#olga paley

[thepaleys]

Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna on meeting the Hohenfelsens

(safe to say she was not impressed 🤣)

Paris, 16 June 1908

The young Swedish couple" has arrived in our hotel. Little Marie is a very sedate and calm little person, but she poured her heart out to Baby: she feels it terribly meeting here her step-mother and suffers greatly under it. As to poor little Dmitry, he is in perfect despair. He hates the whole thing and loathed the idea of seeing his new Geschwister [siblings]. He comes to me to talk about it.

Of course Uncle Paul and wife manquent de tact [are tactless] in every way: for instance, last Tuesday he arranged a big luncheon with quantities of his French acquaintances and asked us too. It was the first time poor Dmitry went to his house here and Uncle Paul presented him to all the guests as "mon fils aine" [my eldest son]. The boy simply se tordait de désespoir [curled up in despair], we observed it all and in the middle of this unknown company appeared these second children and all the affected French people went into loud ectasies about them [at this time, Vladimir was 11, Irina 4 and Natalie 2], whilst poor Dmitry was pale with concentrated rage and moral suffering.

Marie told Baby that she never would have come here, had she known, how it would be. And people are wonderfully taktlos. They all praise her to the skies when they talk to me, cette charmante Comtesse Hohenfelsen, "elle est adorable, cette femme". Vous trouvez [that charming Countess Hohenfelsen. She's adorable, don't you think?]. I answer, oh! Bien pour moi, c'est très pénible [for me it's all very painful] and I tell them a few truths. Then they at once turn the conversation, as French people hate when they are found at fault et ne désirent pas du tout en savoir d'avantage. [and don't want to be wrong in any way].

As to Uncle Paul, I cannot support at all him here; his whole attitude and tone I find detestable, I don't show it, à quoi bon and I am simply polite with his wife, like with any lady in society I don't care for. I simply writhe when I see in his house portraits of my mother, what a desecration! And he pointed them out to me! I thought one moment I would like to insult him before all his idiotic French guests.

"Dear Mama" - Diana Mandache

This is what I love about digging into original sources. When we read Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna's memoires, the idea we get is that she always had a pleasent relationship with her stepmother, but here (at least according to Maria Alexandrovna, who clearly still held a deep resentment towards her brother and his second wife) it seems things were not so smooth.

It's also interesting (and sad) to notice how she doesn't really consider Grand Duke Paul's children from his second marriage worthy of any note and is even annoyed that the French fawn over them and that Grand Duke Paul introduces Dmitri as his "eldest son", which seems to imply she doesn't consider Vladimir to be his son at all.

It kind of shows what the rest of the family thought about Grand Duke Paul's second family: so irrelevant that it was as if they didn't exist.

[nadziejacher]

Prince Vladimir Paley poem about Marie Antoinette harpsichord, which in 1910s was located in his palace in Tsarskoe Selo. Photo of my original Vladimir's book of poems, 1916

[loiladadiani]

“Royal Group”

This is an interesting picture, for more than one reason. First, lets see who is in it (I don't recognize them all but I will tell you who I recognize.) From left to right, the second woman in white is Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna; there is a woman I don't recognize behind her and then comes her mother, Miechen ( Grand Duchess Maria Palovna the Elder.) in front of Miechen, sitting on a step is Nicholas Nicholaievich (Nicholasha); slightly behind Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna is Olga Paley, Grand Duke Pavel Alexandrovich’s wife. Pavel is next to her, the only person in the picture sitting on a chair. In front of him there is an older gentleman in military garb, whom I don't recognize. Next to him sits a very young Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich. Sitting slightly behind Andrei is his brother Grand Duke Boris.

There are at least four interspersed ladies I don't recognize, as well as several officers. All the way to the right, stands the unmistakable Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich.

When I first saw this picture, I noticed that Miechen is resting her hand on Nicholasha’s neck in what to me appeared like a rather intimate gesture. And of course, some time after that I read that there were rumors that Miechen and Nicholasha had an affair (the source for that is not a consistently reliable one.) I don't believe the rumours. Nicholasha was no fool and in no position to offend his older and more powerful cousin, Vladimir, known for his fiery temper. Plus most of the literature states that Miechen and Vladimir we're very well matched and loved each other. But there is the hand…on…Nicholasha’s…neck…

[gogmstuff]

More images of 1912 fashion -

1912-1913 Afternoon dress.

1912 (Winter) Jeanne Paquin evening gown (Helen Larson Historic Fashion Collection, FIDM Museum - Los Angeles, California, USA).

1912 (Winter) Jeanne Paquin evening gown (Helen Larson Historic Fashion Collection, FIDM Museum - Los Angeles, California, USA).

Left 1912 Lucile dress (V&A). From omgthatdress.tumblr.com/post/654088327176306688/evening-dress-lucile-1912-the-victoria-albert 1280X1707.

Center and right ca. 1912 Chantilly lace dinner dress front quarter and back (location ?). From whitakerauction.smugmug.com-Fall2012-Clothing-ID-22-140-i-b3kCXfz 3068X2895

1912 Lady in Furs, Mrs. Charles A. Searles by Cilde Hassam (location ?). From tumblr.com/catherinedefrance 900X1090.

1912 Lady wearing a large hat sitting by Franz von Stuck (auctioned by Sotheby's). From their Web site 1753X1991.

1912 Mrs J., by Józef Męcina-Krzesz (location ?). From godsandfoolishgrandeur.blogspot.com/2016/11/randomly-ix.html; shadows 60% and fixed spots w Pshop 750X975.

1912 Mrs. Ernest Guinness by Sir Francis Bernard Dicksee (auctioned by Christie's) From www.pinterest.com/nouvellegiselle/vintage-inspiration slightly cropped & fit to screen 924X1500.

1912 Mrs. John Lawrence by Edmund Tarbell (private collection). From cutlermiles.com/mrs-john-lawrence-edmund-tarbell/ 992X1280.

Left 1912 Princess Elena of Greece, nee Russia, in 1912, wearing the diamond and pearl tiara she later gave to her daughter as a wedding gift From pinterest.com/inara0798/aristocrats/ 602X960.

Center 1912 Princess Paley in a dinner dress with fancy headdress. From Sacheverelle's photostream on flickr 488X983.

Right 1912 Vizcondesa de Termens From laalacenadelasideas.blogspot.com/2012/12 1018X1316.

1912 Robe de Visite de Paquin (pl.5, La Gazette du Bon ton 1912-1913 n°2) by George Barbier. From edition-originale.com/en/prints-engravings-photographs/ 1682X2518.

Left ca. 1912 Frau Prinzessin Rupprecht in Bayern, Marie Gabrielle in Bayern, by F. Grainer. From eBay fixed spots w Pshop 1017X1600.

Right ca. 1912-1913 Olga de Meyer wearing the famous Paul Poiret coat La Perse, photograph by Baron de Meyer. From facebook.com/144304418968266/photos/a.397639360301436/1143579645707400/?type=1&theater 1123X2048

Left 1912 Winifred, Duchess of Portland by Philip Alexius de László (Portland College - Ravenshead, Nottinghamshire, UK). From books0977.tumblr.com/post/111045895147/the-duchess-of-portland-1912-philip-alexius-de 999X1280.

Right 1912 New Book by Walter Bonner Gash (location ?). From tumblr.com/larobeblanche/742427773413556224/the-new-book-c-1912? 876X1024.

Left 1912 Le Manteau bleu by Xavier Gosé (location ?). From tumblr.com/mote-historie/744587745354301440/painting-by-xavier-gos%C3%A9-le-manteau-bleu-1912?.

Center 1912 Fourrures Max (Max Furs) in the catalogue 'Fourrures Portraits Minatures' by George Barbier. From tumblr.com/mote-historie/732453186620866560/george-barbier-illustration-for-the-catalogue?source=share& 1939X2541.

Right 1912 Man and woman in evening dress by Coles Phillips (NYPL). From tumblr.com/sartorialadventure/747029584815489024?; fixed flaws & spots w Pshop 764X1000

ca. 1912 a Femme chic, Supplément by A. Souchel (Rijksmuseum). From their Web site; fixed flaws & spots w Pshop 3229X5315.

[graceofromanovs]

Members of the House of Romanov, the last reigning Dynasty of Russia.

From the first Romanov Russian Tsar Michael I (reigned 1613-1645) until the last Emperor Nicholas II (reigned 1894-1917). Including the 18 members of the house executed from 1918 until 1919; Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich (13 June 1918). Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, Grand Duchesses Olga Nikolaevna, Tatiana Nikolaevna, Maria Nikolaevna, Anastasia Nikolaevna, and Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich (17 July 1918). Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich, Prince Ioann Konstantinovich, Prince Konstantin Konstantinovich, Prince Igor Konstantinovich, and Prince Vladimir Paley (18 July 1918). Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich, Grand Duke Dmitri Konstantinovich, Grand Duke Nicholas Mikhailovich, and Grand Duke George Mikhailovich (28 January 1919).

[palecleverdoll]

Women of Imperial Russia: Ages at First Marriage

I have only included women whose birth dates and dates of marriage are known within at least 1-2 years, therefore, this is not a comprehensive list. This data set ends with the Revolution of 1917.

Eudoxia Lopukhina, wife of Peter I; age 20 when she married Peter in 1689 CE

Catherine I of Russia, wife of Peter I; age 18 when she married Johan Cruse in 1702 CE

Anna of Russia, daughter of Ivan V; age 17 when she married Frederick William Duke of Courland and Semigallia in 1710 CE

Anna Petrovna, daughter of Peter I; age 17 when she married Charles Frederick I, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, in 1725 CE

Catherine II, wife of Peter III; age 16 when she married Peter in 1745 CE

Natalia Alexeievna, wife of Paul I; age 17 when she married Paul in 1773 CE

Maria Feodorovna, wife of Paul I; age 17 when she married Paul in 1776 CE

Elizabeth Alexeivna, wife of Alexander I; age 14 when she married Alexander in 1793 CE

Anna Feodorovna, wife of Konstantin Pavlovich; age 15 when she married Konstantin in 1796 CE

Alexandra Pavlovna, daughter of Paul I; age 16 when she married Archduke Joseph of Austria in 1799 CE

Elena Pavlovna, daughter of Paul I; age 15 when she married Frederick Louis, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin in 1799 CE

Maria Pavlovna, daughter of Paul I; age 18 when she married Charles Frederick, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach in 1804 CE

Catherine Pavlovna, daughter of Paul I; age 21 when she married Duke George of Oldenburg in 1809 CE

Anna Pavlovna, daughter of Paul I; age 21 when she married William II of the Netherlands in 1816 CE

Alexandra Feodorovna, wife of Nicholas I; age 19 when she married Nicholas in 1817 CE

Joanna Grudzinska, wife of Konstantin Pavlovich; age 29 when she married Konstantin in 1820 CE

Elena Pavlovna, wife of Mikhail Pavlovich; age 17 when she married Mikhail in 1824 CE

Maria Nikolaevna, daughter of Nicholas I; age 20 when she married Maximilian de Beauharnais, Duke of Leuchtenberg, in 1839 CE

Maria Alexandrovna, wife of Alexander II; age 17 when she married Alexander in 1841 CE

Elizaveta Mikhailovna, daughter of Mikhail Pavlovich; age 17 when she married Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, in 1844 CE

Alexandra Nikolaevna, daughter of Nicholas I; age 19 when she married Prince Frederick-William of Hesse-Kassel, in 1844 CE

Olga Nikolaevna, daughter of Nicholas I; age 24 when she married Charles I of Wurttemberg, in 1846 CE

Alexandra Iosifovna, wife of Konstantin Nikolaevich; age 18 when she married Konstantin in 1848 CE

Catherine Mikhailovna, daughter of Mikhail Pavlovich; age 24 when she married Duke Georg August of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, in 1851 CE

Alexandra Petrovna, wife of Nicholas Nikolaevich the Elder; age 18 when she married Nicholas in 1856 CE

Olga Feodorovna, wife of Michael Nikolaevich; age 18 when she married Michael in 1857 CE

Maria Feodorovna, wife of Alexander III; age 19 when she married Alexander III in 1866 CE

Olga Konstantinovna, daughter of Konstantin Nikolaevich; age 16 when she married George I of Greece in 1867 CE

Vera Konstantinovna, daughter of Konstantin Nikolaevich; age 20 when she married Duke Eugen of Wurttemberg in 1874 CE

Maria Pavlovna, wife of Vladimir Alexandrovich; age 20 when she married Vladimir in 1874 CE

Maria Alexandrovna, daughter of Alexander II; age 19 when she married Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, in 1874 CE

Anastasia Mikhailovna, daughter of Michael Nikolaevich; age 19 when she married Friedrich Franz III, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin in 1879 CE

Nadezhada Alexandrovna Dreyer, wife of Nicholas Konstantinovich; age 21 when she married Nicholas in 1882 CE

Elizabeth Feodorovna, wife of Sergei Alexandrovich; age 20 when she married Sergei in 1884 CE

Olga Valerianovna Paley, wife of Paul Alexandrovich; age 19 when she married Erich von Pistolhkors in 1884 CE

Elizabeth Mavrikievna, wife of Konstantin Konstantinovich; age 19 when she married Konstantin in 1885 CE

Anastasia of Montenegro, wife of Nicholas Nikolaevich the Younger; age 21 when she married George Maximilianovich, Duke of Leuchtenberg in 1889 CE

Milica of Montenegro, wife of Peter Nikolaevich; age 23 when she married Peter in 1889 CE

Alexandra of Greece and Denmark, wife of Paul Alexandrovich; age 19 when she married Paul in 1889 CE

Sophie Nikolaievna, wife of Michael Mikhailovich; age 23 when she married Michael in 1891 CE

Victoria Feodorovna, wife of Kirill Vladimirovich; age 18 when she married Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse, in 1894 CE

Xenia Alexandrovna, wife of Alexander Mikhailovich; age 19 when she married Alexander in 1894 CE

Alexandra Feodorovna, wife of Nicholas II; age 22 when she married Nicholas in 1894 CE

Olga Alexandrovna, daughter of Alexander II; age 18 when she married Count George-Nicholas von Merenberg in 1985 CE

Maria of Greece and Denmark, wife of George Mikhailovich; age 24 when she married George in 1900 CE

Alexandra von Zarnekau, wife of George Alexandrovich; age 16 when she married George in 1900 CE

Catherine Alexandrovna, daughter of Alexander II; age 23 when she married Alexander Baryatinksy in 1901 CE

Olga Alexandrovna, daughter of Alexander III; age 19 when she married Duke Peter Alexandrovich of Oldenburg

Elena Vladimirovna, daughter of Vladimir Alexandrovich; age 20 when she married Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark in 1902 CE

Natalia Brasova, wife of Michael Alexandrovich; age 22 when she married Sergei Mamontov in 1902 CE

Elisabetta di Sasso Ruffo, wife of Andrei Alexandrovich; age 31 when she married Alexander Alexandrovitch Frederici in 1907 CE

Maria Pavlovna, daughter of Paul Alexandrovich; age 18 when she married Prince Wilhelm of Sweden in 1908 CE

Helen of Serbia, wife of Ioann Konstantinovich; age 27 when she married Ioann in 1911 CE

Tatiana Konstantinovna, daughter of Konstantin Konstantinovich; age 21 when she married Konstantine Bagration of Mukhrani, in 1911 CE

Irina Alexandrovna, daughter of Alexander Mikhailovich; age 19 when she married Felix Felixovich Yusupov in 1914 CE

Nadejda Mikhailovna, daughter of Michael Mikhailovna; age 20 when she married George Mountbatten in 1916 CE

Antonina Rafailovna Nesterovkaya, wife of Gabriel Konstantinovich; age 27 when she married Gabriel in 1917 CE

Nadejda Petrovna, wife of Nicholas Orlov; age 19 when she married Nicholas in 1917 CE

Anastasia Mikhailovna, daughter of Michael Mikhailovna; age 25 when she married Sir Harold Wernher in 1917 CE

59 women; average age at first marriage was 20 years old. The oldest bride was 31 at her first marriage; the youngest was 14.

[otmaaromanovas]

i know this is a bit outside your purview but i was hoping you could help me - would you be able to recommend some memoirs of russian aristocrats from the imperial family's immediate circle who survived the revolution and settled in the west? something in the vein of felix yusupov or alexander mikhailovitch's memoirs, maybe? i'm interested in how they adjusted to the change in political and cultural circumstances. thanks in advance :)

Hello there!

Yes, I know of a few! I will also link you to Felix Yusupov and Alexander Mikhailovich’s memoirs, just in case you didn’t know they could be read online for free :) Where possible, I will include links to access them online for free.

Lost Splendour by Felix Yusupov

Once a Grand Duke by Alexander Mikhailovich

25 Chapters of my Life by Olga Alexandrovna - the later chapters detail how she, her husband, and two young children fled Russia

The Last Grand Duchess by Ian Vorres - a memoir written and based off interviews with Olga Alexandrovna, with quotes from her.

Vera by Paul Gilbert includes some memoirs by Vera Konstantinovna. The memoirs focus mostly on her childhood, but touch a little on the Revolution and her life in America after.

Memories of Russia, 1916-1919 by Princess Paley and John van der Kiste - more focus on the Revolution rather than settling elsewhere, but I hope it will be helpful!

Dancing in St. Petersburg by Mathilde Kschessinska - details her life as the first love of Nicholas II, her work as a Prima ballerina, her relationship with Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich. She and Andrei eventually fled Russia to France.

Not sure if this counts as he wasn’t Russian, but Tutor to the Tsarevich by Sydney Gibbes and J. C. Trewin details Gibbes’ life, including his fleeing to Asia and then to Oxford.

If you can speak French, this interview with Felix and Irina might be of interest to you. They talk mostly about Rasputin, but it does show their situation living outside of Russia.

Education of a Princess by Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna details her marriage to Duke of Södermanland, which saw her relocate to Sweden

These aren’t memoirs but instead secondary sources, but I thought I would include them in case they were valuable to you. Once a Grand Duchess: Xenia by John van der Kiste and Coryne Hall details Xenia’s escape from Russia and her adjustment to life in England living in Frogmore Cottage, using sources in the form of letters written by Xenia herself.

I hope that this was somehow helpful! Enjoy your reading :)

[elsalouisa]

"A soldier broke into the conversation and said to me, in rough tones: "You have drunk our blood."

"I drink your blood!" I replied. "Why, I should get ill at once if I drank anything so horrid!"

Olga Paley "Memories of Russia 1916-1919"

[romanovsonelastdance]

who do you think olga and anastasia would've married if they had the chance to? tatiana would've married alexander of yugoslavia, since they were madly in love and maria would've married louis.

Olga wanted to 'remain Russian' so she didn't have a ton of options, but one of the Konstantinovichi boys would work. Prince Konstantin apparently asked to marry her at one point, so he might be the option with the most basis in history. Otherwise Prince Roman Petrovich or maaaaaybe Vladimir Paley if his parents' morganatic marriage wasn't held against him. I suppose if he was 'Romanov enough' to be killed in the revolution he might be 'Romanov enough' to marry a Grand Duchess.

I could see Anastasia never marrying, honestly. She might like being the quirky, independent aunt and not tied down to any husband or throne. But there was a rumor that Queen Alexandrine of Denmark (daughter of Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna), hoped that her son Frederick would marry one of the younger grand duchesses. She might be thrilled to have a daughter-in-law who had the same name as her mother, and Maria Feodorovna would love to see a granddaughter on the throne of Denmark. Frederick was very tall though so Anastasia might hate that, haha. And the rumor could be totally made up, it's from a very gossipy source.

There's some evidence that Alexander wanted to marry Tatiana, but is there anything to suggest she wanted to marry him? I've never seen anything from her end that the feelings were mutual. Rather she had her 'crushes' like Dmitri Malama and Vladimir Kiknadze. That doesn't mean she wouldn't have married Alexander--she was the most duty-conscious of the sisters and would make an excellent queen. I just don't think we can say she was in love with him.

Unpopular opinion but I don't think Maria actually would have married Louis Mountbatten. Sure, HE said he was 'determined to marry her,' but they were first cousins and first cousin marriages are not allowed in the Russian Orthodox Church, and Nicholas II didn't approve them. Nicholas' brother Misha wanted to marry their cousin Princess Beatrice of Edinburgh/Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and Nicholas refused to allow it. He was furious when Kirill married Ducky, a first cousin and divorcee. I just don't see Nicholas allowing them to marry; it was a religious thing, not just his personal opinion, and that's harder to overcome. I honestly think he'd be more likely to allow her to marry a noble or officer than a first cousin, as he DID allow that for Tatiana Konstantinovna, Irina Alexandrovna, and Olga Alexandrovna. And like with Tatiana and Alexander, I've never seen anything about Maria's feelings for Dickie. I have a hard time seeing her wanting to leave Russia--like Olga, she made it clear her dream was to marry a Russian.

[the-last-tsar]

Who do you think would have had the highest chance of suitor for OTMAA? (Pre-revolution and war) as well as (after revo if they survived).

Olga nikolaevna= Princes Vladimir Paley or Grand duke dmitri pavlovich romanov (there are some who thinks paley might have been).

Tatiana Nikolaevna= Prince Alexander of Yugoslvia or Prince Roman petrovich(idk about roman petrovich but from what I read he was mostly mentioned)

Maria= Prince Carol of Romania or Prince Louis Mountbatten( carol said he liked her at some point)

Anastasia= Princes Frederick of Denmark or Prince Paul of Greece and Denmark(Tbh, I feel like she would chose herself heheh)

Alexei= Princess Ileana of Romania or Princess Elizabeth of Greece and Denmark.

Who do you think would have had the highest chance of suitor for OTMAA? (Pre-revolution and war) as well as (after revo if they survived).

Olga nikolaevna= Princes Vladimir Paley or Grand duke dmitri pavlovich romanov (there are some who thinks paley might have been).

Tatiana Nikolaevna= Prince Alexander of Yugoslvia or Prince Roman petrovich(idk about roman petrovich but from what I read he was mostly mentioned)

Maria= Prince Carol of Romania or Prince Louis Mountbatten( carol said he liked her at some point)

Anastasia= Princes Frederick of Denmark or Prince Paul of Greece and Denmark(Tbh, I feel like she would chose herself heheh)

Alexei= Princess Ileana of Romania or Princess Elizabeth of Greece and Denmark.

To Olga: From your options I choose Vladimir Paley, but I like to imagine her with prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark. He loved her and even talked to Nicholas about it.

To Tatiana: Alexander I of Yugoslavia, he loved her and some sources say it was mutual.

To Maria: Louis Mountbatten, of course, he adored her! Carol of Romania was a horrible husband to Helen, he would have made Maria suffer as he did to Helen.

To Anastasia: We don't know about her preferences but I vote in Paul of Greece and Denmark.

To Alexei: Princess Ileana.

[foreverinthepagesofhistory]

Who do you think would have had the highest chance of suitor for OTMAA? (Pre-revolution and war) as well as (after revo if they survived).

Olga nikolaevna= Princes Vladimir Paley or Grand duke dmitri pavlovich romanov (there are some who thinks paley might have been).

Tatiana Nikolaevna= Prince Alexander of Yugoslvia or Prince Roman petrovich(idk about roman petrovich but from what I read he was mostly mentioned)

Maria= Prince Carol of Romania or Prince Louis Mountbatten( carol said he liked her at some point)

Anastasia= Princes Frederick of Denmark or Prince Paul of Greece and Denmark(Tbh, I feel like she would chose herself heheh)

Alexei= Princess Ileana of Romania or Princess Elizabeth of Greece and Denmark.

Hi!!! This is a very interesting question and I’m so excited to answer!

Olga: Dmitri Pavlovich. I think Dmitri because there was lots of rumors that they were going to get married (they were all false) and they spent a lot of time together. They also were in a very good place to get married if that’s what they chose. Dmitri was single and living a stylish lifestyle and Olga was single and eligible to get married. I think that these two were certainly an option before 1916. Dmitri helped kill Rasputin and Alexandra despised Felix and Dmitri because of that and I think wouldn’t let Dmitri marry Olga. Vladimir Paley to me would’ve been a better option because he wasn’t known and had no bad strings attached to him. Olga also said that she wanted to “remain a Russian” so I think she would’ve been happy with him. But he was a child of a morganatic marriage (his father married without the Tsar’s permission) and I don’t think Nicholas would allow that marriage to happen. So I think because of those reasons Dmitri would’ve been the first and more eligible choice but after 1916 I think Vladimir would’ve been a better option even if Olga survived the revolution (her family wasn’t the imperial family anymore so I think it would’ve been ok).

Tatiana: Alexander of Yugoslavia. I think him because I have never heard of Roman Petrovich as an option for her marriage. Tatiana also never stated that she wanted to be Russian so she definitely was considered a lot to be a future queen. Also Tatiana was nicknamed “the governess” by her family and some of her major traits were being organized and super kind and those are good traits for a queen.

Maria: Carol of Romania. As much as I hate to say this I really think that a marriage with Carol was the option that was most likely to happen. I ship Mashka with Dickie (Louis Mountbatten) and Carol is mean and gross and Mashka deserves Dickie but that was probably never likely to happen. In Russia there was a rule that if you were a royal, you can’t marry your first cousins (I said “was” because I don’t know what the rules are today), and Tsar Nicholas II went by that rule. Louis and Maria were first cousins through their mothers (Princesses Victoria and Alix of Hesse before marriage) so because Nicholas stuck to this rule and Maria was his own daughter, I don’t think that she would be allowed to marry him. And Carol did prefer Maria over her older more eligible sister Olga. He even asked Nicholas if he could marry her! Nicky said no (because she was too young) but I think that if Maria were to wait a few more years then they would be able to get married.

Anastasia: Prince Fredrick of Denmark. I think Fredrick because i have heard rumors of them being together. They are very close in age and have sort of a similar personality! Even though Paul is closer in age with Anastasia, when Anastasia was closest to her prime marital age, Greece was going through lots of political and monarchal problems. Even though Nicky is very close with his Greek relatives I don’t think he would send one of his daughters to a country that is going through a revolution (A was with her family during the Russian revolution and I’m kinda ignoring it in this case). Also Anastasia would really fit in with the Danish Royal Family. She has lots of relatives their and they are honestly a hilarious royal family. And when Anastasia was little, her and her family made visits to Denmark and I think that they would welcome her into their family with open arms.

Alexei: Princess Elisabeth of Greece and Denmark. I would choose Elisabeth because her and Alexei are much closer in age than him and Ileana. Alexei was 5 years older than Ileana but him and Elisabeth were only a few months apart. Also as @romanovsonelastdance said, Elisabeth’s mother Elena Vladimirovna was very ambitious in marrying off her daughters into very prominent families (meaning she would kind of ignore the whole hemophilia business).

sorry this took so long to get out!! Thank you for asking me this!!!

[thepaleys]

Beautiful and charming, Olga von Pistolkors was a remarkable character in Saint Petersburg's aristocratic circles during the last years of the reign of Alexander III. Her position in society was probably strengthened by the fact that her husband became aide de camp of the most influential of the tsar's brothers, Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich. She also became an acquaintance of the shy Tsarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich and some of his closest friends, who nicknamed her Lyolya ("Little Olga").

Around 1893, the gracious Madame von Pistolkors fell in love with Nicholas' uncle Paul, who happened to be the commander of her husband's regiment and was a frequent visitor to the von Pistolkors house in Saint Petersburg and their dacha in Krasnoe Selo. In August that year, Olga wrote a poem for him in which she stated, "From now on, my life is filled by you..."

Paul and Lyolya became emotionally involved. It seems at first he was a bit reluctant and felt quite uneasy due to his position as Erik's superior, despite the evidence that the relationship between Olga and her husband was already over. He may have also been concerned about his own family. Even though Alexander III passed away in 1894, his son and heir Nicholas II seemed to have views as conservative as his father's concerning such matters; but love was to win. Paul, deeply and sincerely in love with the beautiful lady, soon gave up and they began a passionate relationship.

The affair between Paul Alexandrovich and Olga Valerianovna quickly became a subject for gossip in both the army and the aristocratic circles of Saint Petersburg. Such episodes were not rare in the frivolous Russian high society of those days, but what could have been only a temporary liaison turned out to be a long-lasting, passionate love story.

"A Poet Among the Romanovs" - Jorge F. Saenz

[nadziejacher]

❤ Paley Palace, July 2023, Tsarskoe Selo

[loiladadiani]

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

[steliosagapitos]

~ "Tiara made in 1912 for Princess Olga Paley, of Diamonds and aquamarines, by Cartier." ~

[n-rnova]

Who do you think would have had the highest chance of suitor for OTMAA? (Pre-revolution and war) as well as (after revo if they survived).

Olga nikolaevna= Princes Vladimir Paley or Grand duke dmitri pavlovich romanov (there are some who thinks paley might have been).

Tatiana Nikolaevna= Prince Alexander of Yugoslvia or Prince Roman petrovich(idk about roman petrovich but from what I read he was mostly mentioned)

Maria= Prince Carol of Romania or Prince Louis Mountbatten( carol said he liked her at some point)

Anastasia= Princes Frederick of Denmark or Prince Paul of Greece and Denmark(Tbh, I feel like she would chose herself heheh)

Alexei= Princess Ileana of Romania or Princess Elizabeth of Greece and Denmark.

Hi!

For Olga I think Dmitri would do a better option than Vladimir Paley since he is a GRAND DUKE, both his parents are royals while he(Vladimir) is a PRINCE via morganatic marriage. To be honest I think if the war hadn't happen I don't think Dmitri would end up killing rasputin along with felix since the war kinda started all the rumours of Rasputin being in control but since that didn't happen I would vote for Dmitri for pre-revolution and war while I think after the war Dmitri would still do? But like 40% possible since Paley would have been dead? Because I am not sure if you only refer for NAOTMAA to live.

For Tatiana, I think Alexander of Yugoslavia was the possible one considering that his father offered the idea to the tsar while he did exchange letters with tatiana and I even heard a rumour he was heart broken when she was murdered. So I think they would have been the 90% possible match as for Prince Roman Petrovich I think he would have been okay as well though I am not aware of his attitude, if ever tatiana would want to stay with Alix(her mom) since she was the closes I think Prince Roman would do. It just really depends on the situation but obviously Alexander of Y is my vote here even after the revo.

For Maria, As much as I hate Carol but I think he was the most eligible compared to Louis they both are Princes but louis is maria's first cousin something that Tsar Nicholas II forbids when it comes to marriage. And Maria was quite naive before the revo if her father allowed her she would have married him if carol were to ever flatter her of her feet. Pre revo I vote for Carol while After revo I don't think he would still want her while louis is a no no.

For Anastasia, Yes! I do agree she would chose herself ehhehe, but between the two men I don't really know much about them, but I think anastasia would go off well with the Danish royal family Queen Alexandrine even wanted one of the little pair to marry Frederick, Her grandmother Maria Feodorovna would have been happy of the idea and would had wanted it to happen, as for Paul I really don't know. so either Frederick or herself being independent (ehehe).

For Alexei, I think pre revolution Princess Elizabeth of Greece and Denmark would have been the candidate, her mother and grandmother were ambitious of high marriage and since elizabeth is much closer to alexei by age and by family they probably ended up together. Alexei also had said to her when they were 4 or 5 that he loves her but I think it was a childish thing so I won't consider that of, unlike his love towards Lada Ivanovna when he was 12. As for Princess Ileana I think after revo she would have been eligible enough for alexei since she was still a Princess of her own right she would have given them quite a fortune and I also still think Princess Elizabeth would still do since her mother is romanov it will enable alexandra to keep her precious sunbeam close to her but I doubt he would live to marry both.