Metternich schemed to outmaneuver the tsar at every opportunity, even with the arrival of the Allied monarchs at Frankfurt. “I want to regulate with you the entrance of the Kaiser in Frankfurt, which I want to be solemn and in the middle of his troops,” he wrote to Schwarzenberg. “I desire that the Kaiser arrive before the Tsar of Russia. The first to arrive has a step up.” Despite his machinations, Tsar Alexander paraded into Frankfurt at the head of the Russo–Prussian Guard on 5 November. The following day, “Red Breeches,” the popular nickname for Kaiser Francis, entered the former imperial city where he had been crowned Holy Roman Emperor twenty-one years earlier. Frederick William was absent, having returned to Berlin following the battle of Leipzig. “We were well-received,” claims Wilson, “although Bonaparte warned the inhabitants not to commit any follies, since he would reappear in the spring.” Describing the kaiser's entry on 6 November, Wilson notes: “Te Deum followed his entry, and for two hours we froze in a cold church. The troops then filed by the sovereigns, and this ceremony was almost as chilling. We then went to dine with Mr. Bethmann, who gave a grande fète. Afterwards we passed to the opera, where Titus was performed before the emperors and an overflowing house by some very talented actors.”