Baby in the Palace - PART I

air, always ready with a new prank or anecdote. With her as with the other sisters, nothing delighted Aleksei more than to be treated just like any ordinary brother.

By nature a mischievous little mind just like Anastasia, Aleksei was not above using his rank as a source of amusement with people outside his family. Milking his own importance for all it was worth, he would halt his lessons to order a snack from the Imperial kitchen, or walk in on state meetings to see everyone stand up, bow and greet him ceremoniously. Gleb Botkin, the son of the family physician, remembers: My mother, when leaving the palace after her first presentation to the Empress, met at the entrance little Aleksei, who was then a tot of four years. She bowed to him according to all the rules, and said, “How do you do, Your Imperial Highness?” But to her dismay, the Imperial Highness, instead of acknowledging her greeting, frowned angrily and turned away his head. When my mother returned home and told of the incident to my father, he began to laugh and said, “Of course the Heir was angry with you. You should have bowed to him in silence, for you have no right to say anything before he himself has started to talk to you."

However, most of the time, rank had nothing to do with the mischief Aleksei caused. He began attending State dinners when still a very little boy, for instance, and, though lessons on manners and etiquette were already a big part of his life, Aleksei often had trouble keeping himself from the possibility of fun and laughter in these occasions. A typical scene during such a dinner would be -- splendor; the sparkling of candles in mirror glass; the tinkling of expensive crystal against even more expensive silverware. A satin tablecloth, snowy-white, spread lavishly across a large table set with fragrant flowers. Mounds of tantalizing iced hors d’oeuvres. And then, the door would open and the heir to the throne would burst in, uttering a peal of delighted laughter and scrambling quickly under the table. The lackey who had just brought him in would attempt to excavate the little criminal, causing more excitement and giggling, while the guests, not yet seated, would look on with warm interest. A plump little child’s hand would then appear over the edge of the tablecloth, and snatch

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