A watercolour showing a montage of views commemorating the arrival of the newly married Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh at Windsor. Queen Victoria's first meeting with her daughter-in-law at the South Western Station is depicted in the central lower vignette, flanked by roundels showing the presentation of a bouquet to the Duchess, and the bride and groom fêted by children. The large central scene is of the procession to the Castle. The design of the arch was possibly drawn from the triumphal arch erected in Windsor for the occasion. Above the arch are views of Windsor Castle and the Guildhall bedecked by flags and coats of arms, both British and Russian, with celebrating putti, some on duty as Yeoman Guardsmen. The Queen described the town as being ‘lined with troops, was very full & completely decked out with flags, flowers, festoons & inscriptions, some of which were in Russian.’ Signed and dated.

Following their wedding in St Petersburg and a brief honeymoon at Tsarskoe Selo, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh travelled to Windsor, arriving on 7 March. They had left St Petersburg on 28 February, with a difficult parting from the Emperor and Empress; Queen Victoria observed: ‘The distress of the poor Parents at parting with their daughter had been great & I do indeed think of & feel much for them’.

This was to be Queen Victoria’s first meeting with her new daughter-in-law, an anxious moment for both parties. The Queen was kept informed of their journey, via Berlin, Cologne (where they were met by the groom’s sister, Princess Alice) and Brussels. At 9 a.m., on 7 March, they landed at Gravesend. The Queen’s first impressions of her new daughter-in-law were positive: ‘Dear Marie has a very friendly manner, a pleasant face, beautiful skin & fine bright eyes, & there is something very fresh & attractive about her. She speaks English wonderfully well’. In the afternoon, the Duchess visited Queen Victoria in her rooms, where the Queen showed Maria her ‘Russian album’.

Text adapted from Russia, Royalty & the Romanovs, London, 2018