The eldest of the sisters Olga Nikolaevna Romanova was born on November 15, 1895. From the father of Emperor Nicholas II, she inherited all the best sides of his soul: simplicity, modesty, kindness, unshakable knightly honesty, an all-embracing love for the Motherland - natural, not ostentatious, absorbed from birth. From the mother of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, she received sincere deep Faith in God, directness, the ability to control herself and the strength of spirit.
The maid of honor Anna Taneeva (Vyrubova) recalled Princess Olga: “She had a strong will and incorruptible honesty and frankness, in which she resembled her mother. She had these wonderful qualities since childhood, but as a child Olga Nikolaevna was often stubborn, disobedient and very hot-tempered; subsequently she knew how to restrain herself."
Alexandra Fedorovna paid much attention to the upbringing of her eldest daughter, and in connection with Olga's striving for independence and independence from early childhood, her mother often turned to her with good advice and moral teachings.
From the letters of Alexandra Feodorovna to her daughter:
“My dear little Olga, may the new 1909 bring you a lot of happiness and all kinds of blessings. Try to be an example of what a good, little, obedient girl should be. You are our eldest and you must show others how to behave.
Learn to make others happy, think of yourself last. Be gentle, kind, never be rude or harsh. Be a real lady in manner and speech. Be patient and polite, help the sisters in every possible way. When you see someone in sadness, try to give them a sunny smile.
You can be so nice and polite with me, be the same with your sisters. Show your loving heart. First of all, learn to love God with all the strength of your soul, and He will always be with you. Pray to Him with all your heart. Remember that He sees and hears everything. He loves His children dearly, but they must learn to do His will. I kiss you tenderly, dear child, and bless you with love. May God be with you and the Most Holy Theotokos keep you. Your old Mom."
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“My dear, dear girl. We all must endure trials: both adults and small children. God teaches us a lesson in patience. I know that this is especially difficult for you, because you are very deeply worried about everything and you have a hot temper. But you must learn to curb your tongue. Pray quickly for God to help you. Then with God's help it will be easier for you to endure. God bless you. I kiss you very gently. Your mother.
In her book The True Queen, Julia Den (she was not much older than Olga) talks in detail about the Grand Duchesses. Living near the palace and often communicating with the royal family and children, she became attached to them with all her heart: “We then lived a happy life. The Grand Duchesses were turning from girls into blooming, charming girls before our eyes. It cannot be said that they were similar to each other in appearance, each of Their Highnesses had a characteristic appearance for her. But they all had a sweet disposition.
Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna was the oldest of the four beautiful sisters. It was a sweet creature, and everyone who saw her for the first time fell in love with her immediately. As a child, she was ugly, but at the age of fifteen she somehow immediately became prettier. Slightly above average height, fresh face, dark blue eyes, lush blonde hair, beautiful arms and legs. Olga Nikolaevna took life seriously, she was endowed with intelligence and an agreeable character."
The maid of honor of the Empress Baroness Sofia Buxgewden also left a description of the princess: “The Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna was beautiful, tall, with laughing blue eyes … She rode well. Of all the sisters, she was the smartest, the most musical; according to her teachers, she had perfect pitch. She could play any melody she heard by ear, put complicated pieces of music … Olga Nikolaevna was very spontaneous, sometimes too frank, always sincere. She was very charming and the funniest. She was generous and responded immediately to any request."
Grand Duchesses Olga and Tatiana.
General M. K. Dieterichs recalled: “The Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna was a typical good Russian girl with a big soul. She made an impression on those around her with her gentleness, her charming, sweet treatment. With everyone, she behaved evenly, calmly and amazingly simple and natural. She did not like households, but she loved solitude and books. She was well-developed and very well-read; She had a talent for the arts: she played the piano, sang, and in Petrograd she studied singing, drew well. She was very modest and did not like luxury."
“Olga Nikolaevna has a crystal soul,” said her teachers.
“The eldest, Olga Nikolaevna, had a very lively mind,” the teacher of the royal children Pierre Gilliard shared his impressions. - She had a lot of discretion and at the same time immediacy. She was a very independent person and had a quick and funny resourcefulness in answers. At first it was not so easy for me with her, but after the first skirmishes, the most sincere and cordial relations were established between us.
She grasped everything with amazing speed and knew how to give what she had learned an original turn.
All as one argue that Olga had a great mind. But this mind was philosophical, not practical. She loved to reason in an abstract manner, and her judgments were distinguished by great depth.
"All these are just beautiful phrases," Empress Alexandra Feodorovna once said to her daughter, "but there is nothing to do!" To which the wise Olga replied: "Beautiful words support people like crutches," and added: "Under Catherine, many beautiful words were said, which then turned into action" (Olga's favorite historical figure was Catherine II).
At the age of 20, Olga received the right to dispose of part of her money, and her first request was to allow her to pay for the treatment of a disabled child. Going out for walks, Olga often saw this child hobbling on crutches and heard that his parents were too poor to pay for his treatment. To treat the boy, she began to save money from her small monthly maintenance.
Olga, like all the sisters, was invariably affectionate and easy-going with the servants. The servants were also very fond of the royal children. The old man, valet Volkov, said: “I do not know how to tell about the characters of the Royal Family, because I am not a scientist, but I will tell as best I can. I will simply say about them: it was the most holy and purest family. " Volkov's favorite was the Grand Duchess Olga. "Olga is Romanova!" he repeated proudly.
When Olga turned into a beautiful blooming girl, the question arose in the family about her marriage. It was not easy to find a suitable party, and not only because “the people have become empty, tiddly,” as the old man Volkov, who possesses simple worldly wisdom, said, but because Olga categorically did not want to leave Russia.
Olga was offered to marry a Romanian prince. And although parents on both sides were supportive of a possible marriage, Olga flatly refused. “If I don’t want it, it won’t happen,” the princess declared. “Dad promised me not to force me, and I don’t want to leave Russia.” To Pierre Gilliard's remark that she will always have the opportunity to return to her homeland, Olga replied: "Despite everything, I will be a stranger in my country, and I am Russian and I want to remain Russian!"
And to the end she remained Russian with a crystal-clear soul, full of boundless love for Russia and for her family.
Princess Olga was often called the "father's daughter" because she looked like her father and her mental structure. The older and more distinctive the eldest daughter became, the closer she became to the emperor. According to the recollections of eyewitnesses, in recent years he more than once came to the "children's half" at night, woke Olga and shared news and thoughts with her. In January 1915, when the family lived in the Kremlin Palace in Moscow, the guard of the cadets of the Alexander Military School was a witness of this.
More than once, when important news was expected, the king walked alone for a long time along the corridor. When the telegrams arrived, he called Olga. Then the sovereign read telegrams to her and conferred with her, walking along the corridor with his "little close friend."
Count S. Yu. Witte reported that at a time when the emperor did not yet have an heir, he wondered whether "if they do not have a son, it is possible to transfer the throne to the eldest daughter."
Who knows how, under different historical circumstances, the future destinies of Russia would have developed and what role would have been played by Grand Duchess Olga, the sovereign's wise, merciful and strong-minded daughter.
From the book "The Royal Family Return". T. N. Mikushina, E. Yu. Ilyina, O. A. Ivanova
