Which consort demanded social precedence over her daughter-in-law?

Question

Did Queen Alexandra (wife of King Edward VII of Britain) demand social precedence over her daughter-in-law Queen Mary (Queen Elizabeth II's paternal grandmother) after the death of King Edward VII?

OR

Did Empress Maria Feodorovna (wife of Czar Alexander III of Russia) demand social precedence over her daughter-in-law Empress Alexandra Feodorovna after the death of Czar Alexander III?

(I'm uncertain as to which consort demanded social precedence as I know that Queen Alexandra and Empress Maria Feodorovna were sisters.)

Answer 1

Definitely Maria Feodorovna as Imperial Russian Court procedures stated "Dowager Empress always took first place, usually entering a palace room on the arm of her son-the Emperor, over the reigning Empress Consort."

It goes back to the Imperial Byzantium court customs, of which the Imperial Russian court was modeled after. More or less, Eastern custom verses Western custom.

Alix of Hess-Darmstadt was the favorite granddaughter of Queen Victoria, and she was raised by the Queen since Princess Alice, Alix's mother, died when Alix was just 6 years old. So Alix knew of Western court protocol better than Eastern court protocol.

Maria Feodorovna was a very popular Empress with the court, society, and the general public at large. Graceful, stylish, and tactful, Maria had 18 years to learn the ways of the Imperial Russian Court.

Sadly, Alix did not.

Alix was not at al popularl--inwardly shy, uncomfortable being in public, stiff, and rather an overly domineering woman who believed that SHE was always right, no matter what. Particularly when it came to her son, Alexei. Due to the blood disease ( Alix was a carrier of it from Queen Victoria and Princess Alice) that afflicted Alexei since his birth, Alix was over protective of him.

And Nicholas, being weak willed when it came to his wife and son, usually gave into Alix.

And yes, quite a few of the Russian Crown Jewels were at the disposal and use of the current Empress. Maria Feodorovna loved the jewwls, and wore them with panache and style frequently. Alix bitterly resented that fact that "Mother Dear" always won out.

Answer 2

1)Queen Alexandra demanded precedence over Queen Mary,that's for sure but King George V only let his mother take precedence at the funeral of King Edward VII.Queen Alexandra did not want to become a dowager and took a lot of time to leave Buckingham Palace.

2)Maria Feodorovna didn't ask for precedence,it was her right.Alexander I of Russia changed the protocol when he became Czar because he wanted his mother Maria Feodorovna(Sophia Dorothea of Wurtemberg) to be the first lady after she wanted to imitate Catherine the great and proclaim herself Empress regnant plus he did not like his wife Elizabeth Alexeevna(louise of Baden)

3)In GB,all the dowagers(duchesses,marchionesses...)take precedence over their daughter-in-law except the Queens.

Answer 3

Maria did not have to demand precedence over her daughter-in-law, it was hers according to Russian court custom.



"Dowager Empresses of Russia held precedence over the Empress-Consort. This was occasionally a source of tension. For example, when Emperor Alexander III died, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna (Dagmar of Denmark) held precedence over Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna (Alix of Hesse) which put an enormous strain on their already tense relationship. The power struggle culminated when the Dowager Empress refused to hand over certain jewels which were traditionally associated with the Empress Consort." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empress_dowager#Russian_dowager_empress

Answer 4

Doesn't sound like Queen Alexandra at all, who was seemingly long-suffering to a fault. So I would go with Empress Maria.



Nor did it involve the exchange, "Age before Beauty" (and the retort "Pearls before Swine") - that was Clare Luce and Dorothy Parker, respectively.

Answer 5

Maria did, as I recall, and also didn't want to hand over the jewels to which the wife of the Tsar was entitled.