ROMANOV FAMILY: ON THIS DATE IN THEIR OWN WORDS. OLGA ROMANOV. 17 DECEMBER, 1913.
OLGA ROMANOV’S BELOVED “S.”
This photo of Grand Duchess Olga Romanov, her two sisters Grand Duchesses Anastasia and Tatiana and Officer Pavel Voronov was taken on their last day on the imperial yacht The Standart. We know the exact date of the photograph: 17 December, 1913.
Below I am sharing Grand Duchess Olga’s full diary entry from that day. “S.” was the nickname Olga Romanov used to refer to her beloved – Pavel Voronov. The Grand Duchess recently learned that “S.” got engaged to another Olga: a Romanov family friend Countess Olga Kleinmichel, which made Olga Romanov “extremely sad”. A lot can be interpreted from Grand Duchess Olga’s body language in this photograph.
From the 1913 diary of Olga Romanov:
“Alma [Crimean River]. 10.06. Tuesday. 17 December. Sailed out to sea at 5 in the morning. The yacht rocked a little, nice. Arrived in Sevastopol at 8.35 and docked. Salutations. I was in the control room with S., Rodionov and Kublitzky. At 10 in the morning Papa went to dedicate something at the aviation school. We were there too until breakfast at 12 1/2. In the afternoon Mama was lying down on the quarter deck. Very warm and a warm wind. Her heart is 2 1/2. In the afternoon [we] took lots of pictures on the deck. Then sat in control room with my [in code: “beloved”] S., he wrote in the log journal, and we stayed there. He does not feel well – headache and cough. It is so nice to be with him. Papa returned after 4 o’cl. Had tea with all the officers at 5 o’cl. Then went to look at the train with N.P., S., Rodionov and Ippolit. I sat on the deck, but S. did not come. Extremely sad. A molebna was held on the deck at 7.40. After that the officers and the crew lined up on the wharf, we bid our farewells and left. [It was] terribly hard. 13 degrees. The yacht illuminated our way with searchlights. Went to bed at 10 o’cl. Mama is already in bed. May the Lord save everyone and S.”
From the book Journal of a Russian Grand Duchess: Complete Annotated 1913 Diary of Olga Romanov, Eldest Daughter of the Last Tsar
Leave a comment