#Nathalie Majolier

[otmaaromanovas]

Mikhail Alexandrovich with his step-daughter, Natalia Sergeievna, whom he accepted as his own child

"Having kissed us both, Uncle Misha went away. He never came back. Thus, almost casually, there went out of my life a man whom I shall always love and who I regard more than anybody else as my parent. I owed and owe everything to him"

Natalia writes very fondly about Mikhail, whom she called 'Uncle Misha, in her memoirs, 'Step-Daughter of Imperial Russia'.

"Then eventually I met the Grand Duke. He came to tea one summer afternoon- I was decked out in a white silk smock, which I secretly thought rather plain, my two long straight black plaits were undone, my nails cleaned, and I was ushered in. To my immense surprise and disappointment, I did not see anybody resembling Jehovah, but a very slim and tall young man, with the thinnest waist and a charming smile, rose from a chair and said "So that's it, is it? My God, what eyes!". I was completely tongue-tied and speechless, even the gift of a large box of delicious sweets could only produce a very inaudible thank you." "Now he was part of the household and I accepted him quite normally and was told to call him Uncle Misha. I soon lost my shyness of him and used to clamber on his knee and follow him about..."

Mikhail wrote about Natalia often in his diary, affectionately calling her 'Tata':

"...we slid down the hill to the greatest pleasure of Tata and Baby." "At 9 1/4 Tata and I went to the Farm, rode from there on horseback through Remiz past the tea house. Farther along we crossed the railroad and rode past Paritz, Kolpano and to Priorat. By the guard house near Warsaw Station we got into an automobile and went home." "...In the morning Tata and I took a ride on horseback at the Zoo."

Sources:

Step-Daughter of Imperial Russia, Natalia Majolier

Michael Romanov : Brother Of The Last Tsar, Diaries And Letters, 1916-1918, Helen Azar , and Nicholas B.A. Nicholson

[elsalouisa]

"Easter was late that year, and it was very warm, so it was decided that we would go to Brassowo. We stopped a day in Moscow, and I remember thinking how much Granny had aged since the death of Aunt Vera. The big house at Brassowo was being entirely refurnished and redecorated, so we stayed in what  was known as the Guests’ Pavilion, just across the lawn and the front drive. I was delighted to get back there again and find all the familiar landmarks. On Good Friday we painted and dyed the usual eggs, and I heard with delight that I would be allowed to go to the midnight service at the monastery, which was some twelve versts away, That would be nothing in these days, by car, but then had to be done by horse and carriage. The thought of this long drive at night enthralled me and my happiness was complete when I was told that I could stay up for supper after we got home.  Then horror of horrors! On Saturday morning I woke up and found that I was completely speechless; my throat was not sore but I could not speak above a whisper. Motia, my maid, I knew would not say anything, and as Miss Rata had by then developed a bulge whose precise significance escaped me and presumably had other things to think about, I spent the day very successfully in avoiding to have to speak to anybody. We had a very early supper, about six, and I was sent to bad until it was time to dress and start for the monastery. I was with Mamma and Uncle Misha in their Victoria, well wrapped up and delighted that nobody had spotted my voice, or rather the lack of it. Then suddenly Mamma asked me a question, and the whole thing came out; she was very angry and said that I would be ill and that it  was dangerous to drive about in the cold night air, but we were nearly there by then and there was nothing to be done. I was told that on returning home I would be sent straight to bed, without supper, but Uncle Misha nudged me and I knew it would be all right. The service impressed me tremendously, There was a male choir, with small boys as altos and sopranos; the elder monks had baritones and basses; they all had wonderful voices, and how they sang! I had cold shivers down my back all the time. The Easter midnight service in the Orthodox Church starts on a lugubrious note. The church is hardly illuminated, the singing is sad and subdued, one is still mourning for the death of  Christ. Then starts a procession, carrying ikons and banners, most of the congregation following with lighted candles; they walk outside and right round the church, and then one can hear the choir taking on a new note, very gay and lilting, the big candelabras suddenly burst into light and the procession come back by the main door singing: ‘Christ is risen'. The clergy have light vestments on, and the whole atmosphere is one of rejoicing, and you embrace whoever is standing next to you thrice and murmur: ‘Christ is risen’. Then came a short celebration of Mass and we started off for home, Upon arrival there, to my secret relief, nobody mentioned my going to bed, and as soon as the  others arrived back in relays from church, supper was started. The whole idea of the supper is the traditional breaking of the fast after the long lenten days. The table was literally groaning with food, hams, chickens, a sucking-pig in jelly with a red egg in his mouth, a turkey stuffed with truffles, bowls of multi-coloured eggs, special Easter cakes known as koulitch and endless variety of hors d'oeuvre, and that delicious concoction of cream cheese, eggs, sugar, and ground almonds, flavoured with vanilla, and compressed into a pyramid shape, which we call paskha.  The supper went on for hours, until dawn, but I had been sent to bed long before that".

Nathalie Majolier "Step-Daughter of Imperial Russia"

[romanovsonelastdance]

[My mother] would creep into my bedroom late at night with a luscious peach and say that the Grand Duke [Mikhail Alexandrovich] had specially sent it to me. I would eat that peach and go to sleep, lazily meditating on the omnipotence of Grand Dukes, who produced peaches in the middle of the night. Then eventually I met the Grand Duke. He came to tea one summer afternoon. I was decked out in a white silk smock, which I secretly thought rather plain, my two long straight black plaits were undone, my nails cleaned, and I was ushered in. To my immense surprise and disappointment I did not see anybody resembling Jehovah, but a very slim and tall young man, with the thinnest waist and charming smile, rose from a chair and said: 'So that’s it, is it? My God, what eyes!’ I was completely tongue-tied and speechless, even the gift of a large box of delicious sweets could only produce a very inaudible thank you.

Nathalie Majolier, Step-Daughter of Imperial Russia

[romanovsonelastdance]

Downloadable e-book of the memoirs of Nathalie Majolier (born Natalia Mamontova), the step-daughter of Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich.  You’re better off with the PDFs that are straight-scans of the book, as the copy-and-pasted versions have a lot of errors that make it almost impossible to read. 

[romanovsonelastdance]

The Grand Dukes Boris and Andrei also came to the house, but they did not have the same thrill for me as [Grand Duke] Dmitri. The Grand Duchess Marie Pavlovna, Dmitri’s sister, was more interesting to me, because of her relationship to the hero of my dreams. […] At that time I started to write a book. Of course Dmitri figured in it under the very thinly disguised name of Dennis. He was a cousin of this imaginary family and madly in love with the heroine Nina, who was presumably myself.

Nathalie “Tata” Majolier, Mikhail Alexandrovich’s step-daughter

[romanovsonelastdance]

I remember, one day, [Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich] had a fairly large party and after tea took us round the state apartments, the throne room, the banqueting hall, and the huge ballroom. I somehow strayed from the party and departed on my own, thinking it much more fun. Having done a few forbidden slides on the parquet floor, I climbed the dais and scrambled on the throne, very pleased with myself, and sat there, smirking, just as a search-party came in view, looking for me. There were roars of laughter, the loudest from the Grand Duke, and I was whisked off it by my mother, who was rather angry and told me I had done something awful. I burst into tears, visions of prison looming before me, and had to be consoled by the Grand Duke, who promised that he would not tell the Emperor, and that everybody would be sworn to secrecy.

Natalia “Tata” Mamontova, Mikhail Alexandrovich’s step-daughter

[romanovsonelastdance]

Mikhail Alexandrovich with his son Georgiy and step-daughter, Tata. 

Now he was part of the household and I accepted him quite normally and was told to call him Uncle Misha. I soon lost my shyness with him and used to clamber on his knee and follow him about. I was very slightly jealous when he and my mother would kiss, and try to push him away from her. I am sure they did it on purpose in my presence, as they would roar with laughter when I got angry. [. . .] Mikhail Alexandrovich was a very simple man. Even his sense of humor was simple, almost of the schoolboy type, since above all he enjoyed practical jokes. Anybody from the highest to the lowest was equally likely to be victimized. Of course to me at that age these were great fun, and on many occasions I was his ally. […] Of his kindness I have many recollections. Time and time again he came between me and my mother, who was not of so gentle a nature. He was always thinking out presents he thought I would like. Though I was a step-daughter, child of another man by my mother whom he adored, and in some cases this led to jealousy, he never made any differentiation between me and George, his own son. Governesses, servants, and sometimes those seeking to curry favor might try to do so and lavish attention on George while ignoring me. Uncle Misha never did. Nathalie Majolier (Tata), Step-Daughter of Imperial Russia

[romanovsonelastdance]

Dmitri Pavlovich with Natalia Sergeevna Brasova, wife of Mikhail Alexandrovich. 

[Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich] must have been in his twenties then, and was most extraordinarily good-looking; very tall, very slender with the usual Romanov wasp waist and very long legs. I […] fell madly in love with him. Tania and Marina, of course, followed my example, and we had a secret Dmitri Club. This consisted of buying as many picture postcards of him as our pocket-money would allow, and trying to find out where he was or what he was doing by listening hard to what the grown-ups were saying. […] I started to write a diary all about Dmitri and in the innocence of my heart I hid it in my bed under the mattress. Of course, the next time that was turned my note-book was discovered and I came in for a lot of chaffing. I think it was very mean of whomever found it to take it straight to Mamma, she was of a caustic tongue and would not let me forget for weeks. The next time Dmitri came to the house I was almost imbecile with shyness and could, with pleasure, have fallen through the earth when Mamma said to him; ‘You know, Dmitri, this child is madly in love with you.’” From “Step-Daughter of Imperial Russia” by Nathalie Majolier (Natalia Sergeevna Mamontova), Mikhail Alexandrovich’s step-daughter.