Part 1: Chapter 3 Summary and Analysis

Nicholas was taken with a German princess named Alix of Hesse. Alix was not popular with St. Petersburg society. The Tsar and Empress were known to be anti-German and favored an alliance with Princess Helene, the daughter of the Comte de Paris. Both Helene and Nicholas resisted any efforts to link them. Nicholas's desire for Alix was a bone of contention between him and his parents and his father didn't begin to consider such a match until a bout with influenza weakened him. Alexander and Marie finally agreed to allow Nicholas to propose to Alix.

Alix was always a happy child, the daughter of Grand Duke Louis and Princess Alice of England, a daughter of Queen Victoria herself. Princess Alice died when Alix was six years of age and her father kept in close touch with Queen Victoria. Tutors...