THE RUSSIAN AND ROMANIAN ROYAL FAMILIES INTRODUCE PRINCE CAROL AND GRAND DUCHESS OLGA WITH A VIEW TO AN ALLIANCE NICHOLAS II (1868-1918, Tsar of Russia from 1894, Assasinated after the Revolution), ALEXANDRA FEODOROVNA (1872-1918, the Tsarina) with their children OLGA (1895-1918, Grand Duchess), TATIANA (1897-1918), MARIA (1899-1918), ANASTASIA(1901-1918) & ALEXEI (1904-1918, The Tsarevitch) MARIE (1900-1961, Princess of Rumania and future Queen of Yugoslavia), Prince NICHOLAS(of Rumania, 1903-1978), Princess ILEANA (1909-1991) and Prince MIRCEA (1913-1916)

Later reprint of an original unsigned Group Photo from 1914 used for a Newspaper Obituary annotated on the verso, headed "Russian Revolution Tzar abdicates Mar 15 1917" with the description "A unique picture showing the entire Russian Royal Family and the Rumanian Royal Family a few m[onths] prior to Outbreak of war. (Left to Right) Grand Duchess Anastasia (seated) King Carol of Rumania, Grand Duchess Tatiania of Russia, Princess Marie of Rumania (Queen of Yugo-Slavia) Princ[e] Carol of Rumania (now King) Princess Ileana of Rumania, (now Princess Ileanaof Hapsburg), late King Ferdinand of Rumania, Carmen Sylva, late Queen of Rumania; (seated 2nd from left: Tzarina, Grand Duchess Marie of Russia, Queen Marie of Roumania, Tzar of Russia, Grand D[uchesss] Olga of Russia with her baby, in foreground L to R, Tzare[vitch] & Prince Nicholas of Rumania", showing them all seated and standing, the girls in white dresses and the boys in sailor suits, 8" x 6", Constanta, 14th July

Probably used for the newspaper obituaries of the former King Carol of Rumania death in 1953.
The original photograph was taken on 14th July 1914 in Constant, Romania. Nicholas II was keen to marry his eldest daughter Olga to the very masculine Prince Carol and Ferdinand and Marie thought this would be an ideal match. This was the occasion of their first meeting. However, they were not impressed with each other. When it came time to take the historic photo, Olga rushed over to pick up her young cousin and thus not have to stand near Carol. Peering at us from the back row, Prince Carol has a rather sullen look on his face, clearly not happy to be there at all except that he was clearly interested in Grand Duchess Marie who is seated on the left of the image with masses of hair.
Only a few weeks after the Romanovs returned home to Russia, Archduke Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated in the streets of Sarajevo, an event that soon snowballed into what we now refer to as World War 1. Had Grand Duchess Olga accepted this arrangement her life would not have come to an end so brutally in Ekaterinburg.
For more information about the photograph see https://kingofromania.com/2017/08/10/the-russian-queen-of-romania-that-almost-was/

Item Date:  1914

Stock No:  41023      £475

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