Anastasia was the fourth daughter born to Nicholas and Alexandra who gave birth to a total of five children. Starting with the youngest and heir to the throne, Alexei, also known as Alexis to non-Russian folk, was born at the Farm Palace at Peterhof on July 30th, 1904. "My parents had long been waiting for a boy. When I was born, I've heard my father was disappointed. Someone told me he took a long walk in the park immediately after I was born. Oh well, it doesn't matter, Papa loves me all the same!" Alexei had a lot of nicknames as a child. Nicholas and Alexandra quite often called him "Sunshine" or "Baby," as he had beautiful dark hair and blue eyes, and after all, he was the baby of the family. Alexei was considered to have taken Alexandra's side of the family as far as looks went (however in the picture, he sure appears to be a spitting image of his father!) Alexei and Anastasia were very close growing up. Whenever Alexei was ill (he was cursed with the royal diease of hemophilia), it was only Anastasia who was able to take his mind away from his pain with her clever jokes and stories. It was obvious that the two had a very special bond ("Anastasia: My Sisters and Brother" 1).
Olga was Anastasia'a oldest sister; she was born in Alexandra's bedroom at the Alexander Palace on November 3rd, 1895. She is six years older than Anastasia. Olga is tall and blond, with blue eyes like Anastasia and Alexei. Olga was considered to be Nicholas' favorite, as it was she who liked to read all of the political newspapers and magazines, which were a great bore to Anastasia. Olga liked being alone, away from the rest of the fmaily, which made her mother worry that she was being too withdrawn and studious. It was true, Olga was always the object of her tutors' admiration; and the rest of the children were constantly measured up to her ("Anastasia: My Sisters and Brother" 2).
Tatiana, the second oldest, was born on May 29th, 1897, making her a year and a half younger than Olga. The two shared a room together and were very close, the 'best of friends.' Everyone claimed that Tatiana was the true beauty in the family; she had beautiful brown hair and eyes, with a figure so thin, a strong wind could have blown her away! Tatiana was Alexandra's favorite, probably because she had a passion for clothes and consequently everything she wore looked good on her too. She also had a French bulldog named Ortino who would frequently get into fights with Vaska, Olga's cat. Rumors spread that Tatiana would marry David, Prince of Wales and become Queen of England one day! ("Anastasia: My Sisters and Brother" 3)
Maria was Anastasia's roommate who was very dear to her. She was born on June 14th, 1899 ("The Fall of the Romanovs" 387) with great big blue eyes and lush blond hair. Anastasia, being the jester that she was, constantly made fun of her sister's looks while brushing her hair. Quite a clumsy princess, Maria was constantly slipping and falling somewhere. Maria and Anastasia were tennis partners together and often played right in their room! Maria always had 'boyfriends' which was another source of harassment from not only Anastasia but also her mother, in good humor though, no doubt. It was even mentioned that Maria would one day marry Louis Mountbatten, Queen Victoria's son! ("Anastasia: My Sisters and Brother" 4)
Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Anastasia Homepage
Where Anastasia Lived (St. Petersburg in Particular)
Myths and Legends: Anna Anderson
Course Home Page: "St. Petersburg: Miracle. Mystery. Authority!"
The Nutcracker-Story and Music
St. Lawrence University Homepage
last update: 24 April 2003
