#letter extracts

Princess Alix (‘Sunny’) of Hesse and by Rhine and Tsesarevich Nicholas, 1894

“So you had a nice splash in your big bath and felt quite happy afterwards; you old baby; but I too enjoy having a nice big one. I should like to have been there when you were suddenly in utter darkness, you would not have had a quiet moment! Are you not counting the seconds till a certain somebody dares cruelly to tickle you again; besides I would have smothered you with kisses.”

- Alix to Nicholas, 10th September 1894

“My own darling Sunny, I get in a mad state of excitement when they bring me your letters, and I don’t know what I would have given, to be able to fly over to you and to cover your sweet face with greedy, burning and loving kisses.”

- Nicholas to Alix, 1st/13th September

“Some things came from Mme Flotov for me to try on; I felt so funny putting on such smart undergarments and nightgowns, don’t be shocked my mentioning them. [...] Gretchen would be shocked if she knew my mentioning such clothings to you. I suppose I ought to be shyer and primmer with you, like with others, but somehow I can’t.”

- Alix to Nicholas, 14th

“You old monkey, how dare you say you will kiss me without my permission as much as you like! I never heard of such impudence before! You better not try it, otherwise my revenge will be most terrible. Oh, dear one. I long for you more and more, especially now that you could not come as soon as intended. What joy when we then at last do meet and I can clasp you in my arms and gaze into your precious face and beautiful tender eyes, and kiss you gently, always more and more, till there is no escaping for you no more. When once I have got you, you will not be free again so soon. I shall smother you with kisses!”

- Alix to Nicholas, 23rd

“Why would you look at me at the balls so sternly in 1889 - I can’t forget the impression that constant gaze of the ‘oceans’ made upon me. I remember not being able to make out what it meant? Joy, despair, astonishment, shyness - overcame me, but still the gaze went on piercing me through and through burning me, stirring up hope and fear, joy and sorrow! You were an enchantress then, my sweet one. The state I’m in - a sort of gelatine.”

Princess Victoria ‘Ducky’ Melita and Alexandra Feodorovna

“God grant they [Ducky and Ernie] may be happy - she is such a dear.”

- Alexandra, 30th March 1894

“His parents were resigned: they had done their best to prevent the marriage [between Ducky and Kyrill], but it was done, and they expected the Tsar to give Kyrill a ticking-off and then forget all about it. They were stunned, and livid, to hear that their son had been stripped of his rank and titles and banished for his blatant breach of the family laws. Vladimir went to remonstrate with his nephew and Marie [Pavlovna the Elder] had no doubt of who was really to blame. 

She wrote to her uncle, Heinrich VII Reuss Kõstritz: ‘the blind vindictiveness and rage of the young Tsarina has, for sheer malice, exceeded everything the wildest imagination could conceive. She stormed and raged like a lunatic, dragging her weak husband along with her until he let her his power and so made it possible to revenge herself on her ex-sister-in-law for marrying the man of her choice.’

She really believed this and for ninety years her version of events has gone unchallenged. It is only now, as documents are released from the archives in Russia, that we can see how wrong she was. Alexandra did not hate Victoria Melita for the painful end of her brother’s marriage. She pitied them both, pleading with her sister-in-law Ksenia not to judge them harshly or listen to gossip about them*. It was Nicholas, not Alexandra, who felt obliged to punish his cousin, following a precedent set by his father, and many other members of the family supported the action he took.”

- Romanov Autumn 

Yulia ‘Lili’ Dehn and Alexandra Feodorovna, 1909. Alexandra was utterly devoted to all of her friends and treated them all with motherly affection, as can be seen in her letters. ‘I don't mind whether a person is rich or poor. Once my friend, always my friend’ she said to Lili.

“ ‘I entreat you, Madame, don't lose your courage, don't give way: think of your children and of the Emperor.’ The Empress considered me with almost painful scrutiny. ‘And you, Lili, what of you?’ ‘Madame, I love you more than anything in this world.’ ‘I know it - I see it, Lili.’ [...] At this time, I am proud to say, the Empress relied on me as woman to woman. To her, I was always ‘Lili,’ or ‘My brave girl.’ I was her friend in trouble. [...]

‘Lili... do you understand what this order means? After it is enforced, nobody will be allowed to leave the Palace, all news from outside will be stopped. What do you wish to do? Think of Titi... Can you bear to be without tidings of him?’ I did not hesitate. ‘My greatest wish is to remain with you, Madame,’ I replied. [...] ‘Don't worry on my account, Madame,’ I answered. ‘We will share the danger together.’ [...] the Empress came back to me, carrying an eiderdown. ‘It's bitterly cold,’ she said. ‘I want you to be comfortable, Lili, so I've brought you another quilt.’ She tucked the quilt well round my shoulders, regardless of my protestations, and again bade me good night. [...]

For ten years I had received nothing but affection from the Imperial Family. I had watched the children grow up, I had been their playmate and their friend - now I had to leave them in hostile and menacing surroundings. [...] I turned to the Empress. With a tremendous effort of will, she forced herself to smile reassuringly; then, in a voice whose every accent bespoke intense love and deep religious conviction, she said: ‘Lili, by suffering we are purified for Heaven. This goodbye matters little - we shall meet in another world’.”

- Lili’s Memoirs, ‘The Real Tsaritsa’

“My own dear darling, best and tender thanks for your dear letter. At last we have received good news from you; it was an anxious time not to hear for so long, knowing that things are bad where you are living. I can imagine though what terrible mental agony you must be going through, and you are alone. [...] My God, how sorry I am for you my little giant one; you have always been so brave. I think of those days of a year ago. I shall never forget that you were everything to me and believe that God will not leave you or forsake you. [...] Do not worry about us, darling, dearly beloved one.”

Tsesarevich Nicholas (‘Nicky’), Princess Alix of Hesse and by Rhine (‘Alicky’), Marie, Princess Leiningen, Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn and Queen Victoria, June 1894

“Nicky, who is most affectionate & attentive to me, led me out when I left the Drawing room. [...] Sweet Alicky looked lovely, as always.”

- Queen Victoria’s diary, 29th June

“I treasure every free hour that I can spend with her [Alix]. I started to write several times in her room, but my efforts to write a good letter came to nothing, as at every moment I felt the imperious and irresistible need to jump up from the chair and embrace her!”

- Nicholas to Maria Feodorovna, 27th June/9th July

“I either sit at home with Alix, or go for a drive with her and the Queen. It seems funny to me, all this life here and the extent of which I have become part of the English family. I have become almost as indispensable to my future grandmother as her two Indians [servants] and her Scotsman; I am, as it were, attached to her and the best thing is that she does not like me to leave her side.”

Crop of Maria (name before marriage - Dagmar, nickname - Minnie/Minny) Feodorovna and Tsesarevich Alexander ('Sacha’) from a family photo in Denmark, 1867

“She certainly is a very attractive, charming and interesting little person. I never thought she would become so pretty. She seems quite happy and contented with her fat, good-natured husband who seems far more attentive and kind to her than one would have thought. I was pleased to see that she has not become grand - and does not give herself airs as all the Russian Grand Duchesses do.

She has remained simple and unaffected; she has only been a short while in Russia since her marriage - but it does not seem as if the splendours of the Russian Court would dazzle her, and turn her head nor the servile flattery, which is the one there, could spoil her.”

- Victoria, Crown Princess of Prussia to Queen Victoria, 2nd October 1867

“I am glad you were pleased with Dagmar and think her so unspoilt and simple. That is the case also with Alix [wife of the Prince of Wales, sister of Minnie]. If only she understood her duties better. That makes me terribly anxious.”

- Queen Victoria to Victoria, Crown Princess of Prussia, 5th October 1867

“The Grand Duke (Sacha) was here today on his way back to St. Petersburg. I like him very much - though I did not when I first saw him. He is awkward, shy and uncouth, from being so very big, but he is simple and unpretending not proud and capricious as most Russians are, and has something straightforward and good-natured about him which I like and I think you would also. All the reports I had at Paris of his being so unhappy with Minny - and she only having married him to please her mother - are not true. I think they are very domestic and happy and attached to each other, he makes a very good husband”

Grand Duchess Maria and Grand Duchess Anastasia holding ‘Shvybzik’, 1915. 

Shvybzik was a Pomeranian who belonged to Nicholas II's family. He is first mentioned in their letters at the beginning of 1915. When I first come across this mention, I was very confused as 'Shvybzik' is also one of Anastasia's frequently used nicknames (contrary to popular belief, Shvybzik does not mean Imp in Russian). 

“I am now sitting near Mama, at her feet lies Shvybzik. [...] The little Shvybzik just made a 'governor' on Mama's carpet, and Anastasia is now training him.”

- Maria to Nicholas II, 5th April 1915 

“Right now there is a big commotion. Ortipo [Tatiana's dog] is scampering around the room, while little Shvybzik is squealing.” 

- Grand Duchess Olga to Nicholas, 11th 

“Shvybzik was there of course. Viktor Erastovich thinks Shvybzik would make a very good diver.”

- Anastasia to Nicholas, 12th April 

“I put Shvybzik on my lap, but he wished to be on the floor. [...] Mama is sending Anastasia to bed, while she is in despair [because she] cannot find Shvybzik who is missing in action, everyone is shouting and calling him but he does not come, the bastard. Finally we found him after 10 minutes, we were all looking for him under the sofas. Finally Mama decided to bark and Shvybzik barked in response, and it turned out that he was sitting under the couch at Mama's, and he was pulled out with a joint effort.”

- Maria to Nicholas, 18th 

“Alexei came to our bedroom, and now he is lying on my bed with Anastasia and Shvybzik. [...] Shvybzik is squealing, probably he wants to see the Governor-General. He has already done that, and Anastasia ran in with the little shovel from the fireplace and picked it up.” 

- 19th 

Alexandra Feodorovna and Grand Duchess Maria

“My darling little Maria, 

Your letter made me quite sad. Sweet child you must promise me never again to think that nobody loves you. How did such an extraordinary idea get into your little head? Get it quickly out again. We all love you very tenderly, only when too wild and naughty and won’t listen, then must be scolded; but to scold, does not mean that one does not love, on the contrary, one does it so as that you may cure your faults and improve. You generally keep away from the others, [you] think that you are in the way, and remain alone with Irina instead of being with them. They imagine then that you do not want to be with them; now you are getting a big girl it is good that you should be more with them.

Now do not think any more about it, and remember that you are just as precious and dear as the other 4 and that we love you with all our heart. God bless you Darling child. I kiss you ever so tenderly. Your loving old Mama +.”

- Alexandra to Maria, 11th March 1910

“My little Childy,

Ever such loving thanks for your letter. I had long ago noticed that you were sad but did not ask because one does not like it when others ask. Certainly, coming home to lessons (which are inevitable) after your long holidays and gay life with relations and merry young people is not easy. Then loving your old Mama who is always ill does not make life bright for you poor children. It is my great sorrow not to be able to be more with you all, and to read and shout and play together - but we must bear all. [...] Cheer up, little one - try to be good and don’t think yourself horrid.”

- Extract of a letter from Alexandra to Maria, 6th December 1910

“Marie and I sat side by side on the sofa, the young girl shook with fear, but her terror was not for herself - Marie, like all the children, thought only of her beloved mother. [...] to our unspeakable relief, we saw the Empress! Marie ran towards her mother, half crying, and half laughing, and the Empress quickly reassured her. [...] Poor Marie, who had so longed to be the first to welcome the Emperor, was now delirious, with intervals of consciousness. [...] The next moment she was back in the fantastic and terrible kingdom of fever. ‘Crowds of people... dreadful people... they're coming to kill Mama!! Why are they doing these things?’ Alas, poor child, others have since asked the same question.”

Princess Alix (‘Alicky’) of Hesse and by Rhine, June 1894, likely the 13/25th

“Yesterday we had tea at Bagshot with Uncle Arthur, and today we are going to White Lodge, to see Georgie and May after their happy family event.”

- Tsesarevich Nicholas to Maria Feodorovna, 14/26th June 1894

“You rejoice as I do, indeed, and as the whole nation does, to the most wonderful degree, at the birth of dear Georgie’s boy. It is a great pleasure and satisfaction but not such a marvel, for if Alicky had not refused Eddy in ‘89 I might have had a [great] grandchild four years ago already. [...] I went over yesterday with Beatrice, Nicky, Alicky and Marie L to see May and the baby, who is a very fine strong boy, a pretty child. [...] Dear Nicky is very amiable and quite at home with us.”