Romanov family photos from the British Archives

Historically, Russia and Great Britain have always been closely tied to one another. In our photo gallery, we would like to present you with photographs of the Romanovs from the British Archives. This is a unique opportunity see Alexander III in his youth and what his son Nikolai looked like before he met his wife, Alexandra Fyodorovna. / Grand Duchess Alexandra Josifovna, members of the Constantinovich branch of the Romanov dynasty.

Initially, Maria Fyodorovna, daughter of King Christian IX of Denmark, Princess Dagmar, was engaged to Alexander III’s brother, Nikolai. At the age of 21 and already engaged, he went abroad and, while there, died of tuberculosis. He was the oldest son and, thus, the heir to the throne. / Maria Fyodorovna and Alexander III

After Nikolai’s death, the Dagmars became very close to the Romanov family and Alexander. A year after his brother’s death, Alexander proposed to the future empress. After they married, she became Maria Fyodorovna. / Maria Fyodorovna

Maria Fyodorovna and Alexander III had a total of 6 children: their oldest son, Nikolai; Alexander, Grigory, Ksenia, Mikhail, and their youngest child, Olga. / Maria Fyodorovna with her son, Nikolai, who would become the last Romanov emperor

From 1881 to 1893, Maria Fyodorovna carried the title of Empress. She was fond of art: she painted and, together with her husband, collected paintings, drawings, and rugs. / Maria Fyodorovna

According to historic evidence, the Romanov children were raised in a very strict household. They slept in army beds, woke up at 6 am, and lived and slept in simply-decorated rooms. Only the icon was ornately decorated. / Nikolai and his brother, Grigory (on the left)

Alexandra Fyodorovna, the future wife of Emperor Nikolai II, at the age of 3.

Alix of Hesse, the future Alexandra Fyodorovna, first visited Russian when her older sister Ella married Nikolai’s brother, Sergey Alexandrovich, and became Elizabeta Fyodorvna. / Crown Prince Nikolai Alexandrovich

The future spouses’ next meeting occurred 5 years later, when Alexandra Fyodorovna spent a month and a half visiting her sister in Saint Petersburg. Nikolai’s parents were against their marriage. / Alexander III, his wife and their children

Despite his parents’ disapproval, Nikolai and his beloved exchanged letters through Sergey, Nikolai’s brother. / Prince Alfred Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Nikolai II, Ernest Louis of Hesse, and Alfred Coburg, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

After Alexander III died, it became apparent that Nikolai, his oldest son, would assume the throne. After his father’s funeral in 1894, Nikolai married Alix of Hesse (the future Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna). / Crown Prince Nikolai Alexandrovich and his future wife, Alix of Hesse

The newlyweds spent their honeymoon in mourning. / Crown Prince Nikolai Alexandrovich and Alexandra Fyodorovna

Elizabeta Romanova helped the needy her whole life. However, she was killed by the Bolsheviks in the spring of 1918. After her death, she was canonized as a saint in the Russian Orthodox Church. She was and continues to be considered the most beautiful princess of Europe. / Alexandra Fyodorovna, the emperor’s wife; Irene of Hesse; Grand Duke Sergey Alexandrovich, the emperor’s brother; and, his wife, Elizabeta Fyodorovna, Alexandra Fyodorovna’s sister.

Nikolai II had five children from his marriage to Alexandra Fyodorovna: Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia, and their son, Alexei. / Alexandra Fyodorovna, Nikolai II, their youngest daughter Olga Nikolaevna, Queen Victoria, and the Prince of Wales

All the children were raised together in the Imperial Palace . As Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna’s close friend Anna Vyrubova recalls, their oldest daughter Olga had a strong, straightforward character. / Emperor Nikolai II’s two oldest daughters: Princesses Olga (left) and Tatiana