Transcriber’s Notes Hyphenation has been standardised. Other changes made are noted at the end of the book. [Illustration: _International Film Service_ THE EX-CZARINA ALEXANDRA OF RUSSIA] MY EMPRESS TWENTY-THREE YEARS OF INTIMATE LIFE WITH THE EMPRESS OF ALL THE RUSSIAS FROM HER MARRIAGE TO THE DAY OF HER EXILE BY MADAME MARFA MOUCHANOW FIRST MAID IN WAITING TO HER FORMER MAJESTY THE CZARINA ALEXANDRA OF RUSSIA WITH ILLUSTRATIONS FROM PHOTOGRAPHS NEW YORK: JOHN LANE COMPANY LONDON: JOHN LANE, THE BODLEY HEAD MCMXVIII COPYRIGHT, 1918, BY CURTIS PUBLISHING COMPANY COPYRIGHT, 1918, BY JOHN LANE COMPANY Press of J. J. Little & Ives Co. New York CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I MY APPOINTMENT 11 II THE FIRST MONTHS OF THE CZARINA’S MARRIED LIFE 20 III BIRTH OF GRAND DUCHESS OLGA 33 IV THE CORONATION 46 V VISITS ABROAD 59 VI THE GRAND DUCHESS ELIZABETH 72 VII THE CZARINA’S FAMILY RELATIONS 82 VIII LIFE AT CZARSKOI SELO 94 IX THE COURT AND ATTENDANTS OF THE CZARINA 105 X THE CZARINA AND ST. PETERSBURG SOCIETY 117 XI THE CZARINA AND HER MOTHER-IN-LAW 129 XII THE CZARINA’S DAILY OCCUPATIONS 141 XIII THE JAPANESE WAR AND THE BIRTH OF THE CZAREVITSCH 152 XIV THE CZARINA, HER CHILDREN AND HER CHARITIES 164 XV THE FIRST REVOLUTION 176 XVI THE CZARINA’S FRIENDS 188 XVII THE GREAT WAR 200 XVIII DISASTERS AND THE SECOND REVOLUTION 211 XIX HOW THE CZARINA WAS ARRESTED 222 XX LIFE IN PRISON 236 XXI EXILE—I AM DISMISSED 249 ILLUSTRATIONS The ex-Czarina Alexandra of Russia _Frontispiece_ FACING PAGE The ex-Czar Nicholas II of Russia 20 Winter Palace, Petrograd 34 Alexander Hall in the Kremlin at Moscow 44 Throne Room in the Kremlin at Moscow 52 Old Banquet Hall of the Czars 70 Rasputin 80 The ex-Czarina of Russia and her Four Daughters 102 Grounds of the Imperial Palace at Tzarskoié Sélo 122 Grand Duke Michael 132 Grand Duchess Olga 144 The ex-Czarevitch 156 The ex-Czarina and her Son 168 The Grand Staircase, Winter Palace, Petrograd 178