About Alix's miscarriage. I was reading in "Once A Grand Duchess: Xenia - Sister of Nicholas II" last night, and I just happened to stumble on this topic.
Here is what I read:
"Alix was also expecting a baby; deserate to give her husband a son, she has turned to the occult and fallen under the sway of Philippe Nizier-Vachot, a French faith healer, who convinced her that the child would be a boy. In August the whole country awaited the birth - but nothing happened. Finally Xenia reported, there occurred a 'minor miscarriage - if it could be called a miscarriage at all! That is to say a tiny ovule came out!' The next day a bulletin was issued saying a miscarriage had ended the Empress's hopes, the doctors confirmed that there had been no pregnancy, and the symptoms were caused anaemia"
Pg. 53, Secong Edition, Sutton Publishing Limited