Olga Constantinovna of Russia - Engagement and Marriage

Engagement and Marriage

The young King George I of Greece visited Russia in 1863 to thank Olga's uncle Tsar Alexander II for his support during George's election to the throne of Greece. Whilst there, George met the then twelve-year old Olga for the first time.

George visited Russia again in 1867 to meet with his sister Dagmar, who had married Tsarevitch Alexander (later Alexander III) the year before. He was determined to find a wife and the idea of an alliance with a Russian grand duchess, born into the Eastern Orthodox Church, appealed to him. Olga fell in love with George, but she was nevertheless anxious and distraught at the thought of leaving Russia. Her father was initially reluctant to agree to their marriage, thinking that at the age of fifteen she was too young and, being close to his daughter, concerned by the distance between Greece and Russia. For her part, Grand Duchess Alexandra was much more enthusiastic than her husband and, when some members of the imperial family noted the extreme youth of her daughter, she replied that Olga would not always be as young. Eventually, it was decided that Olga and George would marry when she had reached her sixteenth birthday. Meanwhile, she would continue her schoolwork until her wedding day.

Olga and George married at the chapel of the Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg on 27 October 1867. After five days of festivities, they spent a brief honeymoon at Ropsha, south-west of Saint Petersburg. Over the following twenty years, they had eight children:

• Constantine (1868–1923), who was born ten months after the marriage of his parents and succeeded his father as king;
• George (1869–1957), High Commissioner of Crete from 1898 to 1906;
• Alexandra (1870–1891), married Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia (son of Alexander II). Mother of Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich of Russia, one of the assassins of Grigori Rasputin;
• Nicholas (1872–1938), married Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia;
• Marie (1876–1940), married first Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia and second Perikles Ioannidis;
• Olga (7 April 1880 – 2 November 1880);
• Andrew (1882–1944), father of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh; and
• Christopher (1888–1940), father of Prince Michael of Greece.

The Tsar told Olga "to love her new country twice more than her own", but she was ill-prepared for her new life. Aware of her youth, she chose to retain the services of her governess to continue her education. On arrival at Piraeus, Olga wore blue and white, the national colors of Greece, to the delight of the crowd. On the way to the capital, popular unrest was such that Olga, who was not accustomed to such demonstrations, was close to tears. Unable to speak Greek, and with little time for rest, she attended official functions over several days. Overwhelmed, Olga was found sobbing under a staircase cuddling her teddy bear a few days after her arrival in the kingdom while she was expected for a formal event. In less than a year, she learnt Greek and English. On the advice of her mother, she took an interest in the archeology and history of Greece to gain public support.