I have always been fascinated by the tragic story of the Romanov family. They were Queen Victoria’s relations and the two families met. The pictures of them enjoying holidays are lovely and it was terrible that the Czar and his family were just taken away from their home and shot by the revolutionaries that took over Russia. They were buried together but the youngest girl’s body was missing. It was thought she might have escaped and several women came forward hoping to claim her fortune. None of them were Anastasia. The story of the youngest daughter, Grand Duchess Anastasia always intrigued me and I so much wanted her to have got away and be living a quiet life in safety. It was a mystery that lasted for years.
I read quite recently that they believe her body was buried separately from her family. A grave was discovered and tests done and it is believed that it is indeed Anastasia. That raises more questions for me. Why wasn’t she buried with all her family? Was she killed at the same time or later? If it was later, what happened to her in the meantime? I shall never know. I don’t want to believe the new evidence. For my romantic mind she lived on in safety. I suppose that is too much to ask in a time of terrible turmoil. I just hoped some faithful retainer had spirited away. I wish they hadn’t found the new grave, because I hate the idea that she might have suffered more than the rest of her family.
If I could write her story and make it so, that is how it would be. She would have lived with people who loved and protected her until she died at a ripe old age. Alas, real life is sometimes too cruel.