Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna, Duchess of Edinburgh and Coburg

[isabel]

I have read, that Marie Alexandrovna promoted the engagement and marriage of her eldest daugther, Marie, to Ferdinand of Roumania. Her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh prefered too see her betrothed to her cousin George, son of the Prince of Wales. But the mother said that  " NO DAUGHTER OF HERS WOULD MARRY AN ENGLISH PRINCE IF SHE COULD HELP IT.

She was herself married with an english prince, her children were half english, even if she had always been homesick for Russia, did she really prefere her daugther to be Queen of Roumania, than Queen of England??

I belive that George hoped to marry Marie, and that he spoke to her parents, obviously he was refused.

This prohibition about english princes, was only relating to George because in Russia marriages between first cousins were forbidden, or concerned all the Princes??

¿Was she so unhappy in England?

Perhaps this story is not true, but only a legend?

[amelia]

DG Maria of Russia was very unhappy in England, mainly because she never got along with  Queen Victoria. Also, her marriage was not a happy one, that's why she did not want any of her daughters to marry an English Prince.She was happier when her hunsband became GD os Coburg.Amelia

[bluetoria]

Poor Marie really didn't like anything English, did she? The food was bland, she didn't like her home - Clarence House - the Queen's company was oppressive, the late nights were tiring, her husband was a philanderer and her sisters-in-law were not happy about her insisting on retaining her Imperial status....

Bit of a bad show all in all...

And so what did she do? Married her daughter off to the heir to the Roumanian throne and in Roumania Missy found....

the company tedious, her Queen oppressive, her husband was a bit of a philanderer etc. etc. etc. Out of the frying pan into the fire!

[isabel]

Did Marie (daughter) loved George?? i belive that George was very Close to Edimburgh cousins.

If she did, i wonder why her father, the Duke, didn´t imposed his oppinion , he was agree with the posibility of the marriage¡¡¡

About Marie Alexandrovna obviously , she wished to be for ever "Her Imperial Higness", and didn´t try to adopt her husband country, as her mother, Marie of Hesse, and many others royal relatives did.

[Prince_Lieven]

George (10 years older than Missy) adored her - to Missy, George was her 'beloved chum'.

Marie Alexandrovna hated it in England - she hated the Princess of Wales, daughter of the measly king of Denmark, outranked her, a Russian Grand Duchess!

And I think Missy flourished in Romania - she like it there (at least after Carol I died) and her theatrical instincts served her well!

[Valmont]

If she hated the Princess of Wales, how did she feel about her other sister-in-law?  (minnie).. Did she hated her too?

[Prince_Lieven]

Hmm . . . I don't know . . . I suppose if she disliked Alexandra she would dislike Minnie by association . . . and before Minnie came she had been first lady of the Russian court . . .

[isabel]

But, ....when she married Alfred, she knew that Alexandra was the Princess of Wales, and that one day she will became Queen of England, and not her. So...i don´t understand way she hated Alexandra.

Perhaps, because she was the daughter of the Tzar, and the only girl of her family, she was too spoiled.

Prince Lieven, about Marie of Roumanie, what do you mean saying that she had Theatrical instincts? was she a theatrical women?

[Svetabel]

Well, I think Marie have enough reasons to hate Alexandra. Prss of Wales was a daughter of a mere King of Denmark, she was the spouse of the heir of the throne (so Marie was on the 2d place!!!...awful situation for the only spoiled daugther of the mighty Russian Emperor).Alexandra was a beauty...and Marie was not. Moreover Marie was very proud of her strong intellect and considered Alexandra a light-minded and foolish woman.

[Linnea]

It must have been like a curse for "poor" Marie A.:Born as a czar´s daughter, she couldn´t get "higher" socially throgh marriage (as she couldn´t marry her brother ).

[lostfan]

At the time George was "courting" Missy, he was third in line to the British throne. His older brother Albert Victor was still alive and expected to succeed to the throne after their father, so no one expected George to become king until his brother died in 1892. By that time, Missy was already either engaged or married to Ferdinand.

[Prince_Lieven]

Prince Lieven, about Marie of Roumanie, what do you mean saying that she had Theatrical instincts? was she a theatrical women?

She certainly was - vain, theatrical, flamboyant and highly lovable.  

[isabel]

Thanks Prince Lieven for your answer.

Any way, if Maria Alexandrovna, had such a strong caracthere, if she was so intransigent, what did she think about Duky´s divorce??, and when she married Cyril Vladimirovich?? (They where first cousins).

I belive that Nicholas was not agree with this union, and overcoat, Alix was furious. Cyril´s mother, always defended her son, and what about Maria Alexandrovna?

Her eldest daugther, Beatrice, married an spanish catholic prince, did she liked this marriage??

[Marc]

I think I read in ''Lifelong passion'' that Marie Alexandrovna was also for this marriage(Cyrill-Ducky),but would be also interesting to know her opinion about Sachsen-Coburg/Orleans marriage...

[grandduchessella]

I thought I read somewhere (perhaps Missy's memoirs?) that Alfonso was Marie's favorite SIL. At any rate he and Beatrice spent a good amount of time with Marie. Ironically considering how Ducky's marriage turned out, I believe that Marie liked Ernie as they had artistic & cultural interests in common.

Perhaps Marie's feelings re: George & Missy would've been different had he been the heir then, perhaps not. While he was still the 2nd son of a (future) monarch, Missy would've been in the same position as Marie herself was and she would've been adamantly against that.

She wasn't thrilled about the Ducky & Kyril marriage but reacted strongly at what she perceived as the unfair & harsh treatment given to her daughter after her divorce & the remarriage.