A sample of the Duke of Edinburgh’s blood was used to help identify the bodies of Russia’s murdered royal family 75 years after their deaths.
In 1991, mutilated remains of the Romanovs – including Tsar Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra their five children – were discovered in unmarked graves. The murder is believed to have been committed by communist agitators in 1918.
It was announced earlier this month a new exhibition at London’s Science Museum will reveal Prince Philip’s efforts. Two years after the discovery, experts used the DNA of the duke – who is the great-nephew of Empress Alexandra – to match samples taken from the skeletons.
Mystery had long surrounded the remains, with the Russian Orthodox church disputing the bodies were the royals, and rumours swirled that Princess Anastasia and her brother Alexei had survived.
The duke will no doubt be glad the mystery has now been put to rest.
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