My empress; twenty-three years of intimate life with the empress of all the Russias from her marriage to the day of her exile

"My Empress: Twenty-Three Years of Intimate Life with the Empress of All the Russias" by Marfa Mouchanow is a memoir that offers an inside look at the life of Czarina Alexandra of Russia through the eyes of her first maid in waiting. Starting with Alexandra's marriage, the memoir explores her character and the difficulties she faced within the Russian royal household leading up to her exile. Madame Mouchanow describes Alexandra as a sophisticated yet sad individual, struggling with her position in the court and dealing with the disapproval of the public. She describes Alexandra's initial struggles adapting to court life, highlighting her loneliness and the challenges she faced in becoming the Empress of Russia. The memoir aims to reveal the personal battles and events that shaped Alexandra's life as the final Empress of Russia during a period of turmoil.