page_title: Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia
section_title: Arrival in England
hierarchical_section_title: Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia / Duchess of Edinburgh / Arrival in England
caption_attribution_description: English: Grand Duke Alexei, Tsar Alexander II, Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovnsa, Prince Alfred
context_page_description: Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia was the fifth child and only surviving daughter of Emperor Alexander II of Russia and his first wife, Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine. She was the younger sister of Alexander III of Russia and the paternal aunt of Russia's last emperor, Nicholas II.
  In 1874 Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna married Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, the second son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha; she was the only Romanov to marry into the British royal family. The couple had five children: a son, Alfred, and four daughters: Marie, Victoria Melita, Alexandra, and Beatrice. For the first years of her marriage, Maria Alexandrovna lived in England. She neither adapted to the British court nor overcame her dislike for her adopted country. She accompanied her husband on his postings as an Admiral of the Royal Navy at Malta and Devonport. The Duchess of Edinburgh travelled extensively through Europe. She visited her family in Russia frequently and stayed for long periods in England and Germany attending social and family events.
context_section_description: The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh arrived in England on 7 March 1874. The town of Windsor was decorated in their honour, with Union Jacks and Russian flags, and Maria was given a great welcome by the waiting crowds. Queen Victoria met them at the South-Western Station and recorded their arrival in her journal: "I took dear Marie in my arms and kissed her warmly several times. I was quite nervous and trembling, so long had I been in expectation ... Dear Marie has a very friendly manner, a pleasant face, beautiful skin and fine bright eyes ... She speaks English wonderfully well." Later on, Queen Victoria described her new daughter-in-law as "most pleasing natural, unaffected and civil" even if "she was not pretty or graceful and held herself badly". "I have formed a high opinion of her," Queen Victoria reported, impressed with "her wonderfully even, cheerful, satisfied temper – her kind and indulgent disposition, free from bigotry and intolerance, and her serious, intelligent mind – so entirely free from everything fast – and so full of occupation and interest in everything, makes her a most agreeable companion. Everyone must like her." The queen also noted that Marie was "not a bit afraid of Affie and I hope will have the very best influence upon him."
  The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh made their public entry into London on 12 March. Thousands lined the route from Paddington Station to Buckingham Palace to take a glimpse of the new British Princess Alfred and Maria moved into Clarence House in London, which was their main residence in England. Here she had an Orthodox Chapel installed for her and the Russian priest she had brought from St Peterburg. In addition, they had a country residence, Eastwell Park, a large estate of 2,500 acres near Ashford in Kent, where the Duke enjoyed shooting parties. To alleviate his daughter's homesickness, the Tsar and his son Grand Duke Alexei paid a family visit to England in May 1874.
  Maria arrived in England with the intention of making a success of her life in her adopted country, but she found difficult to settle at the British Court. For her, the climate was detestable, and the food bland. She found Clarence House, her London home, "gloomy". She described London as "an impossible place, where people are mad of pleasure" and a let down compared to the broad streets, golden domes, and magnificent palaces of Saint Petersburg. In her eyes, Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle could never compete with the splendours of the Winter Palace. Constant visits to her mother-in-law at Windsor Castle and Osborne in the Isle of Wight were tedious. The Queen's company was oppressive, the late nights were tiring, and her husband was a philanderer. Of her sisters and brothers-in-law, she only cared for the two youngest: Prince Leopold and Princess Beatrice. Proud of her strong intellect, she considered Alexandra, the Princess of Wales, a light-minded and foolish woman. Although she loved music, the duchess did not like the Royal Albert Hall, describing it as "all ecclesiastical and ... quite boring ... Every concert goes on for several hours". When she visited Scotland, Maria Alexandrovna was frozen in her unheated bedroom in Balmoral Castle and ordered a fire to be lit. When she was out, Queen Victoria entered the room and ordered a maid to throw water on the fire and open all the windows. The Duchess was soon writing letters home to her father describing Queen Victoria as a "silly obstinate old fool". Disenchanted with Britain and life with her difficult mother-in-law, the Duchess of Edinburgh became increasingly homesick for Russia and was happy for any excuse to return there. British people thought her rough and masculine in her manners. Her imperious attitude towards her servants and her defiance of English convention by smoking in public made her unpopular. She made it equally plain that she did not care what people thought.
caption: Grand Duke Alexei, Tsar Alexander II, Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna and Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, May 1874
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