29 October 2011

"and I am Marie of Romania"

.

Born October 29th, 1875.  Her Royal Highness Princess Marie of Edinburgh, Princess of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Princess of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Duchess of Saxony


Fashion exists for women with no taste, etiquette for people with no breeding.-Marie of Romania



Queen Marie was born Marie Alexandra Victoria on October 29, 1875 in Kent, England. She was the daughter of Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh and the former Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna of Russia. Marie was the granddaughter of Queen Victoria and married Ferdinand of Romania in 1893.  It's complicated. (read it all here)


Oh, life is a glorious cycle of song,
A medley of extemporanea;
And love is a thing that can never go wrong;
And I am Marie of Romania.
(Dorothy Parker got it about right)
We can't all be Queen.
.

9 comments:

  1. It looks like she has both taste and breeding. What a great picture of her. I often come across (and even use) that ironic "Queen of Romania" usage. Thanks for letting us know what we all are not!
    --Road to Parnassus

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  2. Have you ever read The Romanov Bride by Robert Alexander? It's about Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna of Russia, sister to Alexandra, the last Russian Empress. I found it fascinating.

    Off to read about Queen Marie...

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  3. My new favorite quotation. Thank you.

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  4. A fascinating woman who came to America, as a friend of mines grandmother helped her create the MARYHILL MUSEUM OF ART in the state of Washington.
    Queen Marie donated her Byzantine Golden Throne and Alma Spreckles copied her jewels as well as donating a Rodin.

    I suppose we can all use our gold toothpick after a meal in public like Millicent Rogers did so, as etiquette is for those of no breeding!

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  5. Oh, I'm so glad that Maryhill Museum was mentioned. This is a favorite of our family's, and we have a fond memory of my five year old son (who is now 6'6" and 25) breaking away, going under the ropes and sitting on Marie's throne.

    There is a wonderful biography of her by Hannah Pakula, titled the Last Romantic which is a well-thumbed favorite. I love this elegant picture, Patricia.

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  6. Maryhill Museum of Art is a wonderful jewel located along the Columbia River, and well worth a trip.

    You can also see Marie's dress she wore to Nicolas II's coronation, and handwritten notes by her about jewels that she received from her grandmama, Queen Victoria.

    There is also a special exhibit about Theater a la mode, which toured France during the war years as a way to boost morale. I have a special memory of my five year old son bounding under the ropes and sitting on Marie's throne before I could remove him! It's still there and we "snuck" my three year old granddaughter onto it this summer when the guard wasn't looking. There is a wonderful biography of her by Hannah Pakula.

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  7. The composition is a wonder. The hand lightly resting on the swirling fur, the graceful loop of pearls and pale dreamy face...the photographer was a master!

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