The author’s husband was a personal friend of Tsar Nicholas II, so that both Prince and Princess attended all the important Court functions. The Tsar’s Coronation, the magnificent ball that followed, the Emperor’s historic visit to Paris in 1901, life in Manchuria, regimental duties in Tashkent, “home” life on the vast Bariatinsky estate are vividly depicted in these reminiscences of an intelligent observer. The personalities of the Tsar and Tsarina, Grand Dukes and Russian Generals are intimately portrayed, while other acquaintances included Pierre Loti and Jerome K. Jerome. During the First World War the Princess superintended a hospital at Kiev, once invaded by the Bolsheviks. As a writer, she possesses a distinct gift of graphic suggestive description, while a lively style adds to the attractiveness of her reminiscences.