The Imperial children "sad,sheltered" life?

[Eric_Lowe]

I think it is more than one account.

[Ally Kumari]

I would trust Gilliard on this matter. After all it was him who was appointed to tell Alexei about his father´s abdication.

[Eric_Lowe]

Well...He did not prove himself reliable in the Anna Anderson trial....

[Ally Kumari]

Don´t know about that. What did he do? Bu well, as I said, I would trust him on THIS matter. What are the other accounts you mentioned? I´ve never heard about them.

[Eric_Lowe]

Gillard admitted to court he burn his own notes...

[Ally Kumari]

Well, that doesn´t explain why he should lie about what a little boy said. Still waiting for those other acounts

[nena]

Sarushka is right. The boy only asked "And who would be now the Tsar?". He never asked for his own rights. The idea of Alexei being upset about Nicolas giving up the throne for him comes probably from movie Nicolas and Alexandra, where Alexei is portraited (sorry for that) like a spoilt brat.

Yes, in Russian: „Если больше нет Императора, кто же будет управлять Россией?''. And Gilliard mentions that. 

[Eric_Lowe]

I will follow up on the other account.

[Multiverse]

A couple of other thoughts here.

In some posts I've read that some who met the GDs when they were teenagers described them as being immature for their age.

I understand in their personal tastes Nicholas II, his wife and children, had fairly simple tastes at least compared to what we would expect from The Imperial Family. They seemingly were not comfortable with or didn't like the heavy formality, an yet formality is what one expects from Royalty. I've also read accounts of those who met the GDs who described them as approachable.

Could it be that some who met these young ladies have expected them to be much more formal than they were, and could some who met them have misinterpreted their lack of formality and their approachableness for immaturity? It's not that they were too over sheltered and socially immature for their age, it's just that they were not as formal as some might have expected them to be.

[Multiverse]

On the subject of marriage for the GDs. I think Alixandra hoped and expected her daughters to one day marry and have families of their own, but that she also dreaded the separation that entailed.

I have always thought that at leasts one of the GDs would marry a Russian Prince and remain in Russia, and Olga was pretty clear on her intention to marry a Russian and remain in Russia. It's not clear how any of the other three GDs felt about that or if they had even thought about someday and marriage and children. I have also thought it might be that at least one of them might never have married.

I realize I'm looking at this from the standpoint of a typical American in 2009. But a problem with finding a suitable husband for these girls is that even though the men these girls would have married would have themselves almost certainly been Royalty, I imagine the prospect of having the Tsar of Russia as a father in law could be rather intimidating. Though somehow I get the feeling it would have been easier to be Nicholas's son in law than to be Alexandra's son in law.

[Ally Kumari]

As for the marriages, it was either Sophie Bux. or Anna Vyrubova, who mentioned Alexandra liked to imagine Anastasia getting married into English royal family.... Will try to find the quote....

[Eric_Lowe]

Age wise Edward of York could marry either Marie or Anastasia.

[Rodion_Felix]

In a way the children ( OTMAA ) was in a way in captivity their hole life.

[Romanov_fan]

Well, I think many royal children of that era and even of today could be said to be living in a goldfish bowl growing up, and indeed in adult life too. In that era, especially in Russia where there was a fear of assination on the part of the IF, growing up as royalty meant a lot of restrictions.

[helenazar]

I used to think that the imperial children were very sheltered with not much access to other kids/teenagers their own age, and a lonely existence with only their own siblings for company. But working on Olga's diary translations made me realize that this was not the case at all. Olga and her sisters actually seemed to have a very busy social life, and many friends their own age, albeit, not surprisingly from aristocratic circles only. Many of Olga's diary entries, even among the ones during the war, mention the names of friends, and the fun they had together... Of course being the royal children the people they came in contact with was in a controlled environment which of course is understandable, but that still doesn't mean that they didn't form real friendships and develop mutual affection towards people their own age, or even had occasional flirtations with the opposite sex.  Based on the diaries, and letters, the imperial children were not in any way isolated or lonely.