Possible Marriage Candidates

[CaityR]

I apologise in advance if this has already appeared on the forum somewhere else, but I could not find it.

My question is this: Prior to the assassination, would the topic of Anastasia's future suitors have been considered by her parents/family, and if so, who would have been eligible?
I have heard of the other sisters having 'admirers' (particularly Maria) but as for Anastasia, did she have any love life at all to speak of, or was she still too young?

Thank you,

C

[edubs31]

I have heard of the other sisters having 'admirers' (particularly Maria) but as for Anastasia, did she have any love life at all to speak of, or was she still too young?

I believe she was too young to have been given any serious consideration. Remember the family was swept up by the Revolution in March of 1917, at which point Anastasia was not yet sixteen. Maria had her admirers and Olga had her potential suitors but Tatiana, four years Anastasia's senior, and among the most beautiful young ladies in Russia was still very much available. It's unlikely that AN would have been sought or discussed before TN.

The war itself probably place the marriage question on hold for the most part. We hear much more about potential suitors for Olga prior to the outbreak of WWI in the summer of 1914 than after.

Once the Tsar abdicated and the family was essentially stripped of their royal titles (albeit not their royal lineage) their prestige would naturally have diminished some. In Olga's case she would have remained attractive to suitors if for no other reason than huge fortune she was set to inherit from her grandfather, Alexander III.

[CaityR]

Thank you very much for the reply!

It is difficult to believe that TN was still 'on the market' prior to the revolution, taking into consideration her beauty. Was Alexander III's fortune only to be inherited by the eldest girl, or would there have been some wealth awaiting the other girls as well? Adding a small fortune into the equation would certainly have made TN all the more admirable.

Back to AN, and I wonder if there was any mention (in letters, diaries, etc) of Anastasia having a 'crush' on any of the guards/soldiers that she came into contact with before the abdication? I recall once reading about there being a soldier that she liked, but I am not sure if that is correct.

[Sarushka]

I believe she was too young to have been given any serious consideration.

That's probably true, but it's hard to imagine that royals with sons of a compatible age didn't at least entertain a passing thought of a match with Anastasia prior to the revolution.

Back to AN, and I wonder if there was any mention (in letters, diaries, etc) of Anastasia having a 'crush' on any of the guards/soldiers that she came into contact with before the abdication? I recall once reading about there being a soldier that she liked, but I am not sure if that is correct.

I'm not aware of any. Holly would know.

[CaityR]

]

I'm not aware of any. Holly would know.

Thank you very much for your reply! I shall maybe try to contact Holly directly, I think I have seen her around the forum before

[Holly]

Browsing and just now saw this. Thought I would reply although it's been quite a while.

I have never read anything that ever came close to suggesting a crush, or even a favorite officer/guard/etc. To my knowledge, there is no record of a personal favorite male of any sort when it comes to Anastasia. The only thing I've ever seen that remotely resembled a 'crush' was either a diary or letter (thought it was in A Lifelong Passion but can't find it now) which simply stated that a very young Anastasia was pleased with a cousin and kept calling him a 'nice little boy' and gave him flowers. She was a child at the time so I don't think that's what you're looking for. This isn't to say she didn't have her crushes/favorites but there is definitely no record of any. She was definitely charming and outgoing when it came to being social. Unfortunately there are no diaries of Anastasia's.

[Kassafrass]

It seems that through marriage, Olga and Tatiana definitely had the potential to become queens of foreign countries, but I wonder if the same would have happened with the two younger girls. While today we find them to be rather beautiful, neither of them seemed to have attracted much attention in that way at the time and I wonder if maybe they would have ended up with some other Russian nobles.

[Olga Maria]

Quoted from Holly: The only thing I've ever seen that remotely resembled a 'crush' was either a diary or letter (thought it was in A Lifelong Passion but can't find it now) which simply stated that a very young Anastasia was pleased with a cousin and kept calling him a 'nice little boy' and gave him flowers.

I found it from your collection of Anastasia's anecdotes in your Anastasia website.  That 'crush' was Igor, according to the poet GD Konstantin. Possibly it was because he found the little boy very cute ^^

Quoted from Kassy:...neither of them seemed to have attracted much attention in that way at the time and I wonder if maybe they would have ended up with some other Russian nobles.

More possibly it's because they were of unmarriageable age that time. Perhaps if they were kept alive (or had the war not happened), they'd eventually be noticed, and many princes' names would be tied to their names: dukes or minor princes of Scandinavian countries more likely, too. LOL, I like to think about this <3

[Kassafrass]

Sounds probable! I read once that when Olga and Karol of Romania didn't fall in love, he later visited Russia and became taken with Maria and even asked Nicholas about having her hand, but as she was still so young, the Tsar simply laughed it off. Is there any truth to this?

[Sarushka]

Sounds probable! I read once that when Olga and Karol of Romania didn't fall in love, he later visited Russia and became taken with Maria and even asked Nicholas about having her hand, but as she was still so young, the Tsar simply laughed it off. Is there any truth to this?

Yes. I also don't recall the source offhand, but I'm fairly certain that's a true anecdote.

[edubs31]

Sounds probable! I read once that when Olga and Karol of Romania didn't fall in love, he later visited Russia and became taken with Maria and even asked Nicholas about having her hand, but as she was still so young, the Tsar simply laughed it off. Is there any truth to this?

Yes. I also don't recall the source offhand, but I'm fairly certain that's a true anecdote.

Wasn't this the time Nicholas said "But Marie's still/just a school girl".

[Olga Maria]

Sounds probable! I read once that when Olga and Karol of Romania didn't fall in love, he later visited Russia and became taken with Maria and even asked Nicholas about having her hand, but as she was still so young, the Tsar simply laughed it off. Is there any truth to this?

Yes. I also don't recall the source offhand, but I'm fairly certain that's a true anecdote.

Wasn't this the time Nicholas said "But Marie's still/just a school girl".

That's right Edubs - thank God Nicholas didn't allow it! I even wonder if they told Marie about that and she herself declared she's still a schoolgirl, and Nicholas said that to him. Or is it purely Nicholas' decision? The latter may be more true, but we won't know what really happened that time

Btw, it can be found in Anna Vyrubova's memoirs. I can't remember what chapter but it took place during the war.

Ah, Anastasia... if only she lived longer I would have seen her name paired with the later Leopold III of Belgium, prince born on November 3, 1901 - a few months after she was born but it's just a little age gap. Alexandra would have totally approved of that idea!

[Kassafrass]

Ah, Anastasia... if only she lived longer I would have seen her name paired with the later Leopold III of Belgium, prince born on November 3, 1901 - a few months after she was born but it's just a little age gap. Alexandra would have totally approved of that idea!

Now *that* is interesting to think about. If that had happened... Think of how it would have changed so many lives. Astrid might not have had her fatal car accident for one. It's amazing how one simple difference could change so many futures.

[Olga Maria]

Astrid might not have had her fatal car accident for one.

I fancy finding her in the Russian throne as Alexei's empress!

It's amazing how one simple difference could change so many futures.

Indeed, the world could have been so much different from what it is now. It's sad we are only left to think of those as "what ifs" and just that    Anyway, for everything there is a reason.


Btw, the specific chapter of Anna Vyrubova's memoirs where I found Carol of Romania's proposal to Marie is Imperial Children.

[Kassafrass]

That might be interesting, but when I think of Alexei's future I always see Princess Ileana with him... :3