Couldn't have said it better. May God use this tragic saga as a witness and inspiration to many. I hope it isn't suppressed or revised again.
There was an elegance in those days that we have lost, their bearing, beautiful clothing, naturally they could well afford nothing but the best. There's not a hint of hautiness about any of them imo.
Rasputin did seem to have some kind of power from the dark side, but from the times and desperation of the poor mother, I can't find it in my heart to judge her harshly for it. Was it a mistake? Probably, but he may have prolonged the little tsarevitch's life from that one episode in particular, hard to know at this point. People weren't inclined so much to personal faith as we know it now; maybe they put too much of it in the clergy; such a different time and culture, I don't mean to fault them for that, just the way things were. They were faithful to the end when faith and hope were all they really had left; that's what really counts.
Those aren't glass dangles on the Grand Duchesses' dresses - they're diamonds. Nonetheless, even the poor in those days did what they could to look dignified and show self-respect. Russian peasants of the time would have one set of traditional clothes, maybe passed down in the family, to wear for feast days and weddings.
There's not a hint of haughtiness about any of them imo.
That family - not just the Romanovs, but the British, the Dutch, the Germans, the Danes, all related - were not especially gifted people. The best of them realized this, and served their countries to the best of the abilities with real humility, bolstered by faith that it was all ultimately in God's hands. We can see this ethic surviving in Queen Elizabeth II.
The episode of Rasputin is very colorful, of course - one of the few things every high school student remembers about Imperial Russia - but also terribly sad. I can't feel anything but sympathy for the poor parents who just wanted their son to live, and not to suffer.
They made a mistake by keeping Alexis’ condition a secret. IF the public had understood then they wouldn’t have thought so badly of the Tsarina about Rasputin.
When I really think about it, they could have done a lot of good for the Imperial couple if they had known.