honeymoon at Ropsha, south-west of Saint Petersburg. Over the following twenty years, they had eight children: Constantine (2 August 1868 – 11 January 1923), who was born ten months after the marriage of his parents; he married Princess Sophia of Prussia and succeeded his father as king; George (24 June 1869 – 25 November 1957), High Commissioner of Crete from 1898 to 1906, married Princess Marie Bonaparte; Alexandra (30 August 1870 – 24 September 1891), married Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia; their children included Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich of Russia, one of the assassins of Grigori Rasputin; Nicholas (22 January 1872 – 8 February 1938), married Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia; Marie (3 March 1876 – 14 December 1940), married firstly Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia and secondly Perikles Ioannidis; Olga (7 April 1880 – 2 November 1880); Andrew (2 February 1882 – 3 December 1944), he married Princess Alice of Battenberg, their children included Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh; and Christopher (10 August 1888 – 21 January 1940), father of Prince Michael of Greece. The Tsar told Olga "to love her new country twice more than her own", but she was ill-prepared for her new life. Aware of her youth, she chose to retain the services of her governess to continue her education. On arrival at Piraeus, Olga wore blue and white, the national colors of Greece, to the delight of the crowd. On the way to the capital, popular unrest was such that Olga, who was not accustomed to such demonstrations, was close to tears. Unable to speak Greek, and with little time for rest, she attended official functions over several days. Overwhelmed, Olga was found sobbing under a staircase cuddling her teddy bear a few days after her arrival in the kingdom while she was expected for a formal event. In less than a year, she learnt Greek and English. On the advice of her mother, she took an interest in the archeology and history of Greece to gain public support. Private life Throughout their marriage, George I and Olga were a close-knit couple, and contrary to the prevailing custom spent much time with their children, who grew up in a warm family atmosphere. With age, however, George I argued with his sons and Olga lamented the quarrels that divided the family periodically. In private, Olga and George I conversed in German because it