On June 26, in the airless atmosphere of the House of Special Purpose, with less than 1 month to live, Marie Romanov celebrated her 19th birthday. It was a tense day as the family had hoped to escape that day and secret letters had been smuggled in, purportedly from the "Whites", the "Friends" who were nearby. The letters probably were a ruse but they also raised hopes that were dashed. A guard named Ivan gave Marie a cake. Did she have intimations of what would happen to them all?
Perhaps not. All reports say she and her sisters, save Olga were doing their best to remain cheerful and keep busy. There were the rumors about Marie and a guard- a flirtation? Or perhaps more? Did she incur the disapproval of her mother and older sisters as reported?
We really can never know.
Here are a few things that are little known about Marie- She kept her lips closed most often when she smiled (which was frequent) but she didn't wish people to see the space between her front teeth! She had a wonderful wit, which is revealed in her letters and journal entries. She could write a great letter and I enjoy her correspondence with Nicholas- especially the one in which she reports how much she enjoyed using his swimming pool and his loo- and makes the distinction!
Voluptuous, earthy and loving- Marie Romanov, third daughter of the Tsar and Tsarina. And also a talented artist...