THE RUSSIAN EMPRESS in CANNES (06). Letter A.S. from Prince - Lot 523

THE RUSSIAN EMPRESS in CANNES (06). Letter A.S. from Prince Nicolas ORLOFF (1827-1885) Russian diplomat and military writer, accompanying the Empress of Russia to France. CANNES January 7, 1880, 4 pages in-8°: "I have just received your letter of the 3rd. I went to church and prayed and wept... I told the Empress (of Russia 1824-1880), who is very sick and very ill, the painful news. In a weak but deeply moved voice, she asked me to convey to you the expression of her deepest sympathy. Dear poor Sovereign. She is but a shadow of her former self; but her heart does not vary...". - The Empress of Russia's visit to Cannes was a wake-up call for the entire Russian aristocracy who loved to frequent the Riviera. Empress Maria-Alexandrovna, born German princess Marie de Hesse-Darmstadt, stayed in Cannes in 1879 on the advice of her doctors, during the long Russian winter. She came with her children (eight descendants), and lived in style. She died in June 1880.