We just should give kmerov a price for all his wonderfull contributions (mainly) considering the offspring of Christian IX and Louise! Absolutely wonderful! I've enjoyed you're contributions on the various threads very much! Same goes for gdella (and others) offcourse, but I could not think of a suitable price, because you're many contributions are priceless!

First two of my favorite portraits of 'darling Toria'. I especially like the first (close-up) one. She looks gorgeous and I always think people do the daughters of Edward and Alexandra unjustice when they say they weren't that beautiful! The second one, is the portrait that was standing on her cousin Olga Alexandrovna's desk I believe.
But because we are now discussing the relationship between 'Toria' and 'Nicky'. I have found the folowing charming thing Nicholas II wrote to ''darling Toria'' in one of her albums that have been auctioned off
by Christies some time ago:
''A quarto Daybook Album belonging to Princess Victoria, circa 220 pages together, between 1 January 1894 and October 1925, contemporary red morocco by Mac Michael of 42 South Audley Street, London, gilt inner dentelles, g.e., containing numerous poems, prose works, notes, inscriptions and dedications inscribed by herself, members of the British, Danish and Russian Royal families and friends. Including:
Poetic inscription by Tsar Nicholas II, reading: "Look not mournfully into the past;/It comes not back again; Wisely improve the present - it is thine;/Go forth to meet the shadowy future,/Without fear and with a manly heart", signed, inscribed and dated "To darling Toria from her loving cousin Nicky. Petershof 13/25 August 1894". With 3 other entries by Nicholas II.''
It is intresting he wrote this just before he became Emperor of Russia (Tsar) and some time after the engagement with Alexandra of Hesse nee Alexandra Feodorovna. 'Go forth to meet the shadow future' sounds very ghastly it you look at the future of the then young Tsar and his wife. Should he cite towards the little 'romance' between 'Toria' and himself? Lovely words anyway!
But that does not leave out how sad it is, that this historical piece of work has been auctioned off. I always feel a little bit disappointed. The only thing that I can hope for is that the royal archives has bought it back for their collection. Twohundred and twenty pages! Can you imagine the historical value of it!
RN