit of aquisition.

On one such visit Queen Mary brought up the lovely clock, and Louise answered back,  "The clock is here, and here it will stay."   I think Louise was not at all amused by Queen Mary trying to acquire her clock and being the daughter of QV was, she was not afraid to mince words with her nephews wife.

[Martyn]

Quite right Michael.  Although Louise was a very generous woman, particularly when it came to Victoria M-H, she was quite aware of May's habit of acquiring objects that she admired - and she was more than a match for her!

[Paul]

It can't have helped that the Windsors used Xenia as a stalking horse to get Marie's jewellry case.
A British agent accompanied her to Denmark during her mother's final illness. During the funeral, the agent snatched the jewels and took them to England.
King Christian only discovered this a few days after the funeral. He'd come to claim the jewels as reimbursement for Marie's care.

All in all, Xenia got about L 60,000 from the procedes of the jewelry sale. Olga got nothing.

I had always heard that she wasn't fair at all with her price for the jewels and practically robbed the IF of their jewels.  ......In fact it was way below market, but the IF, not knowing anything about the value of their jewels and desperate for money, thought May was being generous.Alexa

[petrovitch]

It is well known that both MF and her sister Alexandra
had a distinct dislike for Germany, or more correctly
Prussia ( since Schleswig-Holstein was taken from
Denmark and incorporated into the new German Empire).
However,  MF's  mother was from Hesse and so was her
namesake, Marie Sophie Frederikke of Hesse.
So even though MF and Alix did not get along,  probably
more because of their different personalities, how
did MF get along with her own Mother-In-Law,
Marie Alexandrovna, also a Princess of Hesse?
And what about her sister-in-law Ella, also of Hesse.
I can understand MF dislike for the Kaiser, but
what about her Hessian relations?  Alix didn't much
like the Kaiser either.  Did MF & Alexandra simply apply
their dislike of Prussia to all the German states?

Thanks

[Svetabel]

MF and MA were on good terms. MF held MA in high respect and was very upset about MA's health problems. Minny dissaproved Alexander II's relationship with Ekaterina Dolgorukaya and sympathized with her mother-in-law.

[Mgmstl]

MF and MA were on good terms. MF held MA in high respect and was very upset about MA's health problems. Minny dissaproved Alexander II's relationship with Ekaterina Dolgorukaya and sympathized with her mother-in-law.

Yes Svetabel, that is correct.  Also we must remember that they did not despise all Germans, as their mother Louise, was a Princess of Hesse Cassel, and they often went to Rumpenheim, but they could never get over Prussia  & the loss of Schleswig Holstein.  

[isabel]

Marie Feodorovna had a very strong relationship with her brothers and sisters, even after their marriages, and even living very long distants countrys, they promoted this family´s meetings. They are plenty of picks of this reunions showing us the attachement between russian cousins, greeks, english, danish, and the Cumberland´s too.

I belive that this belowed custom has not been so solid between the next generation.

Her own children were  so attached between them as she was with her brothers and sisters?

I don´t think so, for exemple Nicholas and Xenia.....there where colsed in age, both were married and both had children with similar ages, but, this children didn´t had the same friendship that N and X had with their own cousins. It´s a pitty¡

I wonder if Marie Feodorovna recived in her palace all her children and grandchildren, i belive that all of them lived in St.Petersburg, if she does...., does it exist any pick of Marie Feodorovna wit all her children after the death of Alexander III, or with her grand children toghether??

[Svetabel]

I never seen a picture of MF with ALL her grandchildren. I mean children of Nikolay and Xenia...

[isabel]

I have seen only few picks of her with OTMA in the Standart when the girls were teens, i don´t remember anyone with Alexei, noone with one of the girls or two or three, even when they were babys.

Girls used to go to visit her in Anichov Palace with their aunt G.D. Olga, all the four liked to take picks with their kodaks, it exist´s any photograph with the girls with her?.

Noone with Xenia´s children, or with one of Xenia´s and one of Nichola´s. Noone with Olga´s boys.

Perhaps they exist but i haven´t see them?  

[Valmont]

The only one I have seen is Xenia, Irina & MF having tea..

Arturo Vega-Llausás

[isabel]

Gracias Valmont, qué chévere¡¡¡

Where did you find it? I would like to see that pic¡¡¡

Anyway, i don´t think that MF was a tender grand mother, it´s strange i belive she had been an affectionate mother, and that she educated her daughter Xenia, herself.....Why this distance with her grand children?

[Caleb]

Well Dowager Empress Marie, at the urging of her sister the Dowager Queen Alexandra of England & her nephew King George V did come to England when the Bolsheviks were threatening her life. I also know that as children Marie & Alexandra (Princess of Wales & later queen) were close & that extended into adulthood. Also I remember reading that her nephew King Christian however didnt get along too well with her.

[grandduchessella]

Well Dowager Empress Marie, at the urging of her sister the Dowager Queen Alexandra of England & her nephew King George V did come to England when the Bolsheviks were threatening her life. I also know that as children Marie & Alexandra (Princess of Wales & later queen) were close & that extended into adulthood. Also I remember reading that her nephew King Christian however didnt get along too well with her.

He sure didn't. In contrast to his English cousins, CX was not too charitable towards his aunt and was endlessly irritated with her. The two just did not get along. GV gave his aunt a very generous allowance out of his own pocket while he and his sisters signed over their share (from QA) of Hvidore to their cousins Xenia & Olga. CX was rumored to be eyeing his aunt's famous jewellry box as repayment for putting her up in Denmark (whereas she stayed for free in England) and was apparently perturbed to find the jewels had already been sent to England.

[lancashireladandre]

It can't have helped that the Windsors used Xenia as a stalking horse to get Marie's jewellry case.
A British agent accompanied her to Denmark during her mother's final illness. During the funeral, the agent snatched the jewels and took them to England.
King Christian only discovered this a few days after the funeral. He'd come to claim the jewels as reimbursement for Marie's care.

All in all, Xenia got about L 60,000 from the procedes of the jewelry sale. Olga got nothing.

Olga Alexandrovna in fact got £40,000 as her share of her mothers gems plus divided some of the smaller items with her sister (some of these were sold later in Canada).

[Caleb]

I get the feeling that Christian X & Marie Feodorovna were somewhat in their own personal "snub club." I also recall reading in Camera & the Tsars, that Marie & Christian were at odds with each other. It also wouldn't surprise me that Queen Mary wanted the jewels, considering the other things she reaped.