#the dowager empress marie

[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

[empirearchives]

In Tsarist Russia, you can keep your job after killing the head of state, but then lose your job for moving a Christian icon.

*Palen was one of the conspirators of the assassination of Tsar Paul I, which Tsar Alexander was aware of.

[anastasiamusicalupdates]

Mary Beth Peil as the Dowager Empress and Max von Essen as Gleb on Broadway.

[dangerousconnoisseurdonut]

Today is the one year anniversary and it is still hard to believe that we lost such a talented and well loved actress who always gave an amazing performance both in acting and singing. One of my favourite singing performances of hers was her singing Little Yellow Bird which I first heard in Murder, She Wrote: Sing a Song of Murder, which later led to The Picture of Dorian Gray. If your day has been a little hectic (cough, cough @nsfwitchy and @persephoneblck cough), maybe take a moment to go on YouTube or Spotify and just listen to Tale as Old as Time, The Age of Not Believing, or Nowhere to Go But Up or whichever you prefer and see if you feel a bit better.

It is my sad duty to tell those who haven't heard yet, that on this day, October 11, 2022, Angela Lansbury, has passed on. ���😢😢

So, goodbye Mrs. Potts:

Dowager Empress Marie

Miss. Price

And, maybe my favourite for you, Jessica Fletcher.

And, for those who want to see a young Angela Lansbury, look up The Picture of Dorian Gray where she sings a bittersweet song, Goodbye Little Yellow Bird.

Wishing you all the best.

[reylokisses]

I’ve always loved the close, loving relationship between Anya/Anastasia and the Dowager Empress Marie in Anastasia 1997. It’s pretty rare to see a grandmother-granddaughter relationship being front and centre in an animated princess movie.

When I was a little girl, I read the Royal Diaries novel that focused on the Grand Duchess Anastasia, and the historical note at the end said that “throughout her life, Anastasia was the favourite companion of her grandmother, the Dowager Empress”.

I’ve looked online to see whether this was true, and I’m reading “Four Sisters” by Helen Rappaport, but I can’t seem to find any information about the real life relationship between Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna and the Dowager Empress Marie Feodorovna. I haven’t seen the 1956 version in years, but I’m sure that version showed a close relationship between the two characters too.

I really hope the Dowager Empress Marie and Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna were close in real life, and it wasn’t just made up by Anastasia’s filmmakers!

[thepaleys]

The Funeral of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich

My uncle was buried on the morning of the twenty-third of February. My uncle’s brothers, as well as his sister-in-law, the Dowager Empress, expressed a desire to attend but found at the last moment that they could not do so. Disorders were feared; strikes were breaking out one after another in all the great industrial centers. Any gathering of royal persons would only invite new catastrophes. A cousin of my uncle, the Grand Duke Constantine, took the risk, and so did the Duchess of Saxe-Coburg, her daughter Beatrice, and the Grand Duke of Hesse and his wife. Finally, my father, in his banishment now installed in Paris, asked the Emperor’s permission to come. It was granted.

Dmitri and I went to see him at the railway station and received him with sobs, which could not lessen the joy we had at seeing him again. We took him back to the house. The meeting between him and his sister-in-law was painful.

My aunt had conceived the idea of building a chapel in the crypt of the Miracle Monastery to shelter the remains of my uncle. While waiting for the chapel to be built, she obtained permission to place the coffin in one of the convent churches.

The funeral service was celebrated with great solemnity. Officers with drawn swords and sentinels were stationed around the bier. The Archbishop and the high clergy of Moscow celebrated the mass, a service so long and tiring that I almost fainted, and my father had to take me out. The church was full of people; wreaths and flowers were heaped around the coffin and on the steps of the catafalque. By this time, I had reached such a degree of physical lassitude that I could hardly think or feel anything. We had lived for six days in a state of nervous tension that never relaxed. At the end of the service, the coffin was carried to one of the little churches of the monastery, and here, for forty days and nights, prayers were said. We attended them every evening.

Some days later, my father and other members of the family departed. Little by little, life took up its normal course. "Normal" is an expression only relatively exact, for my aunt never left off her mourning and rarely went out.

"Education of a Princess" - Grand Duchess Marie Pavlovna Jr.

[ladyniniane]

Zoé, protagonist of my Byzantine-inspired fantasy WIP Zoé, lady of the palace/Zoé dame du palais.

A warrior from the provinces, Zoé moves to the capital in the wake of a personal tragedy. There, she hopes to begin a new life. An encounter leads her to work in the palace, where she earns the empress dowager's trust. Secrets, intrigues and love await her in that gilded world. Zoé will need all of her skills to carve her place.

Mary Magdalene in the cave - Hugues Merle/ Valerius Maximus about Artemisia II of Caria/ Empress Theodora - Antoine Helbert/ Sailing to Byzantium - William Butler Yeats/ Miniature commemorating the marriage of Nikephoros III Botaneiates and Maria of Alania/ Song of Songs 6:10

[mightbeagod]

HAS ANYONE WRITTEN AN ANASTASIA AU OF TGCF BCS CONSIDER:

Xie Lian as Anastasia

Hua Cheng as Dmitri

He Xuan as Vlad

Feng Xin and Mu Qing as Dowager Empress Marie

Shi Qingxuan as Sophie

Jun Wu as Rasputin

Qi Rong as Bartok

SOMEONE PLS WRITE THIS BCS IF NOT I WILL BE FORCED TO WRITE IT MYSELF AND I WILL BUTCHER IT CAUSE I AM FAILING ENGLISH

[foreverinthepagesofhistory]

“Minnie” and “Greek Minnie”

Grand Duchess Maria Georgievna (née Princess of Greece and Denmark) with her aunt, Empress Maria Feodorovna (née Princess Dagmar of Denmark), early 1900s

[ampuss]

“Isn’t it romantic? It’s a perfect ending.” - Sophie

“No. It’s a perfect beginning.” - Dowager Empress Marie

I LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS MOVIE SO MUCH I HAD TO DRAW THEM TOGETHER

[operachristine]

Massive Audio Gifting!

Anastasia:

Second National Tour

May 14, 2022 - Operachristinedaae

Matinée

Kyla Stone (Anya), Sam McLellan (Dmitry), Bryan Seastrom (Vlad), Brandon Delgado (Gleb), Madeline Raube (Countess Lily), Gerri Weagraff (Dowager Empress), Taya Diggs (Little Anastasia/Alexei), Mikayla Agrella (Tsarina Alexandra), Christian McQueen (Tsar Nicholas ii/Count Ipolitov/Count Gregory), Taylor Stanger (Prince Siegfried), Veronica Rae Jiao (u/s Odette), Dakota Hoar (Von Rothbart), Lauren Teyke (Olga Romanov), Lizzy Marie Legregin (s/w Tatiana Romanov/Dunya), Victoria Madden (Maria Romanov/Marfa), Veronica Rae Jiao (Young Anastasia/Paulina), Harrison Drake (Grolinsky/Count Leopold), Sarah Statler (Countess Gregory), Louis Brogna (Sergei), William Aaron Bishop, Evin Johnson

Link

Second US National Tour

November 4, 2022 - Operachristinedaae

Veronica Stern (Anya), Willem Butler (Dmitry), Bryan Seastrom (Vlad), Ben Edquist (Gleb), Gerri Weagraff (Dowager Empress), Madeline Raube (Countess Lily), Alexandrya Salazar (Little Anastasia/Alexei Romanov), Kaitlyn Jackson (Tsarina Alexandra), Amin Fuson (Tsar Nicholas ii), Brooklyn Liabo (Young Anastasia), Victoria Madden (Maria Romanov), Gabriella Burke (Olga Romanov/Odette), Thalia Atallah (Tatiana Romanov), Zachary Bigelow, Willam Aaron Bishop, Louis Brogna, Billy McGavin, Luke Rands, Lathan Roberts, Sarah Statler

Link

Second National Tour

November 5, 2022 - Operachristinedaae

Matinée

Veronica Stern (Anya), Willem Butler (Dmitry), Bryan Seastrom (Vlad), Ben Edquist (Gleb), Gerri Weagraff (Dowager Empress), Alexandrya Salazar (Little Anastasia/Alexei Romanov), Rebecca Hartman (u/s Tsarina Alexandra), Amin Fuson (Tsar Nicholas ii), Brooklyn Liabo (Young Anastasia/Paulina), Victoria Madden (Maria Romanov/Marfa), Gabriella Burke (Olga Romanov/Odette), Thalia Atallah (Tatiana Romanov/Dunya), Kaitlyn Jackson (u/s Countess Lily), Alec Llyod (u/s Prince Siegfried), Zachary Bigelow, Willam Aaron Bishop, Louis Brogna, Billy McGavin, Luke Rands, Sarah Statler

Link

Second National Tour

November 5, 2022 - Operachristinedaae

Rebecca Hartman (u/s Anya), Willem Butler (Dmitry), Bryan Seastrom (Vlad), Ben Edquist (Gleb), Gerri Weagraff (Dowager Empress), Kaitlyn Jackson (u/s Countess Lily), Leela Chopra (Little Anastasia/Alexei Romanov), Amy Smith (u/s Tsarina Alexandra), Amin Fuson (Tsar Nicholas ii), Brooklyn Liabo (Young Anastasia), Victoria Madden (Maria Romanov), Gabriella Burke (Olga Romanov/Odette), Thalia Atallah (Tatiana Romanov), Alec Lloyd (u/s Prince Siegfried), Zachary Bigelow, Louis Brogna, Billy McGavin, Luke Rands, Sarah Statler, Dominic Pagliaro (s/w)

(Rebecca’s Anya Debut & Dominic’s swing Debut)

Link

Second National Tour

December 10, 2022 - Operachristinedaae

Veronica Stern (Anya), Willem Butler (Dmitry), Bryan Seastrom (Vlad), Ben Edquist (Gleb), Gerri Weagraff (Dowager Empress), Madeline Raube (Countess Lily), Leela Chopra (Little Anastasia/Alexei Romanov), Kaitlyn Jackson (Tsarina Alexandra), Dominic Pagliaro (u/s Tsar Nicholas II/Count Ipolitov/Count Gregory), Brooklyn Liabo (Young Anastasia/Paulina), Victoria Madden (Maria Romanov/Marfa), Gabriella Burke (Olga Romanov/Odette), Thalia Atallah (Tatiana Romanov/Dunya), Zachary Bigelow (Suitor/Soldier), Willam Aaron Bishop (Romanov Servant/Train Smoker), Louis Brogna (Suitor/Sergei), Billy McGavin (Count Leopold), Luke Rands (Suitor/Von Rothbart), Lathan Roberts (Suitor/Prince Siegfried), Sarah Statler (Romanov Servant/Countess Gregory)

Link

Second National Tour

December 11, 2022 - Operachristinedaae

Veronica Stern (Anya), Willem Butler (Dmitry), Bryan Seastrom (Vlad), Ben Edquist (Gleb), Gerri Weargaff (Dowager Empress), Madeline Raube (Countess Lily), Leela Chopra (Little Anastasia/Alexei Romanov), Kaitlyn Jackson (Tsarina Alexandra), Dominic Pagliro (u/s Tsar Nicholas ii/Count Ipolitov/Count Gregory), Brooklyn Liabo (Young Anastasia/Paulina), Victoria Madden (Maria Romanov/Marfa), Gabriella Burke (Olga Romanov/Odette), Thalia Atallah (Tatiana Romanov/Dunya), Zachary Bigelow (Suitor/Soldier), Willam Aaron Bishop (Romanov Servant/train smoker), Louis Brogna (Suitor/Sergei), Billy McGavin (Count Leopold), Alec Lloyd (u/s Suitor/Von Rothbart), Lathan Roberts (Suitor/Prince Siegfried), Sarah Statler (Romanov Servant/Countess Gregory)

(Ben’s last show - Released by Operachristinedaae)

Link

Annie:

Third National Tour

January 28, 2023 - Operachristinedaae

Ellie Pulsifer (Annie), Christopher Swan (Oliver “Daddy” Warbucks), Stefanie Londino (Miss Hannigan), Julia Nicole Hunter (Grace Farrell), Andrew Scoggin (u/s Rooster Hannigan), Krista Curry (Lily St. Regis), Mark Woodard (F.D.R), Addison (Sandy), Riglee Ruth Bryson (Pepper), Bronte Harrison (Molly), Vivanne Neely (July), Izzy Pike (Kate), Kenzie Rees (Duffy), Valeria Velasco (Tessie), Bradley Ford Betos (Lt. Ward/Fred McCracken/Ickes/Brandeis), Harrison Drake (Drake), Laura Elizabeth Flanagan (Annette/Bonnie Boylan), Jataria Heyward (Mrs. Greer/Star To Be/Ronnie Boylan), Kevin Ivey Morrison (Apple Seller/Jimmy Johnson/Hull), Leanna Rubin (Sophie the Kettle/Mrs. Pugh/Perkins), Kaley Were (Cecile/Connie Boylan), Andrew Scoggin (Bundles McCloskey/Bert Healy/Howe), Mark Woodard (Dog Catcher), Aidan Ziegler-Hansen (s/w Asst. Dog Catcher/Sound Effects Man/Morganthau)

Link

Third National Tour

January 29, 2023 - Operachristinedaae

Matinée

Ellie Pulsifer (Annie), Christopher Swan (Oliver “Daddy” Warbucks), Stefanie Londino (Miss Hannigan), Julia Nicole Hunter (Grace Farrell), Andrew Scoggin (u/s Rooster Hannigan), Krista Curry (Lily St. Regis), Mark Woodard (F.D.R), Addison (Sandy), Riglee Ruth Bryson (Pepper), Bronte Harrison (Molly), Vivanne Neely (July), Izzy Pike (Kate), Kenzie Rees (Duffy), Valeria Velasco (Tessie), Bradley Ford Betos (Lt. Ward/Fred McCracken/Ickes/Brandeis), Harrison Drake (Drake), Laura Elizabeth Flanagan (Annette/Bonnie Boylan), Jataria Heyward (Mrs. Greer/Star To Be/Ronnie Boylan), Kevin Ivey Morrison (Apple Seller/Jimmy Johnson/Hull), Leanna Rubin (Sophie the Kettle/Mrs. Pugh/Perkins), Kaley Were (Cecile/Connie Boylan), Andrew Scoggin (Bundles McCloskey/Bert Healy/Howe), Mark Woodard (Dog Catcher), Aidan Ziegler-Hansen (s/w Asst. Dog Catcher/Sound Effects Man/Morganthau)

Link

My Fair Lady:

Sixth National Tour

May 6, 2023 - Operachristinedaae

Matinée

Madeline Powell (Eliza Doolittle), Jonathan Grunert (Henry Higgins), John Adkison (Colonel Pickering), Michael Hegarty (Alfred P. Doolittle), Nathan Haltiwanger (Freddy Eynsford-Hill), Becky Saunders (Mrs. Higgins), Madeline Brennan (Mrs. Pearce), Daniel James Canaday (Professor Zoltan Karpathy), Diana Craig (Queen of Transylvania), Torinae (Mrs. Eynsford-Hill), Blair Beasley (Clara Eynsford-Hill), Maeghin Mueller (Mrs. Hopkins), Kelly Gleason (Higgins’ maid/Flower Girl/Ensemble), Anna Backer (Higgins’ maid/Ensemble), Nick Berke (s/w Frank/Ensemble), Timothy Scott Brausch (Mrs. Higgins’ servant/ensemble), William Warren Carver (Loverly Quartet/Constable/Prince of Transylvania), Richard Coleman (Loverly Quartet/Jamie/Ensemble), Allyson Gishi (Higgins’ maid/ensemble), Sam Griffin (Charles/swing Loverly quartet/Lord Boxington), Sami Murphy (Lady Boxington/Ensemble), Kevin D. O’Neil (Harry/Ensemble), Kal Kail (Constable/Ensemble), Jackson Hurt (Loverly Quartet/Ensemble)

Link

Six:

Second National Tour (Boleyn)

July 11, 2023 - Operachristinedaae

Gerianne Pérez (Catherine of Aragon), Aryn Bohannon (s/b Anne Boleyn), Amina Faye (Jane Seymour), Cecilia Snow (s/b Anna of Cleves), Aline Mayagoitia (Katherine Howard), Sydney Parra (Catherine Parr)

Link

Wicked:

Broadway

January 7, 2023 - Operachristinedaae

Alyssa Fox (s/b Elphaba), Brittney Johnson (Glinda), James D. Gish (Fiyero), Clevant Derricks (The Wizard), Michele Pawk (Madame Morrible), Mikayla Renfrow (Nessarose), Yando Lopez (u/s Boq), Clifton Davis (Doctor Dillamond), Dashi Mitchell (u/s Chistery), Kristina Doucette (Witch's Mother), Kevin Massey (u/s Witch's Father / Ozian Official), Alicia Albright (s/w Ensemble), Micaela Martinez (s/w Ensemble), Hunter Mikles (s/w Ensemble), Allsun O'Malley (s/w Ensemble), Jesse JP Johnson (s/w Ensemble)

(Released by Operachristinedaae)

Link

Second National Tour (Munchkinland)

September 11, 2021 - Operachristinedaae

Matinée

Talia Suskauer (Elphaba), Allison Bailey (Glinda), Jordan Litz (t/r Fiyero), Cleavant Derricks (The Wizard), Sharon Sachs (Madame Morrible), Amanda Fallon Smith (Nessarose), DJ Plunkett (Boq), Clifton Davis (Doctor Dillamond), Travante S Baker (Chistery), Megan Loomis (Midwife), Marina Lazzaretto (Witch's Mother), Wayne Schroder (Witch's Father / Ozian Official), Nick Burrage (Ensemble), Jordan Casanova (Ensemble), Matt Densky (Ensemble), Marie Eife (Ensemble), Ryan Patrick Farrell (Ensemble), Sara Gonzales (Ensemble), Hunter Mikles (Ensemble), Hayden Milanes (Ensemble), Jennafer Newberry (Ensemble), Alicia Newcom (Ensemble), Jackie Raye (Ensemble), Rebecca Gans Reavis (Ensemble), Andy Richardson (Ensemble), Anthony Sagaria (Ensemble), Justin Wirick (Ensemble)

Link

Second National Tour (Munchkinland)

October 14, 2021 - Operachristinedaae

Talia Suskauer (Elphaba), Allison Bailey (Glinda), Curt Hansen (Fiyero), Cleavant Derricks (The Wizard), Sharon Sachs (Madame Morrible), Jackie Raye (u/s Nessarose), DJ Plunkett (Boq), Clifton Davis (Doctor Dillamond), Megan Loomis (Midwife), Marina Lazzaretto (Witch's Mother), Nick Burrage (Ensemble), Jordan Casanova (Ensemble), Matt Densky (Ensemble), Marie Eife (Ensemble), Ryan Patrick Farrell (Ensemble), Jenny Florkowski (s/w Ensemble), Sara Gonzales (Ensemble), Jordan Litz (Ensemble), Hunter Mikles (Ensemble), Hayden Milanes (Ensemble), Jennafer Newberry (Ensemble), Alicia Newcom (Ensemble), Rebecca Gans Reavis (Ensemble), Andy Richardson (Ensemble), Anthony Sagaria (Ensemble), Justin Wirick (Ensemble)

(Jackie Raye's Post Pandemic Nessarose Debut!)

Link

Second National Tour (Munchkinland)

March 20, 2022 - Operachristinedaae

Talia Suskauer (Elphaba), Allison Bailey (Glinda), Jordan Litz (Fiyero), Cleavant Derricks (The Wizard), Lisa Howard (Madame Morrible), Amanda Fallon Smith (Nessarose), DJ Plunkett (Boq), David Scott Purdy (u/s Doctor Dillamond), Travante S Baker (Chistery), Megan Loomis (Midwife), Alexia Acebo (Witch's Mother), Wayne Schroder (Witch's Father / Ozian Official), Nick Burrage (Ensemble), Jordan Casanova (Ensemble), Matt Densky (Ensemble), Marie Eife (Ensemble), Ryan Patrick Farrell (Ensemble), Sara Gonzales (Ensemble), Chelsea Cree Groen (Ensemble), Ryan Mac (Ensemble), Alicia Newcom (Ensemble), Jackie Raye (Ensemble), Rebecca Gans Reavis (Ensemble), Andy Richardson (Ensemble), Paul Schwensen (Ensemble), Justin Wirick (Ensemble), Anthony Lee Bryant (s/w Ensemble), Ben Susak (s/w Ensemble)

(Final performance for Talia, Allison, Amanda, DJ, and Cleavant - Released by Operachristinedaae)

Link

[duchesssoflennox]

118 years ago on this day, Prince John of the United Kingdom, the youngest child of King George V and Queen Mary was born! He was named after his paternal uncle, Prince Alexander John, who died in infancy. John was said to be a bright, vibrant, healthy child in the first four years of his life. He was very cheeky and loved practical jokes, such as reportedly putting glue on door handles, and once famously referred to his father as the “ugly old man.” Above all, Prince John was part of an incredible royal dynasty. He was related to 20 reigning monarchs in Europe; his grandfather was King Edward VII, who reigned over an empire that was at its most powerful. But life wasn’t exactly easy for John and his siblings as they grew up under the incredibly strict guidance of their father, the future King George V, who was said to have put enormous pressure on his children to behave more like adults than children. “Lord Darby had a famous anecdote, that George V said to him ‘I was frightened of my father and I’m doing to make damn sure my children are frightened of me.’” Prince John's grandaunt the Dowager Empress of Russia wrote to her son Tsar Nicholas II that "George's children are very nice ... The little ones, George and Johnny are both charming and very amusing ..." In 1909, John began having seizures and was discovered to have epilepsy. When his condition deteriorated, he was kept away from the public eye and sent to live at Sandringham House, under the care of his nanny and governess, Charlotte Bill, known by the children as “Lala.” Apparently, all the children adored Lala, who had nursed them all as babies. In 1916, as his seizures became more frequent and severe, John was sent to live at Wood Farm, with "Lala" Bill having charge of his care. Though he maintained an interest in the world around him and was capable of coherent thought and expression, with his lack of educational progress, the last of his tutors was dismissed and his formal education ended. Physicians warned that he would likely not reach adulthood. His grandmother Queen Alexandra maintained a garden at Sandringham House especially for him and this became "one of the great pleasures of Prince John's life." After the summer of 1916, John was rarely seen outside the Sandringham Estate and passed solely into Lala Bill's care. After Queen Alexandra wrote that "Prince John is very proud of his house but is longing for a companion" Queen Mary broke from royal practice by having local children brought in to be playmates for Prince John. One of these was Winifred Thomas, a young girl from Halifax who had been sent to live with her aunt and uncle (who had charge of the royal stables at Sandringham) in hopes her asthma would improve. John's seizures intensified, and Bill later wrote "we dared not let him be with his brothers and sister, because it upsets them so much, with the attacks getting so bad and coming so often." He spent Christmas Day 1918 with his family at Sandringham House but was driven back to Wood Farm at night. On 18 January 1919, after a severe seizure, John died in his sleep at Wood Farm at 5:30 pm. Queen Mary wrote to Emily Alcock, an old friend that "for John it is a great relief, as his malady was becoming worse as he grew older, & he has thus been spared much suffering. I cannot say how grateful we feel to God for having taken him in such a peaceful way, he just slept quietly into his heavenly home, no pain no struggle, just peace for the poor little troubled spirit which had been a great anxiety to us for many years, ever since he was four years old"

She went on to add that "the first break in the family circle is hard to bear, but people have been so kind & sympathetic & this has helped us much." King George described his son's death simply as "the greatest mercy possible" On 20 January, the Daily Mirror said that "when the Prince John passed away his face bore an angelic smile"

John's funeral was at St Mary Magdalene parish church the funeral was attended by Sandringham House staff; "every single person on the estate went and stood around the gates and his grave was absolutely covered in flowers." Queen Alexandra wrote to Queen Mary that "now two darling Johnnies lie side by side" In her final mention of Prince John in her diary, Queen Mary wrote simply "miss the dear child very much indeed." Lala Bill always kept a portrait of Prince John above her mantelpiece, together with a letter from him that read "nanny, I love you."

[romanov-family-photos]

The 1997 Anastasia movie, while most likely being most people’s introduction to the Romanov Family and their history, was incredibly inaccurate.

Here are some of those inaccuracies

In the first opening moments, of the film we see the Dowager Empress Marie Feodorovna boarding the carriage to go to the ball. The footman greets her as Your Highness. In fact, the Dowager Empress addressed as Your Imperial Highness (there was a huge difference as Princess and Princesses were only entitled Your Highness.)

The Romanov Tercentennial was in fact 1913, not 1916.

In 1916, as the movie claims, Anastasia is 8. In fact, Anastasia was born in 1901, making her actually 15 at the time of the ball.

When we see Anastasia greet her grandmother at the ball, Marie Feodorovna wears a wedding ring on her left hand. In Russian Orthodoxy, the wedding band is worn on the right hand.

When the ‘evil’ Rasputin party-crashes the ball, Nicholas tells him he is a traitor. In the time Rasputin spent with the family, there was never any evidence that he betrayed them. He offered them his support, albeit for questionable reasons, but was only sent away for a short time by the Tsar under pressure from his ministers.

The raid of the Winter Palace occurred well into 1917, not 1916 as portrayed in the film. By this time, Nicholas had already abdicated (March of 1917) and they were imprisoned first at the Alexander Palace, then in the Governor’s mansion in Tobolsk, before being moved to the Ipatiev House in 1918, where they were ultimately murdered. The murder of the imperial family did not happen until two years after the ball in the film.

When Anastasia runs back to her room to retrieve her music box, we see the room to be rather “royal-looking” with a single large bed in the corner. Anastasia shared a room with her older sister Marie for all of their childhood, and their beds were in fact camp-beds; hard and not as luxurious as other royalty’s of the time.

Ten Years Later, 1926, Anya leaves the orphanage for a job at the fish market. When Anastasia reaches the fork in the road, the sign says Saint Petersburg. During the Great War, St. Petersburg was renamed Petrograd, a less German-sounding name. After communist leader Vladimir Lenin died in 1924, it became Leningrad, when it did not become Saint Petersburg again until 1991. Throughout the film this inaccuracy is repeated, most significantly in the song Rumor in Saint Petersburg. One would think even the peasants would be accustomed to a new name of their city after 10-15 years.

When Anastasia reaches the train station, the station guard wears the red cap with the Soviet crest. This crest wasn’t used in fact until the 1930s. It was only 1926.

A number of times, the peasants and Dmitri call her The Princess. In Russia, this would have been a great offense to her title, as Anastasia had always been, a Grand Duchess. The title Princess ranks significantly under Grand Duchess

Anya, is in fact a Russian nickname for Anna, not Anastasia. Anya was the name of her mother’s lady-in-waiting and close friend Anna Vyrubova. Anastasia’s nickname was Nastya, Nastia or shvibzik “imp”.

In 1926, the Catherine Palace was being used as a museum and its park area was open to the public, not quite as run down as in the film. 

It wasn’t also the Imperial Family’s home, as suggested; they preferred the comfort and privacy of the Alexander Palace at Tsarskoe Selo, a little while outside the city.

When Olga, Tatiana and Marie come down to dance with their sister during the song, they all look to be around the same height. In truth, Anastasia was much shorter than her sisters. Tatiana was the tallest in the family, standing at around 5’9

The same mistake was made with Nicholas. When he and Alexandra come out of the portrait, he looks to be much taller than Alix; he, like his daughter, was actually rather short, only about 5’6, and stood around the same height as his wife.

When Bartok watches Vlad, Anastasia and Dmitri leave the ball room, he says All the Romanovs are dead. This simply wasn’t true.  In 1919, around 30 Romanovs managed to escape via various methods, including the Dowager Empress Marie Feodorovna.

On the boat to France, Rasputin attempts to force Anya to jump off the side of the ship. She dreams she sees her father, sisters and brother playing in water. Nicholas calls her “Sunshine”, which was actually the nickname of her little brother, Alexei.

In this same dream, Alexei jumps from the top of the cliff down into the water. It was well-known that Alexei had a severe type 2 case of hemophilia, and there was no way Nicholas nor any of the sisters would have allowed him to make such a dangerous leap.

When the gang are journeying to Paris, they hope to meet the Dowager Empress. In 1926, Marie was actually living in Denmark, after the death of her beloved sister, Queen Alexandra of England the year before.

When Anastasia meets Sophie, she is asked how she likes her tea. Anastasia tells her she doesn’t like tea. But there have been many anecdotes of the real Anastasia drinking tea in the mornings and afternoons with her sisters and parents. (This of course may have changed as she aged).

When Dimitri refers to Anya and the Dowager Empress as ‘your grace’ this title is also incorrect. “Your Grace” was commonly used only amongst non-royal dukes and duchesses, and archbishops of the United kingdom.

When Vladimir announces ‘we have found the heir to the Russian throne’, this is completely innacurate. Even as the closest surviving member to the last Tsar, Anastasia would, sadly, have no right to the throne. There were around 30 dynastic members of the family surviving in 1926, and many available males. In Imperial Russia, the line of succession was strictly male-primogeniture; the eldest son would inherit the throne. In 1926, by law, this male would be the Grand Duke Cyril Vladimirovich.

The Dowager Empress could not have possibly had the means to offer a 10 million ruble reward for the return of her granddaughter. The Romanov fortune had all but disappeared and she largely relied on the charity of the English and Danish Royal Family.

The biggest inaccuracy, however, was that Anastasia survived. She, along with the rest of her family, were murdered by the Bolsheviks in 1918

[reylokisses]

“You have the beauty of your mother, Alexandra. Empress of all Russia.”

I thought that line was really sweet - especially when you consider that in real life, the Dowager Empress Marie Feodorovna and the Tsaritsa Alexandra allegedly didn’t get along.

It’s admirable that the filmmakers included a line that involved women supporting each other!

On a more shallow note, I’ve always coveted Anya’s pyjamas in this scene. One day, I’m determined to recreate them!

[loiladadiani]

Irina Alexandrovna Romanova (1895 -1970)

When Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich married Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna (sister of the then Tsarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich), he was marrying one of the best matches in Europe: Xenia was the daughter of the Tzar Alexander III and the sister of the future Tzar Nicholas II. She had been in love with "Sandro," her second cousin, since childhood (and he saw no reason to discourage her affections, of course)

Sandro and Xenia had seven children. Irina was their first child and only daughter. This beautiful, quiet, delicate child was the first grandchild of Alexander III (who died the year before she was born) and would be the only biological niece of Tzar Nicholas II.

During the first few years of their respective marriages, the Tzar and Empress Alexandra and Grand Duke Alexander and Grand Duchess Xenia spent a lot of time together, and their daughters Olga and Tatiana, and Irina being very close in age, spent a lot of time together and developed a relationship. Distance would later grow between the couples and the children.

By the time Xenia was pregnant with her seventh child, her marriage to Sandro had gone sour. Sandro had fallen in love with a French/Spanish woman and was having an affair with her. Subsequently, Xenia started an affair of her own. Some sources say that they managed to keep their marital problems from their children; others that their quarrels might have had something to do with Irina's decision to marry Prince Felix Yusupov when he asked.

Felix was handsome, extremely smart, and one of the richest men in Russia, but he had a reputation. Irina accepted him as a bridegroom regardless of her parents' misgivings. Felix had a wild youth which seemed to include affairs with men and women. He enjoyed dressing as a woman and wearing his mother's jewels; apparently, he even caught Edward VII's eye at some point. When the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna talked with him about this behavior before his marriage to Irina, he did not deny it. Still, he said that his wild days were over, and he was very much in love with Irina.

Irina had no qualms about signing away succession rights for their future progeny when she married Felix, who was not royal (their marriage was morganatic.) She married him wearing a veil that had belonged to Marie Antoinette. Both looked beautiful. Their wedding was the last grand happening (1000 guests) before the Great War.

Felix and Irina were out of Russia when WWI started and had difficulty passing through Germany to return to Russia.

The Yusupovs settled in a section of Felix's parents' Moika Palace. Felix and Irina had one daughter (whom they named Irina but called "Bebe") and helped the war effort in Russia by opening two hospitals and a sanatorium in their Crimean state of Koreiz.

Felix would go on to kill Rasputin (he was banished to Koreiz by the Tzar) in a misguided effort to help the dynasty survive. As things in Russia became worse. A group of members of the Imperial Family, including the Dowager Empress, Irina's parents and brothers, and several Grand Dukes and their families, avoided being imprisoned and murdered by seeking shelter in Crimea. The Russians held them, prisoner until the Treaty of Brest-Livtosk was signed. Interestingly enough, the Germans liberated them. They left Russia in a warship sent by England to rescue the Dowager Empress.

They lived in an apartment Felix had in London; they had also smuggled out paintings and jewelry. There was a car they had not used in years waiting in a garage in Paris. The couple was extremely generous to the Russian Community and gave a lot to the exiles in need. They eventually bought a mansion in Paris and opened a couture house in Paris, which was very successful for a few years.

Felix and Irina lead an expensive lifestyle, and their couture business went bankrupt (after significant success.) By 1934, as luck would have it, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer released a film named "Rasputin and the Empress." Felix sued the company for slandering Irina and won the lawsuit. He also released two books which did very well.

After this, the coupled lived a quiet life (for them), supporting young artists and attending various functions of the Russian emigre community.

Irina remained close to all her relatives and helped them whenever she could. Her father, Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich, died in her arms.

Felix's and Irina's marriage turned out to be a great success. They were married and lived together, supporting and caring for each other for over fifty years. When Felix died in 1967, Irina was grief-stricken. She died three years later.

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GODPARENTS OF PRINCE GAVRIIL KONSTANTINOVICH

Prince Gavriil Konstantinovich was born on 15 July 1887 in the Grand Bedroom of Empress Maria Feodorovna at Pavlovsk Palace, Saint Petersburg. The second son of Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich of Russia and his German-born wife Grand Duchess Elizabeth Mavrikievna, he was christened on 8 August at 1:30 pm at a private church of Pavlovsk. His godparents were:

ALEXANDER III, EMPEROR OF RUSSIA - his father’s first cousin was named as one of his many godparents. He was highly reactionary in domestic affairs and reversed some of the liberal reforms of his father, Alexander II. He was most likely present at his young cousin’s christening.

GEORGE I, KING OF GREECE - his uncle, the husband of Queen Olga Konstantinovna, was one of his godparents. Born a Danish prince, he was elected king by the Greek National Assembly, when he was only 17. His reign of almost 50 years (the longest in modern Greek history) was characterized by territorial gains as Greece established its place in pre–World War I Europe.

GRAND DUCHESS ALEXANDRA IOSIFOVNA OF RUSSIA - his paternal grandmother, born a German princess, was listed as one of his godparents. Married to Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich of Russia in 1848, she was considered a beautiful woman, but plagued by insecurity. Within the family, she was later known to be a formidable character.

GEORGE II, DUKE OF SAXE-MEININGEN - his maternal great-uncle, was the penultimate Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, reigning from 1866 to 1914. He was likely present, having been named as one of his young nephew's godparents.

ERNST I, DUKE OF SAXE-ALTENBURG - a paternal great-uncle named as a godparent of the young prince, was the reigning Duke of Saxe-Altenburg from 1853 until 1908. He was of a retiring disposition and he took little active part in running the country, of which he ruled for fifty-five years.

GRAND DUCHESS VERA KONSTANTINOVNA OF RUSSIA - one of his paternal aunt, Vera was known in royal circles as an eccentric both in appearance and behaviour. She was named as one of Gabriel's godparents, and was present at the christening. Although she kept in touch with her Romanov relatives, visiting Russia many times, she identified more closely with her adopted country, Württemberg.

GRAND DUKE DMITRI KONSTANTINOVICH OF RUSSIA - his paternal uncle, and his favourite, was also one of his godparents. He followed a military career, and was religious. He never married, and was one of several Romanov relatives executed by a firing squad at the walls of Peter and Paul Fortress during the Russian Civil War.

MARIE FRIEDRIKE, DOWAGER DUCHESS OF SAXE-MEININGEN -  his maternal great-grandmother was one of his godparents. Born a Princess of Hesse-Kassel, she married the Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, with whom two children (seventeen years apart) were born.

PRINCESS AUGUSTA OF SAXE-MEININGEN - his maternal grandmother was absent at her grandson's christening, of whom she was named as one of his godparents. In 1862, she married Prince Moritz of Saxe-Altenburg, and bore him five children.

GEORG, PRINCE OF SCHAUMBURG-LIPPE - the husband of his maternal aunt, was also absent at the young prince's christening but was named as one of his numerous godparents. He ruled the small Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe within the German Empire from 1893 to 1911.

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