Grand Duchess and other possible suitors - what if..

[Romanov_fan]

I am sure there is a a source on that somewhere. He may well have thought of the might have beens of the whole thing. There were so many. He was someone who loved to have a tough exterior even though he may not always have been that way. He undoubtedly loved Ella in youth, and he tried to save her from death after the Revolution. Such was not to be, but could he ever seriously have believed that she would take him up on it?

[Eric_Lowe]

He was convinced that nobody wanted to die willingly. Willy must be distressed as he clearly saw the winds of war engulfing his relations in ways he cannot control. I don't know if he still have Ella's photo in Doorn ? Maybe somebody can tell me ? 

[Romanov_fan]

I can see him still having her photo then.. I think Ella did die willingly, but she also carefully considered what she was doing. It was no blind choice. Perhaps the Kaiser never realized the strength of feeling against him, due to the war?

[Eric_Lowe]

I don't think Ella was against him, she may be really touched that he remembered her even after all this time (after her marriage he made an attempt to avoid alone with her). 

[Romanov_fan]

I think, though Ella did regard the Kaiser as a war enemy did she not? She was very understanding, but I am not sure she liked him to begin with, and after the war, I can't see her liking him except in a personal sense. But the thing is, she never liked him in a personal sense that we know of, beyond that of cousin for cousin. She certainly didn't wish to marry him, and was not happy when she was courted by him.

[Eric_Lowe]

Yes...he followed her everywhere...she was quite annoyed by that.

[Romanov_fan]

Indeed, when he was trying to court her, Ella found him very annoying. I think she always did find the Kaiser annoying though.. and so did all his other relations. Ella may well have suffered in particular though, as the object of his affections.

[PrinceEddy1864]

Yes from childhood Ella had found Willy more than just annoying but over bearing and over controling as well. Willy liked to dictate what activities everyone would do and had to be at the center of conversations. However it was said that Ella was about the only person Willy would even remotely shut up around. When Ella spoke Willy listened. I get the impression that he just hung on her every word.

Kinda sweet I think. (in a way

[Romanov_fan]

Yes, it was kind of sweet that Ella could reduce the Kaiser to this. He obviously felt around her the way he never felt arund anyone else, including the woman he eventually married. But it seems Ella had an effect on most people that could be quite profound,if you will. Ella could make you feel understood, I believe. She never liked the Kaiser's attentions though; and he was quite bad on the outside, and rarely showed any of his good qualities ( which were few enough).

[lori_c]

Even though Willie's bombastic nature made him unpopular within the Royal Family (and indeed with everyone else)  I find it touching that he was the onlyone to try to negotiate the IF release to Germany including and especially Ella.  Despite everything, he was truly concerned about their welfare.  It sort of contributes to his "redemption" so to speak.

And though i wouldn't dare to pass judgement on a man like King George V who had to decide between his country and his family feelings, it does have to be noted that he washed his hands of the IF early on.

[Romanov_fan]

Really, you can't pass judgement on George V. He did what he could, I think. The whole sitiuation was very complex. Anyway, the Kaiser was portayed as some sort of monster in war propaganda, and in his personal life, he alienated many people, not least his relatives. But he was human underneath that, although he was difficult, I think. He did care for them in the way of relatives, although they had been enemies during war time. But they could not have accepted his help.

[grandduchessella]

Well, not to let this get off-topic on the rescue attempts (or lack thereof) but I would note that WII wasn't alone--Alfonso XIII did what he could to help secure their release.

Anyway, WII once admitted (to his grandson, I believe) that he spent much of his time at the university writing love poems to Ella. John Rohl's bio (vol 1) deals with the William/Ella situation in an interesting way. It's always seen from Ella's point of view--he loved her, she rejected him. The Rohl book (and I don't have it in front of me) shows the relationship from the Prussian side and how it might have been Vicky more than Ella who put the kabosh on it for fear of the hemophilia threat--she had a report commissioned to ascertain the chances of it passing into the family and the effect of being relations, etc....If anyone can get this book (and it's very expensive) it is well-worth it. It's about 900 pages and only goes up to 1888! It also goes into great depth about his romance, engagement and marriage to Dona.

[Eric_Lowe]

I got both Rohl books (Willy 1&2). Worth every penny I paid. 

Yes I think Ella would have more influence on Willy than Dona ever would. Had she been Kaiserin, then it would be quite possible that she would do everything she humanly can to avoid Germany going to war with England (ironically that was exactly what Bismark wanted as well : to avoid war with England & Russia). 

[Romanov_fan]

Sounds like an interesting book! I think that you are right, that Ella may have had more influence with the Kaiser, if only because she obviously had so much influence over him when he tried to court her. Dona and most other women in that day and age would simply have followed whatever the Kaiser would have wanted given his dominating personality. Ella may not have. It is interesting that it wasn't Ella but Vicky who particularly did not wish this marriage to happen. But it seems Ella wasn't all that enuthiastic either...

[Eric_Lowe]

Vicky was intelligent enough to know that ties too close create complications in the next generation (which happened to Heinrich & Irene's children). In Rohl 's book. Vicky was quoted was saying that is the "only'' reason that prevented her from welcoming Alice's daughter into the family. I also however got the feeling that she was subconsiously afraid of Ella having too much influrence over Willy ( Ironically Vicky's mother-in-law liked Ella so much as that she turned Willy down, intriduced her nephew Fritz of baden as a subsitute for her grandson).