Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra, the last tsar and tsarina of Russia kept meticulous diaries throughout their lives, recording their day-to-day lives in sometimes intimate detail. It was a pastime that they passed onto their children, including their eldest daughter, Grand Duchess Olga Nicholaievna. Her 1913 diary is truly exceptional. Not only does it coincide with the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty, but for the first time ever, readers will truly come to “know” Grand Duchess Olga Nicholaievna and her family on a truly personal level.

Through her daily entries, we see the young grand duchess emerge as a young woman when she reaches her 18th birthday in November. We read of her concerns for her mother’s health and that of her younger brother, Alexei, who suffers from haemophilia and her younger sister, Tatiana, who recovers from typhoid. Her playful character comes alive when she is with her siblings, her cousins and her dear Aunt Olga. She takes us on journeys aboard her beloved Standart through the Finnish archipelago and to the Crimea where it seems the family is happiest. They spend several months at Livadia, their palace on the Russian Riviera. We learn that Olga likes to smoke and is an incorrigible flirt. She opens her heart to innocent love that can never be with several dashing officers: N.P, AKSH and dear S., all of whom she never divulges their true identity.

In July 1918, Grand Duchess Olga Nicholaievna and her family were murdered by the Bolsheviks in the Ural city of Ekaterinburg.

Thank You for Your Order!