My wife loves the last royal family of Russia, and for her birthday i am getting her a painting of Nicholas II. i would like to add a quote to the bottom of it, of something kind he said to his wife. The problem is that I can't find anything, and i believe it is because they were so private with their feelings in public. Does anyone here know anything that I might use? Thanks!
So I found some great quotes that Nicholas spoke of to Alix/Alexandra his wife throughout his time during World War I. They were in writings of letters from him to the Tsarina back at St. Petersburg. The source for these are in English and found here.
I have however included some direct quotes from some of the early letters. He tended to call her "My Dear Wifey" or "My Dear Sunny." He repeatedly ended his letters with "I embrace you tenderly" or plural for his wife and his children. Finally he always referred to himself as "Always Your Hubby" or with an added "old" for "Always Your Old Hubby"
Below is a few choice quotes I found looking through the letters that I linked above.
"...At 8 p.m. Alix and I went to listen to our favourite opera "Tristan and Isolde" and enjoyed its beautiful music..."
.
"Beloved mine, I kiss you again and again, because just at present I am quite free and have time to think of my Wify and my family. It is strange, but it is so."
.
"Always your old hubby"
Sept 22nd, 1914.
"Good-bye, my sweet, beloved Sunny. May God bless and keep you and the dear children; as for me, I kiss you and them tenderly."
Sept 23, 1914
"MY BELOVED, DARLING SUNNY"
Oct 27, 1914
"May God bless you, my beloved Wify! I kiss you and the children lovingly. Sleep well and try to think that you are not lonely."
Nov, 1914
"My beloved Sunny, I love you with an undying love; as you see, I could call it "un puits d'amour" and this after twenty years. God bless you, my darling! May He guard you and the children. I kiss you all tenderly."
Nov 19, 1914
"Well, good-bye, my beloved Wify-teeny. May God bless you and the children! I kiss you and them affectionately. Give my warm greetings to A.
Always your hubby
Nicky."
Jan 24, 1915
I hope this all helps.
Facepoundr seems to have answered the question, but as an additional source, you might check out "Nicholas and Alexandra," by Robert Massie. He's an excellent writer of Russian history, and his works on Peter I and Catherine II are also not to be missed.