ABSTRACT
Royalty's spa visits, like all their public appearances, fulfilled the ritual functions of monarchy: projecting a favourable image of the dynasty, maintaining relations with other rulers and with the class that supported them, aristocracy. Dynastic and political considerations prevailed in choosing the place and timing of royal cures. A member of a royal family left for a foreign spa with instructions from the foreign minister as to the desirability of contacts with the officialdom of the host country or foreign political figures. Royalty's visits to spas usually took place incognito: at Aix-les-Bains, Queen Victoria was Countess of Balmoral and Alexander II came to Ems as Count Borodinsky. Royalty at spas ran the challenges of heightened visibility and audience expectations which they did not always justify. Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna was a dedicated curist with a set routine combining the care of her health and gaining friends for Russia.
