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British RoyalsPrince Philip

Prince Philip’s role in the murder mystery of the Romanovs

75 years after the brutal execution of Tsar Nicholas II and his family, Prince Philip helped solve the murder-mystery and identify the bodies of the Russian Imperial Family.

The Tsar, Tsarina Alexandra, their five children, and three servants were murdered by the Bolsheviks in a painful and botched execution in 1918. Their bodies were secretly buried and not discovered till 1979 and identified only in 1988.

The Duke of Edinburgh gave up a blood sample in order to identify bodies which were found in unmarked graves. The Duke, who is related to Tsarina Alexandra as her grand-nephew, helped provide a match of DNA. Prince Philip provided the genetic key to help unlock the mystery.

The research has been kept secret until now and will go on display in the Science Museum. The exhibit will include graphs of the Tsar and Tsarina’s blood and details of Prince Philip’s blood. It will reveal the decades of work that have given into piecing together the exact details of what happened to the Romanovs. A spokesman said it would “take visitors behind the scenes of one of the greatest mysteries of the 20th century.”

They also said: “Blood samples from relatives, including His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, and advances in DNA profiling and 3D reconstruction, helped to positively identify the remains of the imperial family and enabled the investigation to reach convincing conclusions.”

Dr Peter Gill, who works with the Forensic Science Service, invited Prince Philip to help in uncovering the details surrounding the murders. Using mitochondrial DNA, they proved that the bones found in the armed graves belonged, “virtually beyond doubt” to the Romanovs.

Prince Philip, when once asked about visiting Russia, said that he would like to, but the “bastards murdered half my family.”

It is hoped the research and genetic testing can put an end to the debate over the authenticity of the remains. Russian Clerics have refused to recognise them as belonging to the Tsar and his family. The Russian Orthodox Church will take into consideration the new findings and come to a decision.