Maria also had a surprising secret talent: remarkable physical strength. Mind you, a penchant for weight lifting actually ran in the family. Her grandfather, Tsar Alexander III, had also been impressively strong, in fact. During the 1888 Borki train disaster, for instance, Alexander III had supposedly borne the weight of a locomotive carriage’s fallen roof so that his loved ones could flee to safety. Rather than tackling a train, though, the grand duchess contented herself with occasionally picking up her teachers. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - #royal#royals#royalkids#romanovs#romanovdynasty#dynasty#princess#russia#history#russianhistory#historylovers#imperialfamily#grandduchess#grandduchessanastasia#grandduchessmaria#grandduchesstatiana#grandduchessolga#tsarevich#tsarevichalexei#tsar#tsarina#tsarnicholasii#alexandrafeodorovna #romanovfamily

At home the sisters grew up like any other happy, normal girls, prone to the same fights and squabbles and hair pulling. They might have been cosseted with extravagant gifts from royal relatives and eminent statesman, but their mother – in the tradition of her own mother Alice and her much-loved grandmother Queen Victoria – imposed a rigorous English regime of frugality, hand-me-down clothes, iron bedsteads, plain nursery food and cold baths. The girls were educated in the necessary social graces and spoke French, Russian (among themselves) and English (with their parents), but they were never spoilt. All four enchanted visitors: they were pert, friendly, inquisitive, and clearly devoted to each other. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - #royal#royals#royalkids#romanovs#romanovdynasty#dynasty#princess#russia#history#russianhistory#historylovers#imperialfamily#grandduchess#grandduchessanastasia#grandduchessmaria#grandduchesstatiana#grandduchessolga#tsarevich#tsarevichalexei#tsar#tsarina#tsarnicholasii#alexandrafeodorovna #romanovfamily

Grand Duchess Tatiana always knew how to surround her often ailing mother with constant peaceful care, and to listen and understand her. She never allowed herself to show that she was not good spirits. In a 1916 letter to her husband, the Empress wrote, “… You cannot imagine how terribly I miss you – such utter loneliness – the children with all their love still have other ideas and rarely understand my way of looking at things… Only when I speak quietly with T[atiana] she grasps it. …”. Gilliard specifically noted that “if the Tsarina made any difference between her children, Tatiana Nikolaevna was her favorite. It was not that her sisters loved their mother any less, but Tatiana knew how to surround her with unwavering attention…” - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - #royal#royals#royalkids#romanovs#romanovdynasty#dynasty#princess#russia#history#russianhistory#historylovers#imperialfamily#grandduchess#grandduchessanastasia#grandduchessmaria#grandduchesstatiana#grandduchessolga#tsarevich#tsarevichalexei#tsar#tsarina#tsarnicholasii#alexandrafeodorovna #romanovfamily

Gilliard wrote that Tatiana was reserved and "well balanced" but less open and spontaneous than Olga. She was also less talented than Olga, but worked harder and was more dedicated to seeing projects through to completion than her elder sister. Colonel Eugene Kobylinsky, the family's guard at Tsarskoye Selo and Tobolsk, felt Tatiana "had no liking for art. Maybe it would have been better for her had she been a man." Others felt Tatiana's artistic talents were better expressed in handiwork and in her talent for choosing attractive fashions and creating elegant hair styles. Her mother's friend Anna Vyrubova later wrote that Tatiana had a great talent for making clothing, embroidery and crochet and that she dressed her mother's long hair as well as any professional hair stylist. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - #royal#royals#royalkids#romanovs#romanovdynasty#dynasty#princess#russia#history#russianhistory#historylovers#imperialfamily#grandduchess#grandduchessanastasia#grandduchessmaria#grandduchesstatiana#grandduchessolga#tsarevich#tsarevichalexei#tsar#tsarina#tsarnicholasii#alexandrafeodorovna #romanovfamily

Великие Княжны и Цесаревич в итальянском дворике Ливадийского дворца, 19 апреля 1914-го и то же место 10 ноября 2019-го. Скамейку с грифонами переставили, точно еще не опознал ее нынешнее место, позже будет сравнение с фото, где Аликс и Ольга сидят на похожей. За помощь в съемках благодарю @livadia_palace The Grand Duchesses and Tsarevich Alexei in the Italian courtyard of the Livadia Palace, 19 April 1914, and the same place on 10 November 2019. The bench with griffins was moved, and I haven't yet identified its present location. Later here will be a comparison with a photo of Alix & Olga sitting on a similar one. Thanks to the @livadia_palace for helping with photoshooting. #livadiapalace #grandduchess #romanov #tsarevich #imperialfamily #imperialrussia #romanovs #romanoff #romanovdynasty #romanovfamily #sledstvie #ливадийскийдворец #княжны #романовы #цесаревича #алексейниколаевич #историяроссии #династияромановых #царскаясемья #царскаяроссия #ольганиколаевна

Grand Duchess Tatiana was growing up to be straight forward, honest and pure of nature; she had a tendency towards establishing order in life and had a highly developed sense of duty. She was always in charge of the household routines, and because of her mother’s illness she usually was the one who took care of her frequently ill little brother Tsesarevich Alexei. Tatiana was also often the one who accompanied her father for walks when no aid-de-camp was available. She was intelligent, highly developed, and loved to be in command, and in particular enjoyed to embroider and iron clothes. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - #royal#royals#royalkids#romanovs#romanovdynasty#dynasty#princess#russia#history#russianhistory#historylovers#imperialfamily#grandduchess#grandduchessanastasia#grandduchessmaria#grandduchesstatiana#grandduchessolga#tsarevich#tsarevichalexei#tsar#tsarina#tsarnicholasii#alexandrafeodorovna #romanovfamily

While both of the Tsar’s eldest daughters were inclined to introspection, Grand Duchess Tatiana seemed to be more critical and demanding of herself. In one of the letters to her father, Tatiana wrote: “I just wanted to ask your forgiveness dear Papa, for all that I have done to you, my dear, for all the trouble I have caused. I pray that God makes me a better person…” - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Maria and Anastasia were “The Little Pair.” With the birth of the long-awaited heir, Tsarevich Alexei, in 1904, Maria became the middle child. She may have been one half of the Little Pair, but she may have felt left out due to Anastasia’s bond with their younger brother. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Comedic characterization of Anastasia was firmly stated by Gleb Botkin, son of Romanov physician, Dr. Evgeny Botkin. Gleb was to also add that “she undoubtedly held the record for punishable deeds in her family, for in naughtiness she was a true genius!”- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - #royal#royals#royalkids#romanovs#romanovdynasty#dynasty#princess#russia#history#russianhistory#historylovers#imperialfamily#grandduchess#grandduchessanastasia#grandduchessmaria#grandduchesstatiana#grandduchessolga#tsarevich#tsarevichalexei#tsar#tsarina#tsarnicholasii#alexandrafeodorovna #romanovfamily

When “Alice in Wonderland” was first read to Grand Duchess Olga, the little girl was horrified at the manners of the queens. “No queens,” Olga said, “would ever be so rude.” From books and stories Olga was also able to learn about some things about the outside world that she had never experienced firsthand. When the “Alice in Wonderland” chapter about Alice’s journey by railway was read to her, she was very amused that Alice did not have the train compartment all to herself. It was explained to her that each person had to buy a ticket and occupy just one seat in the train, with some tickets costing more than others and the highest-priced tickets granting a better place in the train. Still bemused, Grand Duchess Olga asked, “When you travel, can anyone with the same kind of ticket you have get into the same carriage as you do?” No matter how “normal” her parents tried to make Olga’s life, there were many mundane things that most people took for granted that were completely foreign concepts to the little girl. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - #royal#royals#royalkids#romanovs#romanovdynasty#dynasty#princess#russia#history#russianhistory#historylovers#imperialfamily#grandduchess#grandduchessanastasia#grandduchessmaria#grandduchesstatiana#grandduchessolga#tsarevich#tsarevichalexei#tsar#tsarina#tsarnicholasii#alexandrafeodorovna #romanovfamily

- ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏsᴛ ʀᴇsᴘᴏɴsɪʙʟᴇ - Tatiana Romanov was very direct and practical, even as a little girl. One of Romanov family nannies, Margaretta Eagar recalled: “One day the children and I were walking in the garden of the Winter Palace. The Emperor has some really beautiful collie dogs, and these were taking exercise in the garden at the same time. One of them, a young untrained creature, jumped on Tatiana Nikolaevna’s back, and threw her down. The child was frightened and cried most bitterly. I lifted her up and said: ‘Poor Sheilka! She did not mean to hurt you; she only wanted to say ‘Good-morning’ to you.’ The child looked at me and said, ‘Was that all? I don’t think she is very polite; she could have said it to my face, not to my back.’” - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - #royal#royals#royalkids#romanovs#romanovdynasty#dynasty#princess#russia#history#russianhistory#historylovers#imperialfamily#grandduchess#grandduchessanastasia#grandduchessmaria#grandduchesstatiana#grandduchessolga#tsarevich#tsarevichalexei#tsar#tsarina#tsarnicholasii#alexandrafeodorovna #romanovfamily