Daily Life in the Palace

[Forum Admin]

Use this thread to ask questions about or to discuss the day to day workings of life in the Alexander Palace.

[valmont]

What was  a "normal" day  like at the Palace?Who arranged  the itinerary? Was there a time Frame?
At what time did everyone started their day?

[pers]

What I have gathered from reading many books is that Nicholas rose at 7am.  I take it breakfast was at 8am as lunch was served at 12pm.  Supposedly lunch lasted exactly 50 minutes according to protocol (See Almedingen E.M. - The Empress Alexandra on p.57).  Tea was served at 4pm and dinner at 8pm.  Evening tea was at 11pm, before the Emperor and Empress retired.  The children had their classes during the day.  The Emperor normally worked until 8pm.  After dinner the family spent time together.  I also read that Alexei normally went to bed at 9pm at which point the Empress heard him say his prayers.

[Antonio P. Caballero]

Does anyone know at what time of the day the rooms were cleaned? I suppose the servants would have some hour to do it without disturbing the family´s use of these rooms...

[BobAtchison]

Joanna - those rooms are really quite large.  The girls had the whole of the right side of the upper floor for themselves as well as the corridor.

Bob

[Ldearen]

I've always been curious about whether or not the servants got any time off! Seems like tbey work a lot!!

[BobG]

In the section on Ambassadorial Visits to the Palace, the following appears:
"At the entrance to the Palace they were met by one kammer-fourier, one hof-fourier and one footman who led them through the halls of the Palace to the Corner Sitting Room."
Can anyone explain the terms kammer-fourier and hof-fourier?  They sound like strangely translated titles, but what do they mean and what were they exact function at the palace?

[Coldstream]

The current issue of "Orthodox Life", the house publication of Holy Trinity Monastery, Jordanville, NY, carries the first of a series of articles which will reprint the diary of Father Afanasy Belyaev, rector of the Fyodorov Cathedral after the February Revolution and  the Imperial Family's confessor and chaplain from March 1917 until their exile to Siberia.  The first installment was very moving in its description of the family's religious dispositions as well as those of their staff still remaining.

The relevant issue is No. 2, 2004.  The address is Holy Trinity Monastery, P.O. Box 36, Jordanville, NY 13361-0036.

[Sunny]

Thank you, Coldstream.

Sunny