Alexandra's letter to Madgie Jackson, dated May 31/June 13, 1911

Source:

The Life and Tragedy of Alexandra Feodorovna by Baroness Sophie Buxhoeveden, 1928

The letter:

PETERHOF

May 31st/June 13th, 1911.

DARLING MADGIE, — Very tenderest thanks for your dear letter. We came over here on Saturday and hope to go to sea on Saturday. We long for that rest, my husband has been working like a ------ for 7 months and I have been ill nearly all the time. The quiet cosy life on board always does us good, so I hope to get a little better, so as not to be always lying. Ernie and his wife will be over for the Coronation. May all go off well, and the heat not be too intense; here it is quite cold since a week, and even frost by night. The children are growing up fast. In November Olga will be 16, Tatiana is almost her size 14 — Marie will be 12, Anastasia 10, Alexei 7. I send them to reviews with their Father, and once they went to a big military luncheon and made circle with the ladies, as I could not go — they must get accustomed to replace me, as I rarely can appear anywhere, and when I do, am afterwards long laid up — over-tired muscles of the heart.

Must end now. Good-bye — God bless you, darling. When do you go to Harrogate? Ella spent a week at Zarskoe with us, looked well, pink and cheery.

A tender kiss from your old

P. Q. No. III,

ALIX.

Above: Alexandra. Photo courtesy of Ilya Grigoryev at lastromanovs on VK.

Note: In this letter Alexandra uses the n word. Although it is true that she was obviously a product of her time and society, there is no excuse. I have censored out the word, but I felt it should still be addressed, because not addressing the problem is the same as denying its existence; and although I am half black and the word is only seen as acceptable when black people themselves use it, I would rather not.