Baby in the Palace - PART II
As time went on and his first shyness wore off, he treated us as old friends, and as he passed each of us to bid us good-day he always had some little bit of fun with us. With me it was to make sure that each button on my coat was properly fastened, a habit which naturally made me take great care to have one or two unbuttoned, in which case he used at once to stop and tell me I was “untidy again,” give a sigh at my lack of attention to these details, and stop and carefully button me all up again.
If, however, he had a stranger sitting next to him, he had all the courtesy and charm of his father, talking freely and asking sensible questions.
In the little alcove room beside the dining room, where Aleksei would often invite us, every conceivable game went on, ending most likely with a game of football with anything that came handy. The devoted tutor was almost in despair, and it generally ended by the intervention of the Emperor himself.
The boy would then reappear with a twinkle in his eye and solemnly march in to take his place at table.
In the afternoons the Emperor took his son out boating or to play in the sands, where he made little fortifications and enjoyed himself as any other small boy would do.
On some occasions he accompanied the Emperor to see the troops at the front, where Aleksei was as popular as he was everywhere else.
At times the illness from which he suffered got hold of him, and it was touching to see the way that everyone at our Headquarters felt for this cheerful and happy boy, who seemed as healthy as could be in ordinary times.
He always went with his father to the church services...
In October 1915, Aleksei was awarded the Medal of St George, and soon after was promoted to corporal, hence taking his first steps in a royal-style military career. In 1916 he was even awarded the Serbian Gold Medal, about which he wrote to his mother that “he deserved it only for his battles with the tutors.” His other
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