Imperial Tea Party - Family, politics betrayal: ill fated British Russian royal alliance

The British and Russian royal families had just three full meetings before the Romanovs' tragic end in 1918. In The Imperial Tea Party, Frances Welch draws back the curtain on those fraught encounters, which had far-reaching consequences for 20th-century Europe and beyond.Russia and Britain were never natural bedfellows. But the marriage, in 1894, of Queen Victoria's favourite granddaughter, Alicky, to the Tsarevich Nicholas marked the beginning of an uneasy Anglo-Russian entente that would last until the Russian Revolution of 1917.The three extraordinary meetings that took place during those years, although generally hailed as successes, were beset by misunderstandings and misfortunes. The Tsar and Tsarina complained bitterly about the weather when staying at Balmoral, while British courtiers later criticised the Russians' hospitality, from the food to the music to the slow service.In this wonderfully sharp account, Frances Welch presents a vivid snapshot of two dynasties at a time of social unrest. The families could not know, as they waved each other fond goodbyes from their yachts at Cowes in 1909, that they would never meet again.

About the author

Frances Welch

Summary

The Imperial Tea Party draws back the curtain on the three extraordinary meetings that took place between the British and Russian royal families during the late Victorian years. In this wonderfully droll account, Frances Welch presents a vivid snapshot of two dynasties at a time of social unrest.

Foreword

The Imperial Tea Party draws back the curtain on the three extraordinary meetings that took place between the British and Russian royal families during the late Victorian years. In this wonderfully droll account, Frances Welch presents a vivid snapshot of two dynasties at a time of social unrest.

Additional text

Deeply affecting.

Report

"With her quick wit and light touch, Welch conducts a relentless inquiry into conscience, family loyalty and the nature of the past... an unsettling portrait of moustaches, murder, and lese-majeste.' The Spectator

Product details

• Authors: Frances Welch, Welch Frances
• Publisher: Short Books
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 14.03.2019
• EAN: 9781780723921
• ISBN: 978-1-78072-392-1
• No. of pages: 288
• Dimensions: 130 mm x 198 mm x 22 mm
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > General, dictionaries; Non-fiction book > Politics, society, business > Biographies, autobiographies; Social sciences, law, business > Political science > Comparative and international political science; Russia, POLITICAL SCIENCE / International Relations / General, 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000, POLITICAL SCIENCE / World / European, International Relations, HISTORY / Europe / Great Britain / Victorian Era (1837-1901), 20th century, c 1900 to c 1999, United Kingdom, Great Britain, History and Archaeology, HISTORY / Modern / 20th Century / General, HISTORY / Russia / General, POLITICAL SCIENCE / World / Russian & Soviet