Something that always bugged me...

I always thought it was because the questions up until then were general questions about Anya's life and could be discovered by reading any newspaper.
Imposter: "Uncle Boris was from Moscow.., and every Sunday-"
Empress: "we would take picnics by the shore." (Paraphrasing here.)
At least, that's how I interpreted it

Just to check to see if it could be her. As it turned out, it was.

I can't remember exactly which of the two Sophie was (the friend of Vladimir or the aide of the Dowager), but the woman who asked the questions was a friend of Vlad's in Paris who welcomed the three of them. They may have been staying there, it was her who practiced questions with Anya.

The woman who played the Dowager's aide and who was doing the real interviews early in the film wasn't seen again until Dmitri sneaked in to their private box at the ballet.

Both were large woman with light hair.


Properly read, the Bible is the most potent force for atheism ever conceived. -Isaac Asimov

Vlad, Dmitri, and Sophie already had an agreement before the men even left Russia that she would get their girl to the Empress. Vlad went on and on about seeing her again while they were on the boat, and when they arrived, she was waiting at the door, dressed and made-up, but clearly feigned surprise so anyone would think theirs was an unexpected visit.

She quizzed Anya to make sure she knew the right answers, and then told them exactly how to get to the Empress at the ballet, because that was the plan all along - play along with Dmitri and Vlad and their actress and give them access to the Empress so they could claim the reward money.