Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig & Grand Duchess Victoria Melita

[Eric_Lowe]

Yes. The Hesse marriage had broken down and Ernie (according to Ducky) was proposing an open marriage of sorts to her. There were quite a few around royal circles. Ena's was a bit different, but still an open one as far as Alfonso XIII was concerned. They appeared to have stopped intimate relationships with each other and avoid each other except in public. If that is not a sham marriage, I don't know what is. The minute the couple was exiled, they physically split up or separated. In today's term, they might have been as good as divorced and could have if they had so wished it. The fact that Ducky did not want "an arrangement" done for her proved she was very much in a real woman, flawed no doubt but no hypocrite living a sad life like her cousin.

[slavona]

between present and future

[Kalafrana]

I can recognise Nicholas, Ernst and Kirill here, but who are the other three men?

Ann

[Svetabel]

I can recognise Nicholas, Ernst and Kirill here, but who are the other three men?

Ann

Brothers of Kirill, Andrei and Boris. And Prince Nicholas of Greece.

[Eric_Lowe]

I always wondered about the dating of this picture.

Most date the start of the affair between Ducky & Kyrill around the time of the coronation of Nicholas II. When was this taken ?

DUcky looks a bit sad here while Alicky was smiling. Also was Nicholas of Greece courting Ellen at this time, so that is why he joined in with the Vladimirovitch brothers ?

[Helen]

I'm not 100% sure where this picture was taken. It looks like the garden/park of Schloss Wolfsgarten, with part of the Prinzenbau or Prinzessinnenbau in the background. Thomas_Hesse might know.

The date may be October 1899; the Vladimirovich brothers and Nicholas of Greece were staying at Wolfsgarten for a couple of days or weeks during the 1899 visit of Nicholas and Alexandra, but I'm not sure that they did - all of them at the same time - during Nicholas' and Alexandra's visits in 1896 and 1897.

[grandduchessella]

Victoria Melita and Alix look to be wearing mourning and in other pictures from what seem to be the same time show a little Princess Elizabeth. I would guess perhaps 1901 after the death of Queen Vcitoria.

[grandduchessella]

If Helen is correct (our posts overlapped) the mourning could then be for Grand Duke George.

[Helen]

To be honest, I'm not sure that I'm correct, about 1899 as a date, but I do have doubts about 1901: If this picture was taken at Wolfsgarten, it cannot have been taken in 1901, as Nicholas/Alexandra did not visit Hesse in 1901, as far as I know.

According to Nicholas' diary, Nicholas and Alexandra attended a memorial service, Panachida, at the Russian Orthodox Church in Darmstadt on 28 September (old style date) - 3 months after GD George's death.

[slavona]

I do not know the year but the site said between 1890s-1900s
The site is „Tsar Nicholas II Clowning Around with Friends„ Very sad

[Helen]

These pictures were definitely taken at Wolfsgarten.
The Hesse State Archive appears to have more pictures from this series - in which both Alexandra and Victoria Melita were smiling - and the Archive has dated them as "September/October 1899".

[grandduchessella]

So that all would seem to date it in 1899 then. I think all the photos are available online at the State Archives site.

[Eric_Lowe]

Russian State Archives ? 

[Speedycat]

I recognize Ernie in the background and is that Nicholas of Greece?  But who are the ladies.  I have seen photos of Ducky in a similar light colored dress, but the other lady is a mystery.

[Carolath Habsburg]

Yes, its Nicholas of Greece and the lady is princess Victoria of Schaumburg-Lippe, nee princess of Prussia (Moretta)