Richer Than The Empress: The Tsar’s Secret Love and Her Lost Collection

We tend to remember the story of Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna as one of the great, tragic romances of the 20th century. For years, he sought her hand, and when he finally received her consent, his happiness seemed absolute. It is easy to assume that his devotion was always singular. Yet, historical archives preserve a different, less publicized chapter of his life. Long before he married Alexandra, the future Emperor found room in his heart for another woman.
Her name was Mathilde Kschessinska. She wasn’t a princess, but few women in the Empire could claim to hold such sway over its most powerful men. She became one of Carl Fabergé’s most important clients, amassing a jewelry collection that could rival those of European royal courts. In fact, whispers in St. Petersburg suggested she possessed treasures that even the Empress might have envied.
But perhaps the most striking part of her story is not how she acquired these treasures, but what happened to them. They are the subject of a mystery that hunters are still trying to solve today.