The Imperial Tea Party: Family, politics and betrayal: the ill-fated British and Russian royal alliance
by Frances Welch
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Description
Russia and Britain were never natural bedfellows. But the marriage, in 1894, of Queen Victoria’s favourite granddaughter, Alicky, to the Tsarevich Nicholas marked the beginning of an uneasy Anglo-Russian entente that would last until the Russian Revolution of 1917. This book recounts the three extraordinary meetings that took place during those years, although well-intentioned and generally hailed as successes, were beset by misunderstandings and misfortunes. Whether it was the Romanovs show more suffering the draughty rooms and wet hunting expeditions at Balmoral, or Queen Victoria complaining about the food on her first and only state visit to the Russian Empire at the port of Revel, or everyone succumbing to seasickness on arrival at Osbourne House on the Isle of Wight. The two families could not know, as they waved each other fond goodbyes from their yachts at Cowes in 1909, that they would never meet again. King George infamously denied his Romanov cousins exile in Britain when the Bolsheviks were closing in in 1917, but the assassination of the Tsar and his family horrified him, and whether or not things might have turned out differently if he had accepted their plea for refuge has been the subject of speculation ever since. The British and Russian Royal Families met three times before the Romanovs' tragic end in 1918. The Imperial Tea Party draws back the curtain on those pivotal encounters between these two great dynasties; encounters that had far reaching consequences for 19th century Europe and beyond. show lessTags
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This little volume deals with the three major meetings of the British and Russian royals. The meetings were held at Balmoral, Reval, and on the Isle of Wight. It's interesting to see how family relations and politics shaped the substance of these meetings and how the participants reacted to each other and their situations. The book is illustrated by the different sets of photos that were taken to accompany each gathering. Interesting, quick reading.
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6+ Works 324 Members
Common Knowledge
- People/Characters
- Nicholas II, Emperor of Russia; Alexandra Feodorovna, Empress of Russia; Alexandra of Denmark, Queen Consort of the United Kingdom; Edward VII, King of the United Kingdom; George V, King of the United Kingdom; Mary of Teck, Queen Consort of the United Kingdom (show all 7); Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom
- Important places
- Isle of Wight, England, UK; Balmoral Castle, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, UK; Reval, Russian Empire
Classifications
- Genres
- History, Nonfiction, General Nonfiction, Biography & Memoir
- DDC/MDS
- 947.0830922 — History & geography History of Europe Eastern European Counties and Russia Russian & Slavic History by Period 1855- Nicholas II, 1894-1917
- LCC
- DK188.6 .W5 .W44 — History of Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania Russia. Soviet Union. Former Soviet Republics – Poland History of Russia. Soviet Union. Former Soviet Republics History
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 26
- Popularity
- 1,043,878
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (4.25)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 3
- ASINs
- 1
