Almost always a mystery one .
Despite having things to do ,I am partly watching the film Anastasia ,with Ingrid Bergman.
I feel very strongly thr “imposter “ Anna Andersen was the Grand Duchess, though how’s she got awayI can’t imagine .
The’”imposter “ had two identifiable things,a deformed foot in the shape of a very pronounced bunion ,even at her young age , also her finger had been trapped in a carriage door just as a grand parade was to begin , it always was stiff after .
She recounted a meeting between her father The Tsar, and Prince Maurice of Battenberg , her mother’s relative, during WW1 .
Germany and and Russia were at war of course so it was thought impossible such a meeting would take place .
Later ,released state papers proved there had indeed such a meeting .
However she survived and got away from Ekaterinburg is impossible to imagine.
She developed Tuberculosis of the sternum ,it was an illness in the family.
There are photographs of the summer residence at Tsarsko Selo ,with the children’s’ toys and nursery as it was left ,very poignant .
The family generally did not like the Tsarina ,and wanted the Tsar’s brother to acceed to the throne ,as being stronger and more capable .
Ah well, a sad story ,but I can’t remember what tests were done on the remains found in the forest ,whatever , they’d were interred as if they were the Royal Family .
We can never really know .
Autocrats they were undoubtably ,but did not deserve such an end .
I read so much about them ,years ago , it fascinated me .
Our Royal family played it cool,The Dowager Empress was Queen Alexandra’s sister ,Revolution was feared here,so scant support from our Royal Family .
I have a photograph album ,given to me by a neighbour - of a holiday spent on the Russian Royal yacht “ Standart” ,published by Queen Alexandra to raise funds for her charity .Cheerio.
Viktoria.
