THE TSARINA OF RUSSIA.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume II, Issue 593, 4 January 1916, Page 4

THE TSARINA OF RUSSIA.

The war has made a great difference to the Russian Royal family. In the days before the war the Tsarina lived in constant dread of her husband and children being assassinated, and could scarcely bear them out of her sight. Indeed, so ill did she become with worry that to please her the great ballroom at the Winter Palace in Petrograd was turned into a bedroom for the whole family, in order, to quote the Tsarina, that in the case of an outrage they "might all die together." That is all changed now, however. The Tsarina cheerfully said "Good-bye" to her husband when he went to take his place at the head of his armies, and she and her daughters are working indefatigably on behalf of the wounded. The Tsarina has no time for morbid worrying, and is consequently in splendid health, and is one of the most energetic and hard-working women in Russia. The Russian Grand Duchesses are charming and clever girls, and have profited by the careful training of their mother. The Grand Duchess Oiga is an excellent musician and the Grand Duchess Tatiana paints like a professional artist. Both sisters speak several languages with equal facility, and both are very fond of riding and of outdoor exercise. The Empress likes her children to practice every kind of sport, and to spend as much time as they can in the open air, and she has tried to give them an education on strict English lines, like the one she received herself.