“My eldest daughter Alexandra is soft, sensitive and intelligent; she is very sweet, although not beautiful. But Elena is surprisingly good; she is extremely kind, but too playful. Maria has a brilliant mind and a beautiful heart, but her beautiful appearance was damaged by smallpox. Ekaterina, this one is a beautiful little doll, darling; very funny; the youngest, spoiled child of her mother.”

- Grand Duchess (later Empress) Maria Feodorovna of Russia on her four elder daughters, Grand Duchesses Alexandra, Elena, Maria, and Ekaterina, ca. 1791.

"In 1799, three years after her failed betrothal with the King of Sweden, another marital project originated for Alexandra. Previously in 1798, Dukes Ferdinand Augustus and Alexander Frederick of Württemberg who were the brothers of the Empress Maria Feodorovna, arrived in St. Petersburg to serve in the Russian army. They expressed the interest of Austria to join with Russia in a coalition against the rising power of the French Republic and Napoleon, and to cement this alliance, it was decided to arrange a marriage between Alexandra and Archduke Joseph of Austria, Palatine (Governor) of Hungary and a younger brother of Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor. Archduke Joseph personally came to Russia to see his bride. The meeting between them was successful. In mid-February 1799 the betrothal ball was held. Later, a marriage contract was signed in which Alexandra would be allowed to kept her Russian Orthodox faith. In October, Count Fyodor Rostopchin wrote:

"Believe me, that's not good started to strengthen the alliance with the Austrian court by ties of blood... Of all the sisters she will be given the least successful marriage. She will have nothing to wait for, and her children even more so."

On 25 September 1799, a decree was published about the royal title of Alexandra. In Russia, she was referred to as "Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess the Archduchess of Austria" with the French prefix of "Palatine d'Hongrie". The wedding took place on 30 October 1799 at Gatchina Palace, one week after the wedding of her sister Elena. To celebrate both events, poet Gavrila Derzhavin wrote the ode "the wedding celebrations of 1799". On 21 November the couple went to Austria. Countess Varvara Golovina remembered that Alexandra was sad to leave Russia, and her father Emperor Paul I "constantly repeated, would not see her since her sacrifice." According to Alexandra's confessor, Andrei Samborski, Alexandra was given a cold reception in Vienna. However, other sources offer a different view. Queen Maria Carolina of Naples (the Emperor's mother-in-law) and her daughters arrived in Vienna in August 1800 for a long stay. Maria Carolina's daughter, Princess Maria Amalia of Naples, wrote in her journal that on 15 August the Queen and her daughters were introduced to Alexandra, whom she described as "very beautiful". Maria Amalia and Alexandra became friends during this time; and the Princess of Naples wrote in her journal that the Russian Grand Duchess and her husband had a friendly relationship with the rest of the imperial family and took part in the family gatherings, parties and balls in Vienna, which contrasts with the version given by Andrei Samborski. For instance, in January 1801, Maria Amalia wrote in her journal that the imperial family used to attend balls in Archduke Joseph's residence in Vienna, where "beautiful Alexandra, always serious and sad, has a magnificent household." When she was presented to Emperor Francis II, she reminded him of his first wife Elisabeth of Württemberg, who was her maternal aunt; this caused the jealousy of Empress Maria Theresa, Francis II's second wife, who also was envious of Alexandra's beauty and fine jewelry. Imperial confessor Andrew Samborski wrote:

"Remembering the happy cohabitation with her led him (the Emperor) in extreme confusion of mind which afflicted the heart of the Empress, his present wife. After this, she became in the innocent victim of the Empress' implacable vengeance...The Empress not forgotten and humiliated her parents and siblings when she called them a family of freaks, due to the treatment that Grand Duke Constantine gave to his wife."

Once, Alexandra turned up to a ball beautifully dressed, with magnificent jewellery. The Empress was incensed at being upstaged by the Archduchess, and ordered her to remove her jewellery, and also told her that she could no longer wear them. Heeding her instructions, Alexandra only decorated her hair with flowers when she attended a play some time later. The flowers highlighted her beauty, leading her to be applauded and being given a standing ovation, making Maria Theresa even more furious. Archduke Joseph could not protect his wife from these attacks. Furthermore, her Eastern Orthodox faith aroused the hostility of the Roman Catholic Austrian court, who urged her to convert. Pavlovna was popular among Hungarians, both the nobles and the commoners. According to the legend, it was her suggestion to add the color green as the third color to the flag of Hungary. Hungarians had been using red and silver, then red and green as their national colors for centuries at the time. However, in the late 18th century, a third color was proposed to be added to the flag, to follow the style of the French tricolor. Pavlovna suggested green as a symbol for hope. By the mid-19th century, the red-white-green Hungarian tricolor became widespread.

Wikipedia of Grand Duchess Alexandra Pavlovna.

Grand Duchess Alexandra Pavlovna edit

After giving birth on the 9th day in the morning, the Grand Duchess made everyone very happy with her recovery, being recognized by the doctors as out of any danger. The palatine on the court, as well as the whole assembly, being informed of this, were very cheerful; but to the greatest regret, in the afternoon our joy turned into sadness. By evening, fever and weakness multiplied; at midnight at 3 o’clock she became extremely exhausted and could just order to invite her husband to her, whom she kissed and said: “Do not forget me, my dear Joseph!” Having said this, she remained speechless and began to moan. I was called to prayer. When I read prayers with kneeling beside the bed, it seemed that Her Highness, with all possible attention and heartfelt feeling, contributed to these prayers. Thus this pious and blameless soul was prepared for the heavenly villages. At half past six in the morning, groaning, she surrendered her soul to the Creator.

— “On the stay of Grand Duchess Alexandra Pavlovna in Hungary (1799-1801)” Archpriest Andrei Samborsky

(Made by me using IMovie)

art + hair pieces

Russia! My astonished child's eyes see huge palaces, beautiful parks, fountains, gardens, amazing gatherings of relatives, military parades, religious services in churches glittering with gold, jewels so breathtaking you can hardly believe they are real [... ] My eyes also see long corridors, vestibules, and halls, of a size beyond compare, opening one into another, and our feet trotting timidly over wide stretches of floors, so unbounded and polished, that we seemed to walk on ice. And everywhere, a very characteristic smell: a mixture of turpentine, Russian leather and cigarette smoke, with a fragrance, unique in its own way, that distinguished the imperial palaces. Imperial is the right word, fantastic, like in fairy tales [...] every superlative is at its place in that Russia of the Tsars, that Russia full of splendour, which today is no more...

－ Queen Marie of Romania, “Story of My Life”

Photographs: 1. Grand Duke Pavel Alexandrovich; 2. Pavel's first wife: Grand Duchess Alexandra Georgievna (Nee Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark); 3. Pavel's morganatic wife: Olga Valerianovna, Princess Paley (nee Olga Valerianovna Karnovich).

Grand Duke Pavel Alexandrovich (1860 - 1919) and his children

Grand Duke Pavel was the youngest son of Emperor Alexander II and Empress Maria Alexandrovna. As a child and even as an adult, he had very frail health (but that did not prevent him from being very successful with the ladies and a great dancer.) Politically, Pavel would play his most important role toward the end of the Romanov dynasty, when he largely acted as a liaison between Empress Alexandra and Emperor Nicholas II and the rest of the Romanov family. It was Grand Duke Paul who informed the Empress of the abdication.

Pavel was married twice and had five children. His first wife was Grand Duchess Alexandra Georgievna (nee Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark.) He had two children with her, Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna (the younger) and Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich (Alexandra died giving birth to him.) Several years later, Pavel married Olga Valerianovna Karnovich morganatically and was exiled from Russia by the Emperor; the couple had a comfortable exile since Paul had money out of Russia. Olga would be made Princess Paley when the couple was allowed to return to Russia. By the time they returned to Russia, they had three children: Vladimir, Irina, and Natalia.

Grand Duke Pavel's five children were remarkably good-looking. One of his daughters, Natalia, became a model and actress in the United States. It is a shame that they had to live through such horrible times; none of them seem to find lasting stability in the area of relationships throughout their lives. But this post is just about what a good example of the general good looks of the Romanov family Pavel's children were.

Following are some photographs of Pavel's beautiful offspring:

Photographs: Pavel and Olga's children: 1. Prince Vladimir Pavlovich Paley; 2. Princesses Natalia and Irina Pavlovna Paley; 3. Prince Vladimir with his two little sisters; 4. Prince Vladimir; 5. Princess Irina Pavlovna; 6. Princess Natalia Pavlovna

Photographs: Pavel and Alexandra's children: 1. Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich and Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna the Younger; 2. Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna; 3. Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich

“I consider Empresses Elisabeth of Austria and Eugenie Montijo of France, Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom, and Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia, the epitomes of elegance in the royalty of the second half of the 19th century.” - Submitted by Anonymous

The Lost Grand Duchesses part 2: Alexandra Pavlovna

When she was born at 7:40 in the morning in 1783, the baby Grand Duchess Alexandra Pavlovna was instantly viewed as second class. Her grandmother, Catherine II ‘the Great’, wrote “I infinitely more like boys than girls”, and told her staff that she found the newborn to be very ugly. She called the baby “a very ugly creature.” This dislike of Alexandra continued into her toddler years, when Catherine continuously compared the young Alexandra to her baby sister, insisting that little Elena was much more charming and intelligent than Alexandra.

Despite this, Alexandra adored her grandmother, who wrote that the little girl would do “anything just to please me.” Alexandra and Elena were painted together as a gift to Catherine, and the two little girls lovingly hold up and caress a diamond encrusted miniature portrait of their grandmother.

By the age of four, Alexandra’s education had begun, and her intelligence in languages (being fluent in four) and writing made Catherine finally pay more attention to her, but for entirely different reasons.

As soon as the little girl turned eleven, Catherine wrote that the little girl who loved to dance, draw, and play music, was now to be “considered an adult”, and be made to marry. “It is time for the older one to get married” she concluded, not even mentioning Alexandra’s name.

A long and embarassing debacle followed, in which the child was left at the alter. Catherine admitted that the young girl, not yet a teenager, often adopted a “confused look” when having to meet with potential husbands, and did not want to speak to them.

Catherine died in 1797, temporarily putting Alexandra’s fate in limbo. She returned to her daily life as an unmarried girl, and even published anonymous articles that she had translated in French under the pseudonym ‘A’. However, in 1799, the prospect of an Austrian-Russian alliance was apparently too attractive to pass on, and the thirty-year-old Archduke Joseph of Austria, the Palatine of Hungary, travelled to Russia to meet the thirteen-year-old Alexandra.

The marriage was finalised, and Alexandra was forced to leave Russia - and her family - in order to move to Hungary with her new husband. Joseph wrote a letter to his brother in which he stated he was “convinced that with this marriage my domestic bliss is assured for the entirety of my life.”

Alexandra, on the other hand, was miserable. Countess Varvara Golovina, a lady at court and potential lover of the Tsarina Elizaveta Alexeievna, wrote in her memoirs that Alexandra was sad, and did not want to be forced to leave Russia. Her father, Pavel I, constantly said that he would “not see her again” and that she was “being sacrificed.” Despite this, Pavel could have prevented the marriage at any time. A single lock of golden hair fashioned into a flower was all that she left behind.

Although Alexandra was popular in Hungary among all classes, she was deeply depressed. Her friendly and charming personality had been replaced by a new temperament which was “always serious and sad”. Alexandra especially did not get on well with her mother in law, the Empress Maria Theresa of Hungary, who was intensely jealous of the young girl’s popularity. Maria Theresa intentionally antagonised the teenager, and sought to treat her badly.

In 1800, Alexandra fell pregnant, and was struck with health problems. Her mother-in-law ordered the hiring incompetent doctors (known to her to be incompetent) and insisted that the doctors obey her orders, rather than present their own educated solutions. Orders from Maria Theresa included cooking meals which Alexandra would not be able to eat, making her weak and frail.

In March 1801, Alexandra gave birth to a little girl, named Alexandrine of Austria. The pregnancy and labour had been incredibly difficult, and the baby sadly passed away within a few hours of birth. Alexandra, depressed at having been forcibly taken from her home and after having to endure cruel treatment by her mother-in-law, said: “Thank God that my daughter was now with the angels, without experiencing the miser that we are exposed to.”

Alexandra contracted puerperal fever. The doctors misdiagnosed her poor health after the birth several times, treating her for gastric diseases and typhoid rather than ‘childbed’ fever. She succumbed to the disease aged just seventeen years old.

Alexandra was not buried until two years after her death due to disagreements in the Catholic Austrian court over where to bury a Russian Orthodox. In 1981, thieves broke into Alexandra’s Mausoleum, looting her coffin and taking jewellery and clothing from her remains. Due to the vandalism, she was reburied with the deceased wives and children of her husband in the crypt of Buda Castle, which went against her wishes to be buried in an Orthodox Church. In 2004, she was reburied at the Üröm Mausoleum, in a small park surrounded by a moat. Inside the tomb, Orthodox icons line the walls, a reflection of Alexandra’s beloved faith, and her deep connection with Russia, which endured even after being “sacrificed”.

Miniature of a young Grand Duchess Alexandra Pavlovna of Russia.

Ladies of the House of Romanov, second row (left to right): Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, Empress Maria Feodorovna (Alexander III), Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna (Nicholas II). First row (left to right): Empress Catherine the Great, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna (Nicholas I), Empress Maria Alexandrovna (Alexander II), and Grand Duchess Alexandra Petrovna.

Grand Duchess Alexandra Pavlovna dressed in kokoshnik and sarafan, 1790s.

Unknown artist

“[…] beautiful Alexandra, always serious and sad…”

- Princess Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily on Grand Duchess Alexandra Pavlovna of Russia, Archduchess of Austria.

Description: This, the most ambitious and tallest of the known Imperial Easter eggs, represents the Uspenski (Dormition) Cathedral where the tsars of Russia were crowned. Based on a cup attributed to the Nüremberg copper and silversmith Sebastian Lindenast, the elder (ca. 1460-1526), the walls, towers, and staircases are clustered around the central, opalescent white enamel egg, the top of which takes the form of a graceful yellow gold cupola. The turrets of the Kremlin are fashioned in red gold and the roofs are enameled translucent light green. There are musical chimes in two of the towers, the decorative clock dials measuring about half an inch (12 mm.) in diameter. The Spasskaia Tower, which is duplicated, bears the coat of arms of the Russian Empire and of Moscow. Through the glass windows of the egg can be seen a minutely accurate representation of the interior of the cathedral, with its rich carpets, decorations, and High Altar, shown on an oval glass plate.

Two Cherubim chants, traditional triumphal Easter hymns, are played when a mechanism is wound up by a gold key two and a half inches (63 mm.) long. Tiny enameled icons of Our Lady of Kazan and Christ Pantocrator decorate the walls of the cathedral. The egg, which rests on an octagonal white onyx base, is consciously designed as a pyramid and is built up of other smaller pyramids. Engraved at the foot of the model in white enamel on a round gold plate is the date, 1904 (Snowman, 1979; Fabergé, Proler, & Skurlov, 1997). Fabergé’s bill for the egg says:

Egg, “Moscow Kremlin,” of different colored gold, with a white enamel egg representing the Uspenski Cathedral, with music, on a white onyx pediment. (Fabergé, Proler, & Skurlov, Fabergé Imperial Easter Eggs, London, 1997)

The bill is signed by A. (Editor’s note: Alexander) Fabergé for C. Fabergé and dated St. Petersburg, June 7 (OS), 1906. The egg can be removed from the towers, which hold it in place.

Background Notes: This somewhat startling egg marked the Imperial couple’s return to Moscow in 1903. They had tended to avoid the capital following a disastrous incident during the celebrations to mark their coronation. Hundreds of Muscovites died, crushed to death, when a crowd ran amok in Khodynka Meadow. Many Russians took the tragedy as a bad omen for the reign of the new tsar. Indeed, Nicholas II’s first cousin, Marie Pavlovna, Grand Duchess of Russia, recalled:

In the court circles, the disaster was little mentioned … but seemed under a cloud of sadness and premonition. All, perhaps without saying, regarded this catastrophe as a bad omen at the very beginning of the new reign. (Fabergé, Proler, & Skurlov, Fabergé Imperial Easter Eggs, London, 1997)

Tatiana Muntian in von Solodkoff, Fabergé: Juwelier des Zarenhofes (Hamburg, 1995) redates this egg to 1906, even though the egg itself has 1904 on its base. Writing in the World of Fabergé (Moscow, 1996) catalog, Muntian says the egg was to have been presented in 1904, but there was a delay, probably because of the Russo-Japanese War. This issue is discussed further in the introduction to the chapter entitled “Encyclopedia of Who’s Who in the House of Fabergé.” (Lowes and McCanless, Fabergé Eggs: A Retrospective Encyclopedia, 2001)

Muntian also observes in Fabergé, Proler, & Skurlov, Fabergé Imperial Easter Eggs (London, 1997), that another disaster was connected with this egg. Nicholas II’s favorite uncle and brother-in-law, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, was assassinated in the Kremlin by a socialist-revolutionary terrorist early in 1905. This was the first and only time a member of the ruling dynasty was murdered in the ancient citadel of the Moscow tsars. This may have delayed presentation of the egg for a second year. Nicholas II did not receive the Moscow Kremlin Egg to give to Alexandra Feodorovna until 1906, and the bill of sale was not presented until that year.

Despite these sad associations, the Moscow Kremlin Egg held the most prominent position in Alexandra Feodorovna’s display cabinet in the Mauve Sitting Room of the Alexander Palace. This is not surprising; the tsarina was deeply religious and became more so with age. Tsar Nicholas II had remarked in 1903 how much he enjoyed the Cherubim chants of Kastelskii during Easter services in the Uspenski Cathedral. Muntian says in Fabergé, Proler, & Skurlov, Fabergé Imperial Easter Eggs (London, 1997) this is most likely why the music was included in this egg.

An archival Fabergé photograph of this egg would indicate that some of the chain work that decorated the cross at the egg’s apex, is now missing. The cost of 11,800 rubles made it the most expensive Tsar Imperial Easter egg to date. The egg is readily identifiable in the 1922 inventory of confiscated Imperial treasure. An expert valuation was made of this egg in 1927. Found by Fabergé, Proler, & Skurlov, the valuation noted that, “The article is badly damaged, many domes broken, two chains missing from the cross. Cupola dented, one window broken, another missing. One eagle and two flags missing. Various small parts dented. Key broken.”

Despite all this damage, the valuation assessed the egg’s worth at 46,400 rubles-the highest of the sixteen eggs valued in the list.

Amidst the troubles of 1905, Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna moved from the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg to the Alexandra Palace at Tsarskoye Selo, 25 kilometers south-west of the capital, feeling they and their family would be safer there. From this point on, all Alexandra’s Easter eggs would be housed at the Alexander Palace, with the exception of the 1907 Rose Trellis Egg. Alexandra left all her other earlier Easter eggs behind at the Winter Palace.

I read became Grand duchess elizabeth feodorovna was a foster parent is that true can you tell me more?

Yes yes I can!!!

So basically Princess Elisabeth of Hesse (1864-1918) married Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia and became Elisabeth Feodorovna. Sergei had a brother named Grand Duke Pavel Alexandrovich and he had a wife named Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark aka Alexandra Georgievna.

Pavel married Alexandra and they had a daughter named Maria (aka Maria Pavlovna the younger) and they also had a son named Dmitri (aka Dmitri Pavlovich). While in premature labor with Dmitri, Alexandra sadly passed away in 1891 and Pavel struggled with the care of his two young children. Elisabeth and Sergei who were the children’s aunt and uncle slowly started taking on most of the childcare responsibilities and eventually became the pairs legal guardians. Pavel also married another woman morganatically and had 3 more children.

Elisabeth and Sergei never conceived but we’re known as Maria and Dmitri’s foster parents.

I hope this helps and thank you for asking!

Tiaras Owned by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom

This is not a list of all tiaras owned by the British royal family. It is just the tiaras that I think were owned by Queen Elizabeth II. It is also by no means a complete list because we really have no idea what tiaras are still in the vaults at Buckingham Palace and the information about who owns what jewels is kept purposefully vague.

King George IV’s Diamond Diadem

Queen Adelaide‘s Hanover Fringe Tiara

Queen Victoria’s Oriental Circlet

Queen Victoria’s Ruby, Lasque Diamond, & Pearl Tiara

Queen Alexandra’s Kokoshnik Tiara

Queen Mary’s Girls of Great Britain & Ireland Tiara

Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother’s Bracelet Bandeau Tiara

Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother’s Strathmore Rose Tiara

Queen Elizabeth II’s Brazilian Aquamarine Tiara

Queen Elizabeth II’s Burmese Ruby Tiara

Queen Elizabeth II’s Sapphire Tiara

Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia’s Vladimir Pearl Drop Tiara

Owned by Queen Elizabeth II but currently or recently loaned out to a family member

Queen Mary’s Delhi Durbar Tiara - Queen Camilla

Duchess of Teck’s Crescent Tiara - Queen Camilla

Dame Margaret Greville’s Honeycomb Tiara - Queen Camilla

Queen Mary’s Lovers Knot Tiara - Princess of Wales

Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother’s Halo Scroll Tiara - Princess of Wales

Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother’s Lotus Flower Tiara - Princess of Wales

Countess of Wessex’s Anthemion Wedding Tiara - Countess of Wessex

Queen Elizabeth II’s Small Aquamarine Tiara - Countess of Wessex

Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother’s Double Meander Tiara - Princess Anne (only worn once)

Queen Mary’s Diamond Bandeau Tiara - Duchess of Sussex (only worn once)

Queen Mary’s Fringe Tiara - Princess Beatrice (only worn once)

Dame Margaret Greville’s Emerald Tiara - Princess Eugenie (only worn once)

Tiaras that might have been owned by Queen Elizabeth II because we don’t have any information about them being sold or broken up but they also haven't been seen in a long time

Queen Mary’s Diamond Lozenge Tiara

Queen Mary’s Sapphire Bandeau Tiara

Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother’s Persian Turquoise Tiara (possibly back in the vault like the Lotus Flower Tiara)

So that totals out to 27 tiaras, I wouldn’t be surprised if the number is actually higher.  I fully expect all of them to have been inherited by King Charles III because in the UK items passed from monarch to monarch are not subject to inheritance taxes. This is an updated version of an older list here, there's also all of the tiaras actually worn by Queen Elizabeth II here, and how ownership of the tiaras works here.

💌 “We must expect anything, even a disaster. All I ask of Russia is to hold fast. She will hold. Don't doubt it!” － Grand Duchess Marie Pavlovna (Miechen) to Maurice Paléologue

💌 “It seems that all are mad... I am absolutely depressed. All that happened is so terrible... My God, what awaits us and what will that end with?” － Marie Feodorovna, in a message to Xenia, after the Archduke's assasination, 1914