During a visit to Italy in October 1909, Nicholas II was presented with a parting gift by Queen Elena for his children: a donkey and a cart from Calabria, both of which Her Majesty insisted that he take them with him on the train. Nicholas noted that this was done and the donkey arrived safely on the Imperial Yacht ‘Standart’ at Yalta.
In a letter to his mother Nicholas writes: “He kicked furiously at Odessa when taken on board the yacht but quietened down as soon as he found himself on the deck and eventually felt quite at home on the straw.”
Sadly, the donkey cart has not survived, however, all the decorative harness and its festive trimmings depicted in this photo have survived to this day, and are now in the Collection of the Tsarskoye Selo State Museum.
