He was tall and handsome, wearing his blond hair short, often in a severe crew cut. One of his most arresting features was a pair of piercing cold blue eyes, which he was quick to cast upon those whom he disapproved of.
Photographs show a moody, maybe even sullen man.
His contemporaries remembered him as a stern disciplinarian and a even a political reactionary. The Romanov family was split in their opinion of Sergey. Alexander may not have been fair to Sergey, but it seems his conduct with his small inner circle of friends gave his enemies much to gossip about. Sergey was distant and almost unapproachable. He kept to himself, showing his true feelings and character only to those he trusted absolutely.