Grand Duchess Ksenia and Grand Duke Alexander

[Eric_Lowe]

Cool pics ! Like from the same roll of film ! Wonder who are the kids ?

[Svetabel]

GD Alexander with GD Xenia and Nicholas II

[Clelia]

Wonderful photograph!! It's nice to see the three of them together... Thanks for sharing

[Svetabel]

Grand Duchess Xenia and her daughter Irina in 1897. There was one more sitting , with GD Alexander.

[Eric_Lowe]

Xenia was close to Irina. I wonder how close she was to her nieces (The Tsar's daughters).

[LisaDavidson]

Xenia was close to Irina. I wonder how close she was to her nieces (The Tsar's daughters).

It depends on the time period we're talking about. While they were all newly married, Xenia and Sanro and Nicholas and Alexandra had their first babies fairly close together, so I would imagine that she was probably close to Olga, and probably to Tatiana, too.

Strain between the couples appears to have come about due to Alexandra's not having an heir while her sister in law kept having boys - so my guess is that she was less close to Alexei, Anastasia, and Marie. I believe there was estrangement after 1915 when Xenia and MF were clearly part of the anti-Rasputin faction and spent much of the war in Kiev.

[Eric_Lowe]

I heard that Irina was close to Olga & Tatiana. Yes in the auntie stakes, Olga Alexandrovna was much close to her nieces than elder sister Xenia.

[violetta]

As far as I know (from a few sources) Xenia decided to separate after her husband`s confession. The grand Duke told her about his love affair, and Xenia could not bear this. It was the last straw.

[susana]

I think I recall reading that both Xenia and Sandro had a long discussion in which they confessed their affairs to each other. I've always thought the other couple must have been Felix Yussoupov Sr and his renowned beauty of a wife Zenaida. In fact I hoped so--how dreadfully sophisticated and convenient.

I saw a photo which identified a very plain and uninteresting man as 'F' in a group with Xenia--I just don't want to believe it. So I won't, at least not now.

[Svetabel]

I saw a photo which identified a very plain and uninteresting man as 'F' in a group with Xenia--I just don't want to believe it. So I won't, at least not now.

Sometimes plain and unteresting guy gives more comfrot than dashing and flamboyant handsome man like GD Alexander M. The face and features don't matter.

[Eric_Lowe]

Yes. Well said. Xenia needed much affection that she was not getting from her wayward husband.

[LisaDavidson]

As far as I know (from a few sources) Xenia decided to separate after her husband`s confession. The grand Duke told her about his love affair, and Xenia could not bear this. It was the last straw.

Their marriage was far more complex than this comment indicates. From what I have been told, the Grand Duchess continued to visit her husband for the rest of his life and was distressed by GB's refusal to grant an Allied military leader asylum just because he was also a Grand Duke. Their grandson told me that they remained the loves of one another's lives and that they were very affectionate with one another. this of course was long after the affairs each had were over. Not all romantic love stories are like the movies - sometimes the lovers hit major speed bumps along the way.

[Eric_Lowe]

Yes I agree it was complicated. But it was Sandro who strayed first and bored with the marriage...

[Alexandre64]

Xenia:


Sandro:

[Eric_Lowe]

Yes. Very lovely. Is the one of Xenia taken in Hampton Court or Wilderness House ?