Author Topic: Princess Zenaida and Count Felix - parents of Felix-jr, their family life  (Read 81742 times)

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Offline ashanti01

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As the heir to the largest private fortune, young and very beatiful it was no secret her family hoped for a great match. If she was pregnant,  I could imagine why she would try to hide it as long as possible out of pure fear, it happens today where its almost normal.

The dates Felix has given are the only real source we have at this moment and going by those date, she was expecting at the time of her wedding

Annie

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As the heir to the largest private fortune, young and very beatiful it was no secret her family hoped for a great match. If she was pregnant,  I could imagine why she would try to hide it as long as possible out of pure fear, it happens today where its almost normal.

The dates Felix has given are the only real source we have at this moment and going by those date, she was expecting at the time of her wedding


I agree, that's how I see it until if and when other evidence surfaces.

It couldn't have been easy for her to just run to Dad and say she was 'knocked up.' Her mother and older sister had died, it was just her and him, and he had such plans for her. I wouldn't blame her for not telling until she had to, and then it had to have been hard. (assuming this is what happened.)

Annie

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I would love to see that, anyone have a scan?

Robert_Hall

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For what it may be worth, Burke's gives Felix's birthdate as 24 March 1887
Cheers,
Robert

Annie

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Felix himself gives his birthday as March 24, 1887 in Lost Splendor, but his tombstone says March 11, 1887- this is due to the 'old style' calendar. I have seen a few wrong dates for his birth given online though. If there is any record of Nicholas's birth anywhere but that one book, plus what Felix wrote in Lost Splendor, maybe it will turn up. It would be good to see his tombstone, has anyone been to Archangelskoe and seen it?






Offline Greg_King

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Last time I was at Arkhangelskoye I didn't get into the Mausoleum, but I have a friend who was there 5 years ago and photographed the inside, so I asked what his pictures showed-and Nicholas's monument in the Mausoleum gives the year of his birth as 1883-because of the angle of the photo he can't make out the month and day of his birth nor the first few words on each line of the inscription.  But his grave says 1883.  This is also confirmed by 2 books on Arkhangelskoye that I looked at here, which list Nicholas as 1883-1908, and by a quick look at the official Arkhangelskoye web site and its paragraph on Klein's mausoleum.  So it looks as if that's correct.

Given Felix's penchant for over-dramatizing A LOT in "Lost Splendor," I wouldn't be surprised if he had made up the whole "26th birthday" issue.  As it stands, the other evidence does not support the idea that Nicholas was born in 1882.

Greg King

Annie

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I don't think anyone would lie on a tombstone, and I do think Felix is capable of overdramatizing the birthday thing. I still don't get the ceremony thing, oh well, I'm just being nosey. As my old great aunt Delight used to say when I was snooping into the family, leave those old people alone, they're dead, whatever they didn't want you to know, respect that.

Offline ashanti01

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I still can't see why Felix would have lied about his brothers birthday

Back to Zeneide, does anyone know if she was involve with anyone, I mean someone as pretty as herself and with a husband appearantly going else where for attention, what is a girl to do?

I know I'm being nosy but I really can't help myself ;D

Annie

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I have always thought it was strange there were no official wedding photos, is this verified to be one? If someone has it I'd love to have a scan of it. Heck, I'd love to have a copy of any Zenaida picture!

Offline ashanti01

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As famous as they were I would think there would be more photos of them.

Can anyone provide wedding photos?

Offline ashanti01

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I wish you had a scanner! But what can you do?

I don't think Felix was a very handsome man. I think Sandro was very handsome... but oh, well.

Annie

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I never knew what she saw in Old Felix either. As young Felix wrote in his book, he felt she'd have been happier with 'a different sort of man.' But she did seem to love him.

Offline ashanti01

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I was just reading that KR was at some point intrested in Zeneide. Did she ever really consider him as a possible husband?

Annie

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Re: Princess Zenaida and Count Felix - parents of Felix-jr, their family life
« Reply #43 on: November 19, 2004, 10:15:08 PM »
I wonder that too!

Back to the subject of Zenaida being possibly pregnant when she wed, I just found this in this website's bio of Zenaida:

Selflessly, Zenaide abandoned her own pleasures and interests and centered her life round her family. She and her husband had two sons, Prince Nicholas, born in 1882, and Prince Felix, born in 1887

This would back up the 'pregnant' theory since they married in April 1882, as we discussed.

http://www.alexanderpalace.org/palace/zenaide.html
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 06:00:00 PM by Annie »

Offline ashanti01

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Re: Princess Zenaida and Count Felix - parents of Felix-jr, their family life
« Reply #44 on: November 20, 2004, 09:11:44 AM »
Uhm.......

It is sounding more and more likely that she was expecting at the time of her wedding.

What a scandel it would have been! But people in love do crazy stuff, it happened even then.