#Meriel Buchanan

[otmaaromanovas]

"Fleeting memories come back to me of those cloudless summer days. Pictures of the Emperor and his daughters at the Garden Party at Tsarskoe, the little Grand Duchess Anastasia, her cheeks scarlet with excitement, surrounded by a group of midshipmen, plying them with eager questions. “You will take me up into your conning tower,” her clear childish voice rang out above the hum of conversation. “Couldn’t you let off one of the guns and just pretend it was a mistake?”

The Grand Duchess Olga, her eyes the colour of the blue flowers in her hat, gazing up at a tall lieutenant-commander, who was explaining the way in which a ship was navigated."

-- Meriel Buchanan, Ambassador's Daughter

[laurapetrie]

FAVORITE OTMA PHOTOS: OLGA Dressed in a simple pale-pink chiffon frock, her fair hair bound in a silver ribbon and shining like burnished gold, she danced every dance, enjoying herself as simply and wholeheartedly as any girl at her first ball. I have a vivid memory of her standing on the steps leading down from the gallery to the floor of the ball-room, trying gaily to settle a dispute between three young Grand Dukes who all protested that they had been promised the next dance. Watching her I wondered what the future was going to hold for her, and which of the many possible suitors who had been mentioned from time to time she would eventually marry, but certainly on that night of music and laughter no thought of the coming terror and grim and frightful tragedy ever came into my mind. - Meriel Buchanan, The Dissolution Of An Empire (1932)

[adini-nikolaevna]

Romani people have always seemed to me as unique beauties. Especially the children of Tsar Nicholas I and Tsar Nicholas II were wonderfully beautiful. My question is the famous dark blue eyes of the Romanovs, which are known to everyone. Are there any quotes about these eyes, which are admired and praised by everyone? Were their eye colors really that perfect? Thanks in advance for your answer 🤗

Hi! Here are a few quotes for you:

"Her eyes have that unusual sparkle which poets and lovers describe as heavenly." - Dutch General Friedrich Gagern on Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna (1822-1892)

"... a tall and slender blonde, a perfect beauty, with the profile of a cameo and big blue eyes." - A.I. Sokolova on Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna (1822-1892)

"She was slightly above the medium height, with a fresh complexion, deep blue eyes, quantities of light chestnut hair, and pretty hands and feet." - Yulia "Lili" Dehn on Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna (1895-1918)

"Extremely pretty, with brilliant blue eyes and a lovely complexion, Olga resembled her father in the fineness of her features, especially in her delicate, slightly tipped nose." - Anna Vyrubova on Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna (1895-1918))

"She had not the regular features, the almost mystical beauty of her sister, Tatiana Nikolaevna, but with her rather tip-tilted nose, her wide laughing mouth, her sparkling blue eyes, she had a charm, a freshness, an enchanting exuberance that made her irresistible." - Meriel Buchanan on Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna (1895-1918)

“... very tall, slender as a reed, [with] an elegant cameo profile, grey eyes and brown hair. She was fresh, clean and fragile, like a rose." - Lili Dehn on Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna

“Certainly she was a different type from the others even in appearance, her hair being a rich brown and her eyes so darkly gray that in the evening they seemed quite black... " --Anna Vyrubova on Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna

"She had beautiful, regular features, and resembled some of the beauties among her royal relatives, whose family portraits decorated the palace. Dark haired, pale, with wide-set eyes – she had a poetic, faraway look that did not fit her personality.” -- Anna Vyrubova on Grand Duchess Tatiana NIkolaevna.

"A real beauty, with enormous blue eyes." - Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna on Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna

“Marie Nicolaevna was like Olga Nicolaevna in colouring and features, but all on a more vivid scale. She had the same charming smile, the same shape of face, but her eyes, ‘Marie’s saucers,’ as they were called by her cousins, were magnificent, and of a deep dark blue. " - Baroness Sophia Buxhoeveden on Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna

“… tall, healthy, with sable eyebrows and a bright blush on her open Russian face; she was especially lovely to a Russian heart… her eyes illuminate her entire face with a unique, radiant luster; they sometimes seem black, as long eyelashes throw shadows over the bright blush of her soft cheeks. She is merry and alive, but she has not yet awakened completely to life; probably concealed in her are the immense forces of a real Russian woman.” - Sofia Ofrosimova on Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna

 "Her features were regular and finely cut. She had fair hair, fine eyes, with impish laughter in their depths, and dark eyebrows that nearly met." - Baroness Sophia Buxhoeveden on Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna

"... her eyes, exact copies of the soft blue eyes of her father." - Gleb Botkin on Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna

[teatimeatwinterpalace]

Hi! I’m sorry if this is a vague question, but you seem to be the most knowledgeable person to ask.

What, exactly, was the social calendar of the Imperial family like? What sort of engagements occupied their time, I mean. I’ve heard obscure references to court processions, blessing of the waters, even a swearing in for the Tsesarevich at 16, but I can’t find any real sources for these. If true, what were these ceremonies like? Any recommendations for books or articles that cover this topic are greatly appreciated!

Hey, that's very kind of you to say so!

It is a very broad question since throughout the year they attended all sort of ceremonies, including military reviews, balls, unveiling of monuments, religious holidays (Epiphany, Easter...), receptions of foreign dignitaries, and so on. Parades were organised on various occasion: military anniversaries to honour military victories, imperial birthday, visits from foreign delegations/monarchs, church parades... There were also the celebrations of the Orders which took place on the saint's day like the Order of St Alexander Nevsky, the Order of St Andrew the First-Called, the Order of Saint-Catherine....

As for the Blessing of the Waters, it was an annual ceremony held every Epiphany on January 6. A wooden pavillion was built for the occasion with, close to it, a hole cut into the ice. When the Emperor and the clergy arrived, the Metropolitan would blessed the Neva in dipping a cross three times in the river. In the past, it had been traditionally celebrated on the banks of the Moskva. After the religious ceremony, a banquet was served at the Winter Palace. For many years, it was one of the most important court ceremonies. If my memory is correct, Meriel Buchanan gave a description of this ceremony in her Recollections of Imperial russia.

The ceremony of the Tsar's oath was held when the heir of the throne reached his majority. The Tsesarevich swore an oath to the throne, promising to serve faithfully Tsar and country. I made a post few years ago, detailing this particular ceremony (x).

As for books recs I would recommend :   

Scenarios of Power: Myth and Ceremony in Russian Monarchy. Volume One: From Peter the Great to the Death of Nicholas I and From Alexander II to the Abdication of Nicholas II by Richard S. Wortman. He made an abridged version: Scenarios of Power: Myth and Ceremony in Russian Monarchy: From Peter the Great to the Abdication of Nicholas II. (a serious and thorough scholarly book, truly a great read!)  

At the Russian Court: Palace and Protocol in the 19th Century by Hermitage Amsterdam. (BEAUTIFUL book, you won’t be able to put it down) 

The Winter Palace and the People: Staging and Consuming Russia's Monarchy, 1754–1917 by Susan McCaffray (has some interesting info!)

The Court of the Last Tsar: pomp, power, and pageantry in the reign of Nicholas II by Greg King. (i always been a bit wary of this author but it's one of the few book about this subject in English)

Then you have the account of the time: Muriel Buchanan Recollections of Imperial russia, A. A. Mossolov At The Court Of The Last Tsar, Alexander Grabbe The private world of the last Tsar and the like.

[lesyoussoupoff]

“...the only time I saw her (Princess Zenaida Youssoupoff), during the years we were in Russia, was at the wedding of her younger son to Princess Irina, daughter of the Grand Duchess Xenia and of the Grand Duke Alexander Michailovitch. Her dark hair, already flecked with silver, under the hat of a pale colored violets, and dressed all in pearl grey satin, with a few beautiful diamonds gleaming among the tulle's and laces, she stood there smiling faintly as the long line of guests filed before the bride and bridegroom. Her thoughts seemed very far away; standing close besides the Emperor, and the tall handsome , bearded figure of the Grand Duke Alexander, she seemed to belong to another world, to be spirited from the past, in that grey and silver dress, with that look of ineffable sadness in her still lovely cornflower blue eyes. 

It was, I remember, a very magnificent wedding, attended by the Emperor and all the Imperial family. The bride, with the classical purity of her features, was very beautiful , the bridegroom in his gold-braided coat was very good-looking; there was a glitter of jewels and decorations , of brilliant uniforms, and women’s gaily colored dresses. And yet, somehow there was at the same time a strange feeling of doom and impending tragedy, as if the menace of the coming years was already casting a shadow on all the people assembled in that brightly lighted room, while outside the windows the snow-covered streets, the frozen river, the teeming millions of peasants and workers , waited breathlessly for all the splendor to pass away.” -Meriel Buchanan, Ladies of the Russian Court 

[anamariamauricia]

After a gala reception on March 14, 1622, “Marie [de Luynes] thought it would be fun if they ran through the great hall of the Louvre. Although Anne did not wish to run, Marie and Mademoiselle de Verneuil took her each by the arm and ran with her down the length of the hall. The great room was not lit, and Anne stumbled on the dais that surrounded the throne–stumbled and fell”  - Anne of Austria by Ruth Kleinman

“Laughing and chattering merrily together, their wide skirts billowing around them, the three girls--for all of them were still in their early twenties--walked arm in arm across the shining, polished floor, when suddenly, urged by a thoughtless impulse, Marie de Luynes broke nto a run: ‘Come on, Your Majesty, a race,” she cried merrily....In the dim uncertain light Anne stumbled over a footstool, placed in front of the King’s empty throne of State; instead of holding on to her, Mademoiselle de Verneuil let go of her arm, and the little Queen fell heavily to the ground....Care and solicitude and hastily-applied remedies all proved in vain, and on March 16th it was officially announced that the Queen had had a miscarriage, though various accounts of the accident that had caused this misfortune were spread about, and nobody dared tell the King what had really happened” - The Infanta Queen by Meriel Buchanan

[princesselisabethofhesse]

1900

Meriel Buchanan’s memories

Headstrong and passionate by nature, and married to a man she had never really loved, the Grand Duchess rebelled against the ties that bound her, the restrictions that surrounded her, she refused to take the necessary precautions when she once more became pregnant, and was heart-broken when the baby, which would have been a boy, was born prematurely. It was impossible to keep anything secret for long in a little town like Darmstadt, where everybody knew everybody else's business, almost before they knew it themselves. The strained relations between the Grand Duke and his wife soon became a subject for comment and conjecture, not only in Court and military circles, but at the afternoon gatherings, where old ladies met to drink cups of coffee, topped with whipped cream, and discussed the latest rumours in sibilant whispers. 

The Grand Duchess was in love with this handsome cousin of hers. Oh, a remarkably good-looking man, someone had seen his photograph and had been quite overcome. The Grand Duchess had let that black horse of hers loose in the courtyard at Wolfsgarten, and the animal, which was really wild, had made straight for the Grand Duke, and torn a piece out of his trousers, whereupon, she had just laughed. One afternoon, it was said, her husband had come into her room, whistling a tune which was in his head, when she asked him to stop, and he had not done so, in a fit of ungovernable rage she had thrown down a whole tea-table laden with china. 

It was said that the Grand Duke was paying visits to a certain lady in town. It was said that the Grand Duchess had been furious because she had found him in bed, writing poetry, on a lovely summer's day. It was said that she had called him a coward because he had refused to go out with her in the dog-cart, when she was driving her six white horses.

source: Queen Victoria’s Relations, by Mariel Buchanan

image: eBay

[princessvictoriamelita]

Grand Duchess Victoria Melita of Hesse and by Rhine, mids 1890s.

Her "dark, sallow complexion," was, however, contrasted with that of her sister Marie's "brilliant colouring" and "radiant animation." "But had a certain' regal magnificence that made her outshine every other woman in the room; strangers immediately asked who she was," wrote Meriel Buchanan.

[annalaurendet70]

Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna Romanova of Russia at Tsarskoe Selo in 1913.

At the time of this photo she was 18,Olga died at aged 23. During that era ~ whether it was arranged or for love,females married young.If she did she could have escaped the horror that was to come.Her own mother,the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia was considered old at aged 22 when she married.

Her marriage prospects

•Prince Ioann Konstantinovich Romanov of Russia fell in love with Olga. When he was 16, he attended Alexei's christening in 1904 and met the 9-year-old Olga. He reflected that “I was so enraptured by her I can’t even describe it. It was like a wildfire fanned by the wind. Her hair was waving, her eyes were sparkling, well, I can’t even begin to describe it!!”. In 1908, he traveled to the Crimea "only out of hunger to see Olga." He admitted his feelings to Olga's parents, but they rejected him. He told his father, "They won't let me marry Olga Nikolaevna."

•In 1911, there were rumors that Olga would marry George, Crown Prince of Serbia or Prince Boris of Bulgaria.The article claimed that Nicholas intended to make his four daughters the "Queens of the Balkans" to keep the Balkan states faithful to Russia.

•After the Coronation of King George V of the United Kingdom there was speculation that either Olga or Tatiana would marry Prince Edward of Wales.

•There were rumors that Olga and her first cousin once removed Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich Romanov of Russia were romantically involved. As an orphan, Dmitri was very close to Olga's parents, which provoked more speculation that he would marry Olga. Arthur Cherep-Spiridovich wrote, “Such was the Emperor’s affection for him that all the entourage already saw in him the future fiancé of one of the grand duchesses.Alexandra Bogdanova, the wife of a general and hostess of a monarchist salon, wrote in her diary on 7 June 1912 that Olga had been betrothed the previous night to Grand Duke.The Washington Post reported that Olga had refused Prince Adalbert because "she had given her heart to her cousin Grand Duke Dmitri Paulovitch."In August 1912, Meriel Buchanan, the British ambassador's daughter, wrote in her diary, "I heard a rumour yesterday that a certain person is going to marry the Emperor’s eldest daughter. I can’t quite believe it considering all the high and mighty people who are panting to marry her. Of course she may have a coup de foudre for him and insist on having her own way.” In his book The Rasputin File, Edvard Radzinsky speculates that the betrothal was broken off due to Dmitri's dislike for Grigori Rasputin, his association with Felix Yussupov and rumors that Dmitri was bisexual.However, no other sources mention an official betrothal to Dmitri Pavlovich.

•Before World War I, there was some discussion of a marriage between Olga and Prince Carol of Romania. In 1914, Foreign Minister Sergey Sazonov advocated the match because he wanted to ensure that the Romanian royal family would support Russia in case of a future conflict. Nicholas and Alexandra saw the benefits of the match, but they insisted that “the grand duchess’s marriage … should take place only as the result of a much closer acquaintance between the young people and on the absolute condition of their daughter’s voluntary agreement to it."In March 1914, Crown Prince Ferdinand of Romania, Crown Princess Marie of Romania, and Prince Carol of Romania visited the Romanovs in St. Petersburg. Despite going on walks and dinners with each other, Olga and Carol seemed uninterested in each other. During a visit to Romania in the spring of 1914, Olga and Carol were uninterested in each other and did not speak to each other. Crown Princess Marie of Romania, noted that Carol was "not enamored of Olga's broad, plain face and brusque manner." She judged that Olga's face "was too broad, her cheekbones too high," and she told her mother that all of the grand duchesses "were not found very pretty." Marthe Bibesco, who was with the Romanian party, heard a rumor that the grand duchesses had "decided... to make themselves as ugly as they could.... so that Carol should not fall in love with any of them.". The plans were, in any event, put on hold upon the outbreak of war in 1914.

•Olga told Pierre Gilliard that she wanted to marry a Russian and remain in her own country. She said her parents would not force her to marry anyone she could not like.

•In 1913, Duchess Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin asked Alexandra about a potential marriage between the 18-year-old Olga and her own 38-year-old son, Grand Duke Boris Vladimirovich of Russia. Alexandra was horrified, because "the idea of Boris is too unsympathetic." She refused to allow "a pure, fresh girl" to marry "a well-used, half worn out, blasé young man" and "live in a house in which many a woman has shared his life."

[thestarik]

HMS Lion at Kronstadt, June 3, 1914. Olga, Anastasia, Maria, Olga Alexandrovna, Victoria Feodorovna, Alexandra, Tatiana. Second Row: Olga Evgenievna Byutsova, Meriel Buchanan, Ethel Beatty, George Battenberg, George Buchanan, Count Fredericks, Nicholas, Admiral David Beatty, Kirill Vladimirovich.

[otmacamera]

14th June 1914

The Imperial Family onboard the battlecruiser "Lion", 14th June 1914.

First row : Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna, Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna, Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna, Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna, Grand Duchess Victoria Feodorovna, Tsaritsa Alexandra Feodorovna and Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna. Second row : Olga E. Byutsova, Meriel Buchanan, Ethel Beatty, George Battenberg, British Ambassador Sir George Buchanan, Count Fredericks, Tsar Nicholas II, Admiral Sir David Beatty and Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich.

Photos from: Alexandra Feodorovna's 1912-1916 Album Tatiana Z

[sheriffof0]

William Mason (1906-2002) was a British Impressionist painter born in Newport, Wales, who studied at Newport College of Art and the Royal College of Art. Aside from painting he also taught at Scarborough School of Art and at St. Albans School of Art. Mason exhibited at the McClelland Galleries in Belfast and with the RA. ‘Child of Sir George & Lady Buchanan’ c.1950, in oil pastel, 33x28cm Meriel Buchanan (1886-1959) memoirist & novelist was the only child of Sir George & Lady Buchanan, the last British Ambassador to Imperial Russia. She wrote two sets of memoirs about her experiences. #sheppertoncarbootsale (at Hanworth, Hounslow, United Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/CVFXb7vIW1J/?utm_medium=tumblr

[romanovsonelastdance]

May I ask if you have explanation about Princess Elizabeth(Greece) features? I always wonder of her features since her sisters are famous than her ,so I don't really read much about her.

It was at Tatoi, in May 1903, that our little daughter Olga made her appearance. The following year, also in May, our second daughter, Elizabeth, arrived; she was as dark as her sister was fair. - Prince Nicholas of Greece

Elizabeth, who, because of her masses of dark curling hair, was always called "Woolly," had inherited her mother's eyes. - Meriel Buchanan 

Aunt Marina and my mother were both very talented painters and sketchers, like their father, and also helped grandmother Helen a great deal with her charity work. - Count Hans Veit, Elizabeth's son.

My mother was a soft soul and bad times really affected her. . . don't mistake this, she had a strong will and was a survivor, but the atrocities of the war, combined with the loss of friends and family and the destruction all around us affected her deeply. - Hans Veit

My mother was a beautiful woman, and I say so not as her son, but as someone who appreciates beautiful people and things. She painted and sketched rather well. She had a great sense of beauty and was very elegant by nature. My mother was extremely modest and possessed great charisma and charm. Olga and Marina were more alike, but the three were extremely close. My mother loved gardening and she was quite good at it. [. . .] Mother was very religious and remained a fervent Orthodox her entire life. She would go to church with us, we are Catholics, but she never considered changing her religion. - Hans Veit

My Aunt Elizabeth was adorable. He was difficult, her husband, I didn't care for him at all, but she was kind and loving and very warm. Beautiful amber-colored eyes, I remember. She was beautiful. - Elizabeth of Yugoslavia

I am sure it was very difficult for my mother as she was not German and was very cut off from her own family. She did not speak German well and you weren't allowed to speak foreign languages. She was considered not only to be a foreigner but a dangerous foreigner, having a sister in England, and another one in Africa, who had been in Serbia. But she loved to go to the village to talk to the villagers, always dressed as simply as possible, and she wore no make-up. - Archduchess Helen, Elizabeth's daughter.

[teatimeatwinterpalace]

hi! do you reckon Wilhelm II ever stopped loving Ella?

Hey! To be honest, based solely on the evidence we have, I think he did. Wilhelm was young and impulsive at that time. He was very much infatuated with her but she was also still very young. If he had developped a serious attachment towards her, he could have married her later on (if Ella was willing). I have no doubt that he could have convinced his parents, even his grandfather favored the match! But obviously, for various reasons, he soon shift his interest to Dona. 

Meriel Buchanan wrote that : “Questioned as to this marked avoidance of his cousin, he sometimes refused to reply, or if he did, said harshly that he could never forget how much she had meant to him in the past and how much he had loved her.” But at the same time, the letters that we have from the family and Wilhelm himself implied that it was his decision to turn his back on Ella (wrote about it a bit more here). He even said that he was never interested in her. Perhaps, it was his wounded ego that was talking here. Maybe he suffered a great deal from Ella’s rejection. But the thing is that we don’t know all the extend of what happened between Ella and Wilhelm. Where is the truth? Who knows. He got married fairly quickly afterwards. If he had waited, who knows what would have happened?

He later on said he was prevented from marrying his first love, but to be honest, that with Buchanan’s comment, it sounds to me like an old person filled with nostalgia and mostly dissatisfied with his past choices. Aaannd let’s not forget that Wilhelm was a drama queen at heart!

[delicateflowers-of-the-past]

Princess Alix of Hesse, later Empress of Russia photographed in 1875.

“Her fourth daughter, who had been given the name of Alix, because the Germans pronounced Alice in such a dreadful way, was such a merry little person.  “She is,” Princess Alice told the Queen, “quite the personification of her nickname, “Sunny.” - Meriel Buchanan, Queen Victoria’s Relations (x)