Tsar Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra had dinner on board the French battleship France on the evening of 23 July 1914, which was President Raymond Poincare's final day in Saint Petersburg. I don't know if Alexei or the grand duchesses were there, but Maurice Paleologue's diary mentions Olga.
It had indeed a kind of terrifying grandeur with the four gigantic 304 cm. guns raising their huge muzzles above the heads of the guests. The sky was soon clear again; a light breeze kissed the waves; the moon rose above the horizon... I found myself alone with the Tsaritsa, who asked me to take a chair on her left. The poor lady seemed worn out... Suddenly she put her hands to her ears. Then with a pained and pleading glance she timidly pointed to the ship's band quite near to us which had just started on a furious allegro with a full battery of brass and big drums.
'Couldn't you?' ... she murmured. I signalled sharply to the conductor... The young Grand Duchess Olga had been observing us for some minutes with an anxious eye. She suddenly rose, glided towards her mother with graceful ease and whispered two or three words in her ear. Then addressing me, she continued, 'The Empress is rather tired, but she asks you to stay, Monsieur l'Ambassadeur, and to go on talking to her.'
If Olga was on board, surely her siblings were there too.
The footage above shows two grand duchesses accompanying their mother on the carriage with the French president at Krasnoye Selo on 23 July 1914. There is no mistaking Anastasia with her flowing hair. Her sister, on the other hand, is difficult to identify, and that is not helped by the video's 480p quality. Luckily, the few high resolution photos below provide some clarity.
I think it's safe to say that the grand duchess looking in the direction
of the camera is without a doubt, Tatiana. The Big Pair were in a
carriage with two other ladies. Perhaps one of them is the wife of the French president?
The next three photos (probably not in sequence) show the other carriage with Empress Alexandra, President Poincare and the two grand duchesses. Again, there is no mistaking Anastasia's flowing hair. The photo on the right (with all the officers saluting), shows a grand duchess looking in the direction of the camera. However, her face is partially obscured by shadow.
But judging by the shape of her face I would guess that she is Maria, as she was known to be the chubbiest of the four. Maria and Anastasia always travelled together anyway, as did Olga and Tatiana. There was clearly not enough space for all four girls, so they travelled on seperate carriages, the Little Pair with Alexandra and the Big Pair on the other.
Thus I believe it is safe to assume that all four girls attended the farewell banquet on board the battleship France with their parents that evening. The only person missing from this occasion is the Tsarevich Alexei. No photos of the Romanov family on board the battleship, but a well documented event nonetheless.
- Nicholas and Alexandra: The Tragic, Compelling Story of the Last Tsar and his Family by Robert K. Massie
- https://humus.livejournal.com/4265699.html
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