Empress Alexandra and Maria Feodorovna

[Clemence]

Having read almost all posts, there is one point I' d like to know more about, and that is what were the origins of the dislike Marie and Alexander III had for Alexandra F. from the beggining? Were they so good at judging a character from early on? Were there some kind of gossips from the court of Hesse about young Alix that reached the Russian court? Were they somehow aware of the danger of heamophilia? Why were they both so against the young princess in a way Queen Victoria obviously wasn' t? Or maybe the fact that QV favored Alix somehow was held against her by Marie and her sister? What do you think?

[Maria Sisi]

Alexandra made 2 pervious visits to Russia, to visit Ella and Sergei, and she apparently did not make a good impression.

I don't remember any of the details but their main argument against Alix was her personality was not suited for the Russian Court at all. I'm guessing whatever she did during these visits pretty much sent up warning signals about this to them. And if I recall other people in the court weren't impressed with her either during these visits so it wasn't just AIII or MF.

Also they wanted a more grand match for the heir, or at least MF did. The very fact that they even suggest Margaret of PRUSSIA says it all when you take in to consideration MF's hate of all things Prussian. They also wanted Helene of Orleans to cement a French alliance but she wouldn't covert. 

I think Queen Alexandra had a positive opinion of Alix before she married. It wasn't until things really went south that Alexandra would say things like, "Poor Alicky, she used to be such a nice girl." Although she was getting all her information from a biased source (her sister).

[Clemence]

Thank you Maria Sisi, I pretty much agree with your thoughts, but I still find it hard to see if the Russuan royal couple disliked young Alix only after her visits to Russia. I find it hard to realise how she was considered English and important enough to Queen Victoria to become e British sovereign but not so for the Russian throne. I think Alix herself was hurt when she realised she was not to see Nicholas at all in one of her visits to her sister in Russia.