I thank a zillion times ptitchka, Condecontessa, Lisa, Damie, mr.harrison_75, anna11, nena and tzarevitch Charlie for donating the anecdotes here!!! He really was a totally funny boy; the real counterpart of his sister Anastasia. I don’t know what will happen to their home if both of them would “join forces” in making a prank!
In reference to post #23, I could just imagine Alexandra laughing while reading that particular sentence…He lived up to his nickname “Sunbeam”, indeed.
In reference to post #5, that anecdote can be found in Massie’s Nicholas and Alexandra. He drank champagne, not vodka. It happened on 1912, just before his most severe attack of hemophilia.
Anecdotes from a book “Royal Romances of Today” by Kellog Durland. I don’t know whether these are 100% true:
One night in August when the air was still and warm, Alexis had difficulty in falling asleep. Suddenly he sat up in his little bed and announced that he desired the ship's band to come and play for him. The officer on duty explained that the hour was late and the band had retired, whereupon Alexis grew furious and commanded that the band be aroused and brought to him immediately, which was done. The Tsar on this occasion was inordinately pleased and exclaimed: "That's the way to bring up an Autocrat!"
On another occasion Alexis ordered all the Finnish pilots on the various ships to be brought before him. As the astonished and wondering Finns appeared on the deck of the Standart the baby commander shouted: "Zdorovo rebyata!" (Health children!) The Finns, not understanding Russian, were much bewildered and frightened, and Alexis, became exceedingly annoyed at their not understanding. So the Finns were hurriedly taught to respond: "Zdravie zhelayem vashe Imperatorskoye Vysochestvo"—("We wish you health, your Imperial Highness.") The sailor who acts as orderly to the Tsarevitch on the Standart is called Stefan. He is of huge physique and is in attendance on the autocrat-in-process day and night. Up to the present time, Alexis has shown a greater fondness for this man than for anyone else. He insists upon his "big Stefan" taking part in nearly all of his games and it is quite clear that he considers Stefan as second only to his father in all the vast Empire. Morning and night, little Alexis in his prayers remembers Stefan but even Stefan has not been able to break his young charge of a certain military tendency which shows itself at the end of each of his prayers in a loud "hurrah" instead of an "Amen." Alexis is perfectly logical in this, for he says that the soldiers on parade always cry "Hurrah" when his father appears or when he ceases speaking and, consequently, it is right that his Heavenly Father should be greeted in the same way.
It appears that one day, the Emperor was engaged with a council of Ministers when the little Alexis suddenly burst into the Cabinet room. Surprised at seeing his father surrounded by so large a group of dignitaries, he stopped and looked at them for a moment, then quietly said : "Good morning, brothers." The Emperor proceeded to point out to the Tsarevitch that it was not adequately respectful for so small a boy to address elderly gentlemen as "brothers." Alexis appeared a little embarrassed and with an obvious desire to correct his mistake, he said, "Very well ; good morning, boys."
