The Imperial Court, Culture and Art

[Marsel]

Music written by members of the Romanov dynasty is to be performed for the first time on October 20, during the concert that will take place in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow.

You can find more information here.

[joye]

I have always wondered about the etiqueete of The Russian Royal Court.

Why did the widow of Alexander III have precendence over the wife of the current Tsar Nicholas II?
Did Minnie [ Dagmar] continue on as 1st lady, because Alix was new at the position?

[Vasillisos Markos]

I had read somewhere that Tsar Paul imposed this rule as he did not wish to have any woman married to his successor to have precedence over Empress Marie Feodorovna, Paul's wife. I believe the Russian Court protocol imposed and maintained this rule, which added to the tension between Minnie and Alix. Their relationship was frosty to begin with and this court protocol only made it worse, especially when it came to the wearing and use of the crown jewels.

[snowflower]

Yes Marie kept the Crown Jewels to herself and Alexandra was thus obliged to wear the Jewels that were designated for the Tsarevitch's wife in many state occasions, but to a certain point even the Court who favored Marie over Alexandra started protesting and Marie handed over those jewels ecentually .

Another etiquette rule I ve read about is that no woman should present herself in mourning clothes in front of their Imperial Majesties, unless she was mourning for a Grand Duke , a Grand Duchess or a Romanov relative in general.

Sorry, I forgot to add: while invited or visiting the palace on official events . So they didn't really expect those poor ladies they met at the street or outside in general to go home and change. The rule also excluded those mourning for relatives of the Empress. At least if Granny ever visited from Britain she would have no problem attending a banquet :Bigrinn:

[Russophile]

Originally Posted by joye

I have always wondered about the etiqueete of The Russian Royal Court.

Why did the widow of Alexander III have precendence over the wife of the current Tsar Nicholas II?
Did Minnie [ Dagmar] continue on as 1st lady, because Alix was new at the position?

As you can tell from the excellent answers of VM and Snowflower, she did not. Minnie was Minnie and as a (still) young, vibrant woman she did not want to leave court so she did not.

[snowflower]

Originally Posted by Russophile

Minnie was Minnie and as a (still) young, vibrant woman she did not want to leave court so she did not.

Not to mention that Minnie was trying to convice others about the correct spirit of the Russian court. When Alix had to move out from Buckingham after Edward's death ,Minnie said " In Russia, no one would ever instruct me about such a thing and I don't see why you should comply" and a whole serie a drama began.

[joye]

I appreciate everyone's answers and insight. Many thankyous.