1st, Friday:
Lessons. Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia had breakfast with Nicholas and Alexandra. They then went walking with Catherine Schneider and skied down the big hill*. Maria had a music lesson. Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia had tea with Catherine. Olga and Tatiana had a French lesson, then Maria and Anastasia also had a French lesson. Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia went to vsenoshnaya at the Feodorovsky Cathedral, then had dinner with Nicholas and Alexandra. Nicholas read aloud a biography of Prince Mikhail Skopin-Shuisky. Tatiana went to bed at 10pm.
2nd, Saturday:
At 10:30am Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia went to obednya at the Feodorovsky Cathedral with Nicholas and Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna. The above then had breakfast with Alexandra. Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia went walking in the park and then skied down the big hill with Nicholas and Olga Alexandrovna. The above then had tea with Alexandra. Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia went to vsenoshnaya at the Feodorovsky Cathedral with Nicholas and Olga Alexandrovna. The above had dinner with Alexandra, and then all went to Anna Vyrubova's house. There they saw: Yulia Dehn and her husband Karl, Rear-Admiral A. I Butakov II, Nikolai Sablin, Nikolai Rodionov, Lev Kozhevnikov, and S.V Zlebov. An English ventriloquist performed, and then everyone played Dobchinsky-Bobchinsky. After supper, the sisters and their parents went home at 12:30am and went to bed immediately.
3rd, Sunday:
At 10:30am Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia went to obednya at the Feodorovsky Cathedral, then had breakfast with Alexandra. Alexandra played piano for them and then all went out onto the balcony. Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia went skiing down the hill with Nicholas while Alexei watched from a chair. Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia had tea with Alexei, Prince Dmitri Alexandrovich, Prince Rostislav Alexandrovich, and Prince Vasily Alexandrovich. At 4:30pm all above watched a cinematograph with Nicholas. At 7:25pm Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia went to St. Petersburg with Nicholas. At dinner on the train, Maria sat with Prince Nikolai Trubetzkoy and Minevich[?]. They went to the theatre and watched the ballet The Pharoah's Daughter—Anna Pavlova danced. They returned home at 12:45am.
4th, Monday:
Lessons. Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia had breakfast with Nicholas, Alexandra, and Petrovsky [possibly a son of Nikolai Petrovsky?]. Alexandra sat at the table on the balcony for the first time. Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia went skiing down the hill with Nicholas while Alexei watched from a chair. Maria had a music lesson. Tatiana had tea upstairs with Catherine Schneider*. Olga, Maria, and Anastasia had tea with Nicholas and Alexandra. Tatiana had a physics lesson, then a music lesson. Maria did homework. Olga and Tatiana had dinner with Nicholas and Alexandra. Maria and Anastasia had dinner upstairs. Nicholas read aloud. Olga and Tatiana went to bed early at 9:30pm.
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| Alexandra sitting on the balcony, early 1913 |
5th, Tuesday:
Lessons. Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia had breakfast with Nicholas, Alexandra, and Prince Konstantin Konstantinovich. Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia went skiing with Nicholas while Alexandra, Alexei, and Anna Vyrubova watched from a sled at the top of the hill. Maria and Anastasia had tea with Catherine Schneider. Olga and Tatiana had tea with Nicholas, Alexandra, and Konstantin. Maria had a dance lesson, a music lesson, then did homework. Olga and Tatiana had dinner with Nicholas, Alexandra, and Konstantin. Maria and Anastasia had dinner upstairs. Olga and Tatiana went to bed at 10pm.
6th, Wednesday:
Lessons. Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia had breakfast with Alexandra and Elizabeth Naryshkina. Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia skied down the hill by the white tower with Nicholas and Anna Vyrubova—Nicholas returned from St. Petersburg at 3pm. Alexei watched. Maria had a music lesson. Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia had tea with Nicholas and Alexandra, during which Nicholas read aloud. Maria did homework. Olga and Tatiana had dinner with Nicholas and Alexandra. Maria and Anastasia had dinner upstairs.
7th, Thursday:
Maria and Anastasia went in a sleigh with Madame Conrad, wife of their music tutor. Lessons. Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia had breakfast with Alexandra and Anna Vyrubova. Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia went skiing down the hill by the white tower. Alexei watched. Maria and Anastasia had tea with Catherine Schneider. Olga and Tatiana had tea with Alexandra. Maria had a dance lesson, then a music lesson, then did homework. Nicholas returned from St. Petersburg at 4:30pm. Maria and Anastasia had dinner upstairs. Alexandra went up to Alexei's room for the first time in a while. Olga and Tatiana had dinner with Nicholas and Alexandra. Olga spoke to Olga Alexandrovna on the telephone. Olga and Tatiana went to bed at 10pm.
8th, Friday:
Lessons. Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia had breakfast with Nicholas, Alexandra, and Grand Duke George Mikhailovich. Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia skied down the hill by the white tower with Nicholas and Anna Vyrubova while Alexandra and Alexei watched. Maria had a music lesson. Olga, Maria, and Anastasia had tea with Nicholas and Alexandra. Tatiana had tea with Catherine Schneider. Maria and Anastasia had a French lesson, then did homework. Olga and Tatiana had a French lesson. Olga and Tatiana went with Nicholas to St. Petersburg. They went to the theatre and watched the opera Lohengrin. They returned at 12:45am and immediately went to bed.
9th, Saturday:
Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia drove in a sleigh with Madame Conrad in order to practice French. Lessons. They then had breakfast with Nicholas, Alexandra, Olga Alexandrovna, and Sergei Sergeievich Poguliaev. Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia went for a walk with Nicholas, Olga Alexandrovna, Sergei Poguliaev, and Anna Vyrubova, then all above skied by the white tower. Alexandra and Alexei watched. Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia had tea with Nicholas, Alexandra, Olga Alexandrovna, and Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna. Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia went to vsenoshnaya at the Feodorovsky Cathedral with Nicholas, Alexandra, and Olga Alexandrovna. All above then had dinner with Sergei Sergeievich Poguliaev. Olga Alexandrovna left. Anna Vyrubova came by again. Olga and Tatiana went to bed at 10pm.
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| Maria and Anastasia on the ferry to the children's island at Tsarskoe Selo, early 1913 |
10th, Sunday:
At 10:30am Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia went to obednya at the Feodorovsky Cathedral with Nicholas. They had a grand breakfast with the regiments and an orchestra—Maria sat with Prince Gabriel Konstantinovich and Captain Alexander Drenteln. At 2:07pm Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia went to St. Petersburg with Olga Butsova—Anna Vyrubova, Anastasia Hendrikova, and Catherine Schneider travelled with them but seemingly didn't go into the city with them. They called on Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna for half an hour where they met with Xenia Alexandrovna and Olga Alexandrovna. They then went with Olga Alexandrovna and Xenia Alexandrovna to Olga's house. There they met: M.L Tzigern-Shternberg, Alexander Shvedov, Shangin, Skvortsov, Princess Irina Alexandrovna, Zoya Steckel, George Maximilianovich of Leuchtenberg [?], Sasha with his mother and sister [?], Nadya [?], Nikolai Rodionov, V.V Khvoshinsky, S.S Klyucharev, and Nikolai Kulikovsky. Tea was served at two tables; Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia sat with Alexander Shvedov among unnamed others. Everyone played games in the big sitting room: cossacks and robbers, turkey, the ring, hide and seek in the dark. At dinner Olga sat with Tzigern-Shternberg and Alexander Shvedov, Maria sat with Skvortsov and Shangin, and Anastasia sat with Alexander Shvedov and Shangin**. Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia, Olga Alexandrovna, Nadya, Klyucharev, Nikolai Kulikovsky, K. Gagarin, and three cossacks went to the circus. Olga sat with Alexander Shvedov and "fell deeply in love with him." Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia returned home with Yulia Dehn past 12am.
11th, Monday:
Maria stayed in bed in the morning due to feeling unwell. Lessons. Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia had breakfast with Nicholas, Alexandra, and Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich. Alexandra was lying on the sofa due to her heart. Olga and Anastasia went skiing with Nicholas. Maria stayed home and listened to Catherine Schneider read. Maria had a music lesson. Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia had tea with Nicholas and Alexandra. Alexei's arm hurt and he walked with the doctor. Maria did homework. Maria and Anastasia had dinner upstairs. Olga and Tatiana had dinner with Nicholas and Alexandra. Olga went to bed after 10pm.
12th, Tuesday:
Lessons. Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia had breakfast with Nicholas, Alexandra, Olga Alexandrovna, and Duke Peter of Oldenburg. Olga and Anastasia went skiing with Nicholas. Maria and Tatiana stayed home—Maria listened to Catherine Schneider read. Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia had tea with Nicholas, Alexandra, Olga Alexandrovna, and Peter of Oldenburg. Maria had a music lesson. Tatiana had a music lesson. Maria did homework. Olga Alexandrovna left. Olga and Tatiana had dinner with Nicholas, Alexandra, and Peter of Oldenburg. Maria and Anastasia had dinner upstairs. Nicholas read aloud. A delegation of four officers from Olga's regiment (3rd Elizavetgrad Hussars) visited. Tatiana went to bed at 10pm.
13th, Wednesday:
Lessons. Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia had breakfast with Alexandra and Anna Vyrubova. Olga and Anastasia went skiing while Maria and Tatiana rode in a sleigh with Yulia Dehn***—Olga and Anastasia were joined at 4pm by Nicholas who had just returned from St. Petersburg. Maria had a music lesson. Olga, Maria, and Anastasia had tea with Nicholas and Alexandra. Tatiana had tea with Catherine Schneider. Maria did homework. Tatiana had a physics lesson, then a music lesson. Maria and Anastasia had dinner upstairs. Olga and Tatiana had dinner with Nicholas and Alexandra. Tatiana did handiwork while Olga played colorito with Alexandra. They went to bed at 10:05pm. Olga's period began.
14th, Thursday:
Maria and Anastasia rode in a sleigh with Madame Conrad. Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia had lessons while Olga stayed in bed all morning. Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia had breakfast with Alexandra. Olga and Maria rode in a sleigh with Catherine Schneider while Tatiana and Anastasia went skiing. Nicholas returned from St. Petersburg and joined them at 3:15pm. Olga, Maria, and Anastasia had tea with Nicholas and Alexandra. Tatiana had tea in the playroom upstairs. Tatiana had a music lesson. Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia watched a cinematograph with Alexei, Prince Nikita Alexandrovich, Dmitri Alexandrovich, Rostislav Alexandrovich, and Vasily Alexandrovich. Tatiana read. Maria had a music lesson, then did homework. Maria and Anastasia had dinner upstairs. Olga and Tatiana had dinner with Nicholas, Alexandra, Anna Vyrubova, and Count Alexander Vorontsov. Olga and Tatiana did handiwork, then went to bed.
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| Nicholas and Anastasia skiing down the big hill & a double exposure showing two of the sisters at the top of the hill by the White Tower, early 1913 |
*It's probable that Tatiana had tea upstairs with Trina this month due to feeling unwell as her typhus was setting in.
** Tatiana lists the seating arrangements but doesn't seem to include herself.
*** This is a questionable guess based on the strange way that each sister wrote about their afternoon activities, the confusion possibly stems from translation but I don't have access to the original diaries to verify. Olga mentions "skiing" with Anastasia, Maria mentions "sledding" with Olga and Tatiana, while Tatiana says that she "rode" with Maria and Lili.
References:
Azar, H. (2015) Journal of a Russian Grand Duchess: Complete Annotated 1913 Diary of Olga Romanov, Eldest Daughter of the Last Tsar. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.
Azar, H. and Nicholson, A. (2017) Tatiana Romanov, Daughter of the Last Tsar: Diaries and Letters, 1913-1918. Yardley, P.A: Westholme Publishing.
Azar, H. and Madru, A. (2017) 1913 Diary of Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna. Amazon Publishing.
Дневник Николая II 1913. (2007). Available at: http://www.rus-sky.com/history/library/diaris/1913.htm. (Accessed: 28 February 2022)
lastromanovs (2019). 673-1-232-10. Available at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/149552988@N02/46856520262/in/album-72157678167107668/. (Accessed: 28 February 2022)
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