"The Empress Dowager received us in her palace and spoke of her sister with great affection. She was not beautiful, but she possessed the same innate dignity that made her sister everyone's favorite. She was courteous and pleasant, in contrast to the Empress’s refusal to receive us…”
— Consuelo Vanderbilt on Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia.













