#empress marie feodorovna

[aimeedaisies]

Princess Anne is wearing the Empress Marie Feodorovna’s Sapphire brooch!

Empress Marie received to brooch from her sister and brother in law, the Prince and Princess of Wales (later King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra) on her marriage to the future Emperor Alexander III of Russia in 1866.

By the second decade of the twentieth century, Marie’s family was in tatters. Her son, Emperor Nicholas II, was murdered alongside his wife and children, and the Russian monarchy was abolished completely. Minnie managed to flee to Denmark, and this brooch was one of the jewels that remained in her possession after the revolution.

After she died in 1928, Marie’s daughters, Olga and Xenia, were tasked with handling their mother’s extensive jewelry collection. They decided to sell numerous pieces at auction. The sale was handled by Hennell and Sons, an English firm. Appropriately, one of the auction’s interested buyers was Queen Mary of the United Kingdom, wife of Marie’s nephew, King George V. Mary purchased the sapphire, diamond, and pearl brooch from the estate on October 3, 1930, paying £2,375 for the piece (which exceeded the brooch’s auction estimate, set between £1400 and £1900).

The brooch became a part of Queen Mary’s own extensive royal jewelry collection. She liked to wear these types of brooches pinned at her throat.

In 1953, Queen Elizabeth II inherited all of Queen Mary’s jewels, including the brooch. She wore it to several occasions;

The Epsom Derby in both 1963 and 1964

Several times to the Chelsea Flower Show

In 1977, HM for one of the festivities celebrating a very important milestone: her Silver Jubilee.

In 1995 for a landmark visit to New Zealand, during which she delivered a formal apology in person for the nineteenth-century Invasion of the Waikato.

Empress Marie Feodorovna’s Sapphire Brooch | The Court Jeweller

2 December 2022 Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, Patron, the Mary Peters Trust, attended a Dinner to mark the Fiftieth Anniversary of Dame Mary Peters’ Olympic Gold Medal Win, Europa Hotel, Great Victoria Street, Belfast, and was received by Dr Nigel Carr (Deputy Lieutenant of County Borough of Belfast). 📸: Local Women Magazine

[postcard-from-the-past]

Duchess Sophie Marie Dorothea Auguste Luise of Württemberg, later Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia

Russian vintage postcard, illustrated by S. Solomko

[queenalexandraofdenmark]

𝙲𝚑𝚘𝚌𝚘𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚁𝚘𝚢𝚊𝚕 𝚠𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗 👑✨🍫

(𝙿𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝟸 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝟺)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Queen Sophia of Greece, née Princess Sophia of Prussia.

Princess Beatrice, Duchess of Galliera, née Princess Beatrice of Edinburgh.

Empress Maria Feodorovna, née Princess Dagmar of Denmark.

Queen Marie of Romania, née Princess Marie of Edinburgh.

Queen Victoria, née Princess Alexandrina Victoria of Kent.

Queen Margherita of Italy, née Princess Margherita of Savoy.

Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, née Princess Alix of Hesse.

Princess Louise of Schaumburg-Lippe, née Princess Louise of Denmark.

Queen Victoria Eugenie of Spain, née Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg.

[loiladadiani]

Queen Louise of Denmark, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna, and Princess Marie of Greece and Denmark (Greek Minnie)

All of them beautiful in their own way…even Greek Minnie looks lovely; her features did not yet show the “constant expression of displeasure” into which they would seem to set later in life.

In my opinion, King Christian IX and Queen Louise raised their children to occupy the high places they would in Imperial Europe and also did the work necessary to find those children appropriate grooms and brides…for the most part. gcl

[foreverinthepagesofhistory]

I was looking at Tsar Nicholas II’s 1900-1903 album and my eye got caught on this picture.

This is a picture of Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna’s Mauve Boudoir.

If you look closely on the side table, you can see a framed photo of Alexandra’s little sister Marie or “May”.

The real photo is this:

I am posting this because I’m SO glad to see that Alix kept the memory of her little sister alive and that there is evidence that Alix remembered her in a way.

[queenalexandraofdenmark]

Queen Louise is barely noticeable in the background!

Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna holding her grandnephew Prince Edward (known in the family as David; the future Edward VIII), with the Duchess of York, and her mother Queen Louise of Denmark in 1898.

[teatimeatwinterpalace]

Princess Dagmar of Denmark, later Empress of Russia, 1862.

Thirteen-year-old Dagmar's chief attraction was her dark brown, velvety eyes. She was 'a dear little ting with a pretty figure and a very plain face - all excepting her eyes which are very pretty'. Her elfin-like, sparkling face with a wide flashing smile had less regular features than Alix's and, although never a classic beauty, she was slender with the same flair for clothes as her sister. She was also more intelligent and quick-witted, with wider interests.

The girls knew how to fight. Bernhard von Bulow, a childhood playmate of Dagmar and Alexandra and later Chancellor of Germany, recalled their rough treatment. Alexandra was already becoming a beauty but Dagmar, although lively and clever, impressed him as being ' a more vivid personality' and 'desperately hard-headed and obstinate.'

'Little Dagmar is a darling" Vicky, 1861.

Little mother of Russia : a biography of the empress Marie Feodorovna by Coryne Hall.

[the-jewel-catalogue]

Princess Anne attending a gala dinner in aid of Eric Liddell 100

The Princess Royal looks to be wearing the Empress Maria Feodorovna’s sapphire brooch, however it has never been confirmed to be the jewel.

The brooch dates to 1866. It was purchased by Queen Alexandra (then the Princess of Wales) as a wedding gift for her sister, Princess Dagmar, who later became Empress Marie Feodorovna of Russia. The brooch features a double diamond and cabochon sapphire cluster with a pearl drop pendant. After the empress’s death in 1928, her daughters sold the brooch to Queen Mary, who later bequeathed it to Queen Elizabeth II. 

~~~~~~~~~~~ From the Court Jeweller ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There are two things that now hold me back from definitively saying that Anne is indeed wearing the Marie Feodorovna brooch on those two occasions. The first is just visual: there’s something that almost looks flatter about the sapphire cluster portion of Anne’s brooch. That could easily be explained away by photography, and a closer view might offer clarification.

The second, though, is the fact that the late Queen herself wore the Marie Feodorovna brooch shortly after Anne’s appearance at the Team GB Ball, for an audience with the Sultan of Oman in December 2021 (pictured above). That doesn’t exclude the possibility that Anne borrowed the brooch, returned it to her mother, and then borrowed/inherited it again later. It’s just not how we normally saw the Queen’s jewels being handled.

The Princess last wore it in 2022 on a trip to Uganda.

[foreverinthepagesofhistoryy]

~ ♔ ꧁ OTMA ꧂ ♔ ~

❧ “In the darkness of the mystery which surrounds the fate of these innocent children it is with poignant emotion that I recall them as they appeared, so full of life and joy, in those distant, yet incredibly near, days before the World War and the downfall of Imperial Russia.”

❧ “Olga was perhaps the cleverest of them all, her mind being so quick to grasp ideas, so absorbent of knowledge that she learned almost without application or close study. Her chief characteristics, I should say, were a strong will and a singularly straightfor, ward habit of thought and action.”

❧ “Tatiana was almost a perfect reincarnation of her mother. Taller and slenderer than her sisters, she had the soft, refined features and the gentle, reserved manners of her English ancestry. Kindly and sympathetic of disposition, she displayed towards her younger sisters and her brother such a protecting spirit that they, in fun, nicknamed her "the governess."

❧ “Marie had splendid eyes and rose-red cheeks. She was inclined to be stout and she had rather thick lips which detracted a little from her beauty. Marie had a naturally sweet disposition and a very good mind.”

❧ “Anastasia, a sharp and clever child, was a very monkey for jokes, some of them at times almost too practical for the enjoyment of others. I remember once when the family was in their Polish estate in winter the children were amusing themselves at snowballing. The imp which sometimes seemed to possess Anastasia led her to throw a stone rolled in a snowball straight at her dearly loved sister Tatiana. The missile struck the poor girl fairly in the face with such force that she fell senseless to the ground. The grief and horror of Anastasia lasted for many days and permanently cured her of her worst propensities to practical jokes.”

- Anna Vyrubova (friend and personal confidante of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna)

[archduchessofnowhere]

Besides their meeting in 1887, Alexandra also met the Empress of Austria the 22 April of 1890. Elisabeth and her daughter Valerie had gone to Homburg to visit the Empress Victoria of Germany (unannounced, a habit that Elisabeth got on her later life), and there they also met the Hessian grand ducal family. Valerie wrote on her diary that:

She [Empress Victoria] then sent for her daughter Victoria - not a very likeable girl - (in contrast to her youngest sister Margarete); apart from her, I found with Victoria: the rather insignificant Grand Duke of Hesse with his still rather boyish son Ernst Ludwig and his three daughters: Victoria Battenberg - rather mean - Princess Henry - quite nice - and the still unmarried very beautiful Alix.

Richard Sexau, editor of Valerie's diary, adds this note: "As the conversation faltered, Valérie proposed a social play, but this did not bring about any cosiness either…".

Alexandra Feodorovna and Nicholas II during a visit to Austria, from an illustration, 1896. On the left is a crop of the image, showing Alexandra and the Empress Elisabeth of Austria together. The third image is also of Alexandra and Elisabeth, most likely a picture from the day of Alexandra’s second letter. Alexandra had saw Elisabeth 9 years before, while still Alix of Hesse.

“On Saturday we saw the Empress of Austria, and I was perfectly enchanted with her. She has a most lovely, tall & thin figure (50 years old) and such a pretty face & soft voice.”

- Princess Alix of Hesse to Ernest of Hesse, 3rd August 1887

“How funny it is to hear German spoken everywhere after 2 years in Russia. […] Nicky drove with the Emperor [of Austria] & I followed with the Empress - I must say I am shy with all these masses of strange faces again. The Empress I had already seen twice before - she enquired after you. - Stephanie [the Dowager Crown Princess of Austria] was directly charming - she must be coming now in a minute - as she wanted to see me a little quietly. […]

At 5 there is an immense Dinner & Cercle (oh dear) & parade, then Pürschen for Nicky. At 4 family dinner at Leinz, then drive & later a Concert here in the Burg. It is such a pitty [sic] that as soon as the Empress does not appear Stephanie neither does, as she would have been such a great help to me.”

- Alexandra to Enrest, 15/27th August 1896

[queenalexandraofdenmark]

prettiest royal woman iyo?

Queen Alexandra

Empress Maria Feodorovna

Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna

Empress Victoria of Germany

Queen Maud of Norway

Grand Duchess Elisabeth Feodorovna

Queen Sophia of Greece

Queen Maria Sophie of the Two Siciles

Princess Margaret

Princess Beatrice of Edinburgh, Duchess of Galliera.

[loiladadiani]

Imperial Weddings during the Romanov Reign

The bridal ensemble of a Romanov imperial bride was always the same. It could not deviate from the regulations estipulated by the imperial code. They wore dresses made of cloth of silver or gold, with jeweled buttons down the skirt, topped by a velvet and ermine mantle. 

Their diamond accessories included the grand tiara made for Empress Elizabeth, which featured the Paul I Pink Diamond, as well as the Nuptial Crown, the Cherry Earrings, the Diamond Necklace, the Diamond Bracelet, and the Cloak Clasp, which had been made for Catherine the Great.  A royal wedding outfit weighed 25-30 kg. Standing still in it all day was difficult, let alone moving around! Sometimes the exhausted brides had to be carried.

According to tradition, brides in the Romanov family donated their wedding dresses to the church afterward. However, Alexandra Feodorovna, the last empress of Russia, decided to keep hers. That is why her wedding dress has survived to this day (it is on exhibition in the Hermitage.) This was considered an omen of bad luck.

Since Queen Victoria could not attend the wedding of her beloved granddaughter Alix in Russia, her other granddaughter, Alexandra's sister, Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, sketched Alix’s wedding dress without the jewels and the velvet cloak and sent the sketch to their grandmother with a letter. In the letter, she discusses the lace veil worn by Alix as her bridal veil. It was the same lace wedding veil worn by her mother, Princess Alice of the United Kingdom, and her sisters, Princess Victoria, Grand Duchess Ella, and Princess Irene. See the sketches below.

Towards the end of the Romanov tenure as rulers of Russia, regulations relaxed somewhat. Nicholas II's sister Olga, who was notoriously rebellious regarding protocol, did not conduct her first wedding according to the imperial code and wore a regular wedding dress and none of the jewels. Her second wedding years later was even more casual. Prince Marie of Greece and Denmark (to become Grand Duchess Marie Georgevna by marriage) refused to get married in Russia or wear the wedding regalia, although she wore Russian court dress. The tradition had been for all imperial women to marry at the chapel in the Winter Palace, and it was not broken even for Queen Victoria, who could not travel so far by the time her second son, Prince Alfred Ernest, married Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna, the daughter of Emperor Alexander II.

[warwickroyals]

Sunderland's Royal Jewel Vault (38/∞) ♛

↬ Queen Matilda Mary's Ruby Bandeau Tiara

Also called the Russian Ruby Bandeau, it has been suggested that this tiara once belonged to one of the royal family’s Romanov relatives—likely Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, Queen Alexandra’s niece by marriage—but there is no concrete evidence about the tiara’s original owner. What we do know is that it was made by French luxury jeweller Chaumet in the 1910s and was purchased by the freshly enthroned Queen Matilda Mary a decade later. The bandeau features an art deco design and ruby sunray elements. Throughout the 20s and 30s, it was worn by both Queen Matilda Mary and her successor, Queen Anne. In the 80s and 90s, the tiara was also worn by King Louis V’s sister-in-law, Phyllis, Duchess of Keele. However, as the twentieth century drew to a close, the jewel disappeared, once again becoming a mystery. Creation: Early 1910s by Chaumet Provenance: 1) Queen Matilda Mary of Sunderland 2) Queen Anne of Sunderland 3) Queen Irene of Sunderland Other wearers: Phyllis, Duchess of Keele Commissioned/Purchased by: Unknown Status: Unknown, likely in the royal vault

[foreverinthepagesofhistory]

Princess Marie “May” of Hesse edit

I made this edit because everyone says that Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna was named after her grandmother Empress Maria Feodorovna. I do think that that is valid, but my heart and part of my brain really believes that she was truly named after her aunt May. May was Maria’s mother Alix’s little sister. She died at the age of 4 years old in 1878 because of Diptheria. Alix was only 6 years old when she lost her little sister (and her mother). She was now the youngest child in the family and she didn’t have that same happiness that she had before. I believe that Alix named her daughter Maria after her little sister so I made an edit expressing my feelings about this topic.

made by me using IMovie

[kootyl]

Empress Alexandra Feodorovna and Tsar Nicholas II with her daughters - Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Marie and Anastasia Romanov and her son Tsarevich Alexei Romanov. Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov is being politely greeted. April 1912.

[queenalexandraofdenmark]

Louie and Alixcy were so beautiful🥺💜

Crop of Princess Alix of Hesse and by Rhine and Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein, 1885

“My darling Ernie

[Alix:] Thousand thanks for your sweet letter. I was very glad to hear that you had shot 9 stags and a Roebuck. Dear Papa left yesterday afternoon, & I miss him very much. - This morning we four girls went with Uncle Arthur, Aunt Louischen, M.[argaret] H.[ardcastle] J.[ackson] & H. v. Westerweller to Langen Church. In the morning the Egelsbacher Gesangverein sung [sic], it was better than last time. -

[Marie Louise:] The weather is not very fine and so we shall go into Darmstadt on Wednesday the 23rd. We are writing each a sheet quite alone as it is Miss M.H. Jackson’s birthday. We 3 presented her with a bouquet of roses & poisonous berries which she will wear this evening. Irene & Alix, A.[unt] Louischen & Uncle A.[rthur] gave her each a present. Uncle [gave her] his photo. Aunt a bracelet like Missy’s silver one. Irene & Alix gave her gold beads and a tray for pins.

We have been playing cricket a great deal with a tennis raquets [sic] & a soft ball. It is great fun & very exciting & hot work. We play in front of the large house, in the sand. We sometimes take walks with Indigo & the dogs, occasionaly [sic] the sheep have their turns, wh.[ich] is not the most amusing nor the best smell. They are very obstinate & nearly pull you into the ditch, & run between one’s legs. We have singing evenings, wh. are very amusing. 

All send much love & your beloved Axeli [Alix] sends many kisses. Please give dear Grandmama my best love & also to Aunty & Liko. Pardon my scrawl, but I am in a great hurry as we are going for a walk & I have to change my dress. Abby wrote that he had hurt his leg again, & so could do no lessons. We expect a letter in return and as there is nothing more to tell you we remain your affectionate cousin Louise & loving little Sister Alix. 1885

[P.S.] Do not let any one see this.”

- Marie Louise and Alix to Ernest Louis of Hesse, 20th September 1885