Author Topic: Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna, Duchess of Edinburgh and Coburg  (Read 246413 times)

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Offline royal_netherlands

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Re: Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna, Duchess of Edinburgh and Coburg
« Reply #105 on: November 20, 2006, 11:45:27 AM »

Wonderful picture Laurra. :D
I believe this is her to. 


RN :)

Katherine_The_O.K.

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Re: Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna, Duchess of Edinburgh and Coburg
« Reply #106 on: November 20, 2006, 12:26:49 PM »
I wonder if there are any pictures of her in Russian court dress when she was younger...I know there's one of her and her daughters when she's older, and there's the previous one on this thread, but that dosen't have very good definition.

Nice portrait though, Laura! There was another one I saw somewhere once, but I can't remember where it is...

Offline Romanov_fan

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Re: Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna, Duchess of Edinburgh and Coburg
« Reply #107 on: November 20, 2006, 12:28:06 PM »
It is interesting that a woman who was rather plain, could have had such lovely daughters as she did, but I think they looked more like their father. She was Romanov looking, though and had lovely coloring, judging from that portrait.

Katherine_The_O.K.

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Re: Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna, Duchess of Edinburgh and Coburg
« Reply #108 on: November 20, 2006, 12:53:21 PM »
Well, there's every chance in the world that she had a nice smile, which can really improve a person's looks. I could only find this one: quite the mischevious look, eh?

Offline Laura_

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Re: Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna, Duchess of Edinburgh and Coburg
« Reply #109 on: November 20, 2006, 01:05:07 PM »
another one ,same sitting :)

 

Katherine_The_O.K.

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Re: Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna, Duchess of Edinburgh and Coburg
« Reply #110 on: November 20, 2006, 01:13:16 PM »
I always like this series of photos, you can really see how close they were- they hardly seem posed at all.

Katherine_The_O.K.

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Re: Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna, Duchess of Edinburgh and Coburg
« Reply #111 on: November 20, 2006, 01:14:05 PM »
I always liked this series of photos- you can really see how close they were, they hardly look posed at all.

ilyala

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Re: Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna, Duchess of Edinburgh and Coburg
« Reply #112 on: November 21, 2006, 03:51:43 AM »
But wasn't her marriage to Alfred something of a love match? I thought it was, and that she wanted the marriage despite opposition to it. But, maybe there were other reasons beside the personal for her objections as you state. I was just wondering if it was more personal, because maybe the marriage was half hearted, or if it was more trepidation at what her new life might hold, despite the prospect of marrying Alfred?
.

well, i think she was attracted to alfred but i don't think it was a true love match (something of the 'this is the man of my dreams' sort).

Offline Romanov_fan

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Re: Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna, Duchess of Edinburgh and Coburg
« Reply #113 on: November 21, 2006, 10:59:58 AM »
Well, then what was the main motive for her marriage to Alfred? I think she wanted to marry, and was perhaps not in love with him, but that the marriage was her choice. She may have wanted someone different from whom most Romanovs married, perhaps. But she was marrying beneath her, as it were, and I can't imagine that she thought she would be happy in England.

Katherine_The_O.K.

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Re: Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna, Duchess of Edinburgh and Coburg
« Reply #114 on: November 21, 2006, 12:21:24 PM »
From what I've read, she seemed to think that she would retain her position of preeminence in England, and being married simply kept her from becoming a spinstered throwback in Russia, where she would have faded greatly in importance on the death of her father. And then she ended up hating England because she was outranked and generally underappreciated compared to her sisters-in-law, particularly the Princess of Wales. She was used to being pampered and having all the attention and praise from the men in her life being focused on her, and that changed in England, where she was quite unspectacular compared to Alexandra or Louise. Obviously none of that had been said by her, but I imagine that's how one used to getting her way would feel when one is suddenly dumped into a family of strong-willed women!   

Offline Romanov_fan

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Re: Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna, Duchess of Edinburgh and Coburg
« Reply #115 on: November 21, 2006, 12:41:28 PM »
I agree with you, but I wonder why she ever thought that she would be more important in England?  It just wasn't very good reasoning, although I can see why she might have thought so. I think she should have married someone in a more powerful position, and that she should have been a consort. But, as far as I know, no marriages were planned for her.Had she remained in Russia, she might have been less important, but she would still have been the Tsar or ex Tsar's only daughter. Surely some would pay attemtion to that. She must not have been passionately attached to her homeland, and perhaps more attached to the idea of being seen as important- who knows?

Katherine_The_O.K.

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Re: Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna, Duchess of Edinburgh and Coburg
« Reply #116 on: November 21, 2006, 12:55:27 PM »
It's an interesting thing to ponder... perhaps she was so sheltered it never occured to her that anyone would ever rank above her aside from her father, not even the consort to the heir of the British throne. She was approaching 20 when she married, but prehaps she followed in that trend of child-like Grand Duchesses. It'd be interesting to find out who her tutors were- they probably went a long way to influencing her in her beleif that she was so important. That, and living in Russia, she must not have met many foreign heads of state, versus someone from the continent or Britain,  so she may not have been used to acquiesing to others.

Offline grandduchessella

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Re: Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna, Duchess of Edinburgh and Coburg
« Reply #117 on: November 21, 2006, 01:07:51 PM »
I think she believed it would be because she was an Imperial Highness whereas the other royal women were 'just' Royal Highnesses.
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Offline lori_c

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Re: Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna, Duchess of Edinburgh and Coburg
« Reply #118 on: November 21, 2006, 01:46:00 PM »
Well, then what was the main motive for her marriage to Alfred? I think she wanted to marry, and was perhaps not in love with him, but that the marriage was her choice. She may have wanted someone different from whom most Romanovs married, perhaps. But she was marrying beneath her, as it were, and I can't imagine that she thought she would be happy in England.

I don't know if this is accurate but quoting from the book "Marie of Roumania" by Terrence Elsberry: concerning Marie Alexandrovna

"After a three year courtship pushed forward by the politically-minded Prince of Wales, the marriage lapsed due to the Tsar's (Alexander II) lack of interest.

Then in January 1873 word reached the Queen that the young Grand Duchess had "compromised" herself with one Russian prince "if not others" and that her parents were ready to see her safely married.  Finally, news of the betrothal arrived [to England}.


Offline lori_c

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Re: Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna, Duchess of Edinburgh and Coburg
« Reply #119 on: November 21, 2006, 01:50:34 PM »
I think she believed it would be because she was an Imperial Highness whereas the other royal women were 'just' Royal Highnesses.

Also a quote from the book "Marie of Roumania" by Terrence Elsberry:

"Victoria was naive to think a young woman raised as the second lady of Tsarist Russia would submit graciously to becoming a subservient fixture at her own rigid monotonous court.  Nor had she reckoned with Marie Alexandrovna's masterful and dominating personality. There would be no browbeating this new daughter-in-law as she was apt to do with her own children.  The girl's likes and dislikes anad pet aversions were as inflexible and as prejudiced as the Queen's.  And from the first, Missy's mother hated England."