On September 26, 1866, 153 years ago today, 18-year-old Danish Princess Dagmar, daughter of King Christian IX, arrived in Saint Petersburg to meet her future husband, Grand Duke Alexander Alexandrovich (later Tsar Alexander III).
Dagmar was the daughter of Christian the 9th (Europe's father-in-law) and Queen Louise, out of a sibling group of 6, the second oldest of whom died shortly after birth.
12 years earlier, in March 1854, it was decided that Christian the 9th would have Bernstorff Castle as his summer residence. This is why Princess Dagmar, as a child, walked around here in the castle's high-ceilinged rooms.
Dagmar's life was characterized by stark contrasts. As a child, she and her family lived frugally in the Yellow Mansion and with Bernstorff Palace as their summer residence. A summer residence that was modest by royal standards. Here at the Palace, we certainly don't think it's a modest castle. When Dagmar came to Russia, the wealth of the imperial family was unimaginable. During the revolution, Empress Dagmar managed to escape, first to England and later she returned to Denmark.
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