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SOVEREIGN was launched in 2015, by Paul Gilbert, a British-born historian and writer, who has dedicated more than 35 years to researching and writing about Emperor Nicholas II, his family, the Romanov Dynasty and Imperial Russia. Now retired, he focuses his work on clearing the name of Russia’s much slandered Tsar.
He is able to achieve this through his blog, social media, conferencesand SOVEREIGN. It is through these venues that he challenges the negative myths and lies about Nicholas II, which have existed for more than a century. He is the author of more than a dozen books, which explore the life and reign of Nicholas II, based on research from Russian archival and media sources.
From 1986 to 2018, he travelled to Russia 29 times, visiting St. Petersburg, Moscow, Ekaterinburg and Crimea. In the 1990s, shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union, Gilbert organized annual Romanov Tours, which offered visits to the Imperial Palaces, palaces of the grand dukes and grand duchesses in and around St. Petersburg, museums, among others.
PHOTO: SOVEREIGN publisher and editor Paul Gilbert. Ekaterinburg. July 2018
These tours featured lectures by leading authors and Romanov historians and museum curators. Several tours included visits to the State Archives of the Russian Federation (GARF) in Moscow, to view photo albums, letters, diaries and personal items of Nicholas II and his family.
Some of the highlights of these tours included the Alexander Palace in 1996 – one of the first groups from the West to explore the interiors of Nicholas and Alexandra’s private apartments; the Grand Kremlin Museum in Moscow; Livadia Palace in Crimea, among others.
One of the highlights of his career, was organizing and hosting the 1st International Nicholas II Conference, held on 27th October 2018, in Colchester, England. It was a memorable event, which brought together more than 100 people from almost a dozen countries. A second conference is in the works.
About SOVEREIGN
There are few monarchs in history about whom opinion has been more divided than the last Emperor and Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II (1868-1918).
Myths and lies about the “weak-willed”, “incompetent”, “bloody” tsar, were created on the basis of gossip, slanderous fabrications and Bolshevik propaganda in the early 20th century. For more than 70 years, the Bolsheviks and the Soviets were perfectly content to allow these myths and lies to stand. Sadly, they remain deeply rooted in the minds of both Westerners and the Russian people to this day.
Since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, Nicholas II has undergone nothing short of a renaissance in modern-day Russia. Much of this is thanks to the efforts of the Russian Orthodox Church and monarchist groups. He has been the subject of hundreds of new biographies and historical studies, documentaries, exhibitions, discussion forums, etc. In 2002, Tsar’s Days was revived in Ekaterinburg, an annual event which draws tens of thousands from across Russia and abroad to honour the memory of Nicholas II and his family.
Sadly, many of today’s academically lazy, British and American historians and biographers, prefer to rehash the popular negative myths and lies of Nicholas II’s early 20th century detractors. Few – if any of these “experts” – have traveled to Russia to utilize the vast archival sources now available to researchers. Instead they focus on Nicholas II’s failures, and seldom reflect on the many accomplishments he made during his 22+ year reign.
It was these very myths and lies, which compelled Gilbert to launch SOVEREIGN in 2015.
In 2024, SOVEREIGN was relaunched with a new format, which now features articles researched and written by Paul Gilbert and published on this blog. Gilbert has researched these works from Russian archival and media sources. Beginning with the No. 12 Winter 2024 issue of SOVEREIGN, these articles are now available in a printed format for the first time!
In addition, are a number of First English language works by Russian historians and experts, based on new archival documents discovered since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. Thanks to this new generation of post-Soviet historian, we can now review the life and reign of Russia’s last Emperor and Tsar through Russian eyes, instead of Soviet ones! They challenge and put to rest many of the lies and myths presented over the past century by their Western counterparts. Their works are based on facts and information from reliable Russian sources.
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SOVEREIGN was launched in 2015, and has published a total of 15 issues. Please note, that issues No. 1 through 11 are now out of print, although used and second-hand copies are available on eBay and Amazon.
Issues No. 12 to 16 are available exclusively from Amazon – please refer to the links below. The No. 17 Sunner 2026 issue will be published in June 2026.
Current issues of SOVEREIGN
– CLICK on the LINK below for more details, including a full list of the articles found in each issue + links to ORDER copies of the issues which interest you most:
Further to my article How Yeltsin justified the demolition of the Ipatiev House (published on 20th February 2020), I present the following article, researched from Russian media sources. This new article presents some interesting details about the demolition of the infamous house where Russia’s last Tsar, along with his family and four faithful retainers were all brutally murdered by members of the Ural Soviet [Bolsheviks] in the early morning hours of 17th July 1918.
The fate of the Ipatiev House in Ekaterinburg is a story about how the Soviets first tried to turn the site of the regicide into a museum of the revolution, and then, frightened by its symbolic power among a growing number of Orthodox faithful, decided to wipe it off the face of the earth. The murders of the Imperial Family in 1918 and the demolition of the Ipatiev House in 1977 became two acts of the same drama, separated by almost six decades, but connected by one goal – the management of historical memory.
PHOTOS: during the late 1920s and 1930s, it was customary for Communist Party apparatchiks to arrive at the Ipatiev House in Sverdlovsk [Ekaterinburg] in large tour groups, where they would pose – many of them smiling – in front of the bullet-damaged wall of the cellar room in which the Imperial Familu had been brutally murdered by a Bolshevik firing squad in the early morning hours of 17th July 1918.
The fate of the Ipatiev House during Soviet times
The Ipatiev House was a stone mansion built in the 1880s in the pseudo-Russian style. It was situated on the corner of Karl Liebknecht and Clara Zetkin Streets (formerly called Voznesensky Prospekt and Voznesensky Lane). It was initially bought by the engineer Nikolai Ipatiev (1869-1938), and then requisitioned by the Bolsheviks in 1918, as a prison for the Nicholas II, his wife, their five children and four faithful retainers, from April to July 1918.
In Soviet times, it’s fate was paradoxical. At first, the Museum of the Revolution was set up here, and in the “murder room” situated in the basement, tourists posed to have their photos taken. Later, in the 1930s, the museum closed, and the Anti-Religious Museum was established. In subsequent years, it housed educational institutions, then an archive, and during the Great Patriotic War (1941-44) served as a warehouse for the art treasures evacuated from the Hermitage in Leningrad [St. Petersburg].
By the 1970s, a growing interest in the fate of Russia’s last Tsar in the West, that a quiet, unofficial pilgrimage to him began to manifest itself around the former Ipatiev House,. On the days marking the anniversary of the regicide, candles appeared at the walls of the Ipatiev House, people made the sign of cross and prayed. For the authorities, this set off alarm bells.
PHOTO: the demolition of the Ipatiev House did not deter Orthodox Christians from coming to the site to light candles and offer prayers for Russia’s repentance. Sverdlovsk [Ekaterinburg] 1990
Andropov’s secret note
In the summer of 1975, after learning of the pilgraimages to the Ipatiev House, KGB Chairman Yuri Andropov (1914-1984) appealed to the Politburo with a note marked “SECRET”. It said:
“Anti-Soviet circles in the West periodically inspire various kinds of propaganda campaigns around the last Tsar and his family, and in their connection to the former mansion of the merchant Ipatiev in the city of Sverdlovsk [Ekaterinburg].
“The Ipatiev House continues to stand in the center of the city… The mansion is not of any architectural or other value, only a small part of the townspeople and a few tourists are interested in it.
“Recently, foreign specialists have begun visiting Sverdlovsk. In the future, the number of foreigners may increase significantly and the Ipatiev house will become an object of interest for them.
“In this regard, it seems expedient to instruct the Sverdlovsk Regional Committee of the CPSU [Communist Party of the Soviet Union] to resolve the issue of demolishing the mansion as part of the planned reconstruction of the city.”
Andropov was wrong about the lack of “architectural and other value”: the stone mansion was a fine example of pseudo-Russian Art Nouveau style, it was perfectly inscribed in the city’s landscape – one-story on one side and two-story on the other, and inside it was decorated with stucco molding and casting, which by the 1970s were still well preserved.
Nevertheless, the house was indeed the object of growing interest for both locals and foreigners. On the day marking the anniversary of the murders of the Tsar and his family, candles were placed at the threshold of the house, while believers crossed themselves and bowed at the walls. Their numbers grew each year, acting as a precursor to Tsar’s Days.
Rumors spread around the city that UNESCO was going to make the Ipatiev House a “monument to human barbarism”[1] along with Auschwitz. And yet the then leadership of the city – the secretary of the regional committee Yakov Petrovich Ryabov (1928-2018) and the chairman of the city executive committee Vasily Vasilyevich Gudkov (1926-2018) – was in no hurry to carry out the order. Opponents of the demolition of the building included not only local historians, but even the communists – “how can you destroy the monument to the revolution, where the bloody tyrant suffered a well-deserved punishment?,” they cried.
This story ended two years later, when the new secretary of the regional committee, Boris Yeltsin (1931-2007), was instructed to carry out the order of the Politburo, of Which he complied in September 1977.
PHOTO: the demolition of the Ipatiev House was carried out on 22-23 September 1977
Could the Ipatiev House have been saved?
In his Russian-language memoir Исповедь на заданную тему / Confession on a Given Topic (1990), the first president of Russia wrote that the building was demolished in one night, immediately after he received a secret package from the Politburo: “It was impossible to resist … In addition, I could not prevent this — the decision of the highest authority of the country, official, signed and formalized accordingly. Not to comply with the Politburo Resolution? I… I could not even imagine the consequences. But even if I had disobeyed, I would have been left without a job… And the new first secretary of the regional committee, who would have replaced me, would still have carried out the order nevertheless.”
Yeltsin was sometimes accused of being overzealous, they say, Ryabov was in no hurry to carry out the order from Moscow. One source claims that there was no “secret package” addressed personally to Yeltsin (this document was indeed never found in the archives), but simply Yeltsin on his own initiative rushed to fulfill an order made two years prior.
It is now impossible to say whether this is true or not. But it is possible that there was an order from Moscow. The year 1978 was approaching – the year which marked the 110th anniversary of the birth of Nicholas II and the 60th anniversary of the execution of the Imperial Family. The “unhealthy interest” in the Ipatiev House would certainly have manifested itself.
In addition, UNESCO could have assigned the Ipatiev House the status of a World Heritage Site, and then it would have been impossible to demolish this building. In a word, whether in writing or orally, but, to all appearances, Boris Yeltsin received an order not to delay any longer.
Before the demolition, local museum workers had the opportunity to take out castings and other fragments of décor from the house. They are now on display in the permanent exhibition The Romanovs in the Urals in the Poklevsky-Kozell House Museum of the Sverdlovsk Regional Museum of Local Lore in Ekaterinburg.
PHOTO: Prince Dimitri Romanovich (1926-2016) near the cross, where the Ipatiev House stood until 1977, demolished after a secret order of the Politburo. 1992
NOTES:
[1] There isn’t a single, officially designated “UNESCO monument to human barbarism”; rather, the term refers to sites where UNESCO and others condemn acts of cultural destruction, looting, or desecration, often by extremist groups or occupying forces, seen as barbarism against shared human heritage.
The following NEW title was compiled and edited by independent researchers and Romanov historian Paul Gilbert was published in August 2024.
This fascinating new study features 14 chapters on this tragic event, which include the memoirs of a British intelligence officer and journalist, and two First-English translations. In addition, 11 chapters were written by Paul Gilbert, based on new documents sourced from Russian archival and media sources over the past decade.
Please refer to the link provided for further details about the content of this new title . . .
Russia’s last emperor and tsar remains one of the most documented persons in history. He has been the subject of countless books, and articles for scholarly periodicals, magazines and newspapers.
I have UPDATED the 2024 edition of this booklet with 4 additional pages. My 2026 edition features a NEW article about Nicholas II’s libraries and his vast book collection; 8 black and white photos; and I have added even more titles to the bibliography. The highlight of my NEW 2026 edition is a list of more than 125 English-language books on the life and reign of Nicholas II.
My UPDATED 22-page booklet, is now available to download, print and/or save. It’s FREE!
The bibliography provides a comprehensive list of both scholarly and popular works. Many are generally of limited value and even mislead readers, however, they have been included because they played a significant role in shaping Western opinion of the last Tsar. In some instances, these works have been responsible for the creation and perpetuation of widely subscribed to generalizations, stereotypical images, and myths. In a sense, then, the fact that many of these sources contain inaccuracies, exaggerations, and oversimplifications, and are sometimes guilty of tendentiousness, does not lessen but rather constitutes their historical value.
I trust that this booklet will be a useful research tool for scholars, historians, teachers, writers and the general reader. It includes titles which are current, out of print, as well as a number of titles which have yet to be published.
As new books are published, this booklet will be updated accordingly. If you know of any other titles which are not listed in this bibliography, please feel free to bring them to my attention. You can e-mail me at royalrussia@yahoo.com
PAUL GILBERT
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I am committed to clearing the name of Russia’s much slandered Tsar. In exchange for this NEW UPDATED 22-page booklet, please consider making a small $5 or $10 donation in aid of my research. These donations are of great assistance in helping me offset the cost of obtaining and translating documents from Russian archival and media sources, which are often paid for out of my own pocket. It is these documents which help present new facts and information on the life and reign of Nicholas II. In addition, my research continues to debunking many of the myths and lies which exist more than a century after his death and martyrdom.
Please note, that there is NO obligation, the booklet is FREE to every one! ENJOY!
The Tsarskoye Selo State Museum has published the first volume of a unique catalog of the wardrobe of Emperor Nicholas II and his family. The first volume is dedicated to the uniforms of Nicholas II.
The Tsarskoye Selo State museum houses the world’s largest collection of uniforms of the last Russian Tsar and clothes of members of his family – more than 800 items. The collection comes from the Alexander Palace, the last and favorite residence of Nicholas II.
The catalog contains photographs and descriptions of more than 350 items. The author of the catalog is the curator of the Men’s Costume Collection, senior researcher at the Tsarskoye Selo State Museum-Reserve, Alexei Rogatnev. [Note: the link features a 10-minute video of Rognatnev talking about the Alecander Palace’s collection of Nicholas II’s uniforms]
“During the reign of Nicholas I, there was a rule without exceptions: the Emperor was an officer of the Russian Empire. Therefore, he was obliged to wear a military uniform, and only on trips abroad could he wear civilian dress. Even when he was not engaged in affairs related to the management of a huge empire, Nicholas II wore a uniform: in photographs from the Romanov family albums, we see him playing tennis in the summer jacket of a naval officer and shoveling snow near the Alexander Palace in the uniform of a colonel of the 4th Imperial Family Life Guards Rifle Regiment,” he notes.
“In the last few decades of the 19th century, thanks to the passion of Alexander III and Nicholas II for hunting, the rule was somewhat relaxed – when hunting, members of the Imperial Family wore comfortable, specially tailored suits. Thus, most of the wardrobe of both the emperor and the grand dukes was a collection of uniforms of the various units of the regiments of the Russian Empire and European countries,” Rogatnev added.
The catalog is based on documents from the museum collection, the most valuable are from the inventory lists of the Alexander Palace Museum, which were compiled in 1938-1939. They contain a complete list of the wardrobe of the Imperial Family as of 22nd June 1941, and make it possible to recreate the composition of the pre-war collection, the method and place of evacuation, and to identify lost items.
Among the numerous sources that were used in researching for the catalog, the wardrobe records of Nicholas II, in particular, which uniform he wore. Entries in these books were made only on the days the Emperor participated at official events held in St. Petersburg and mirrored those of the Chamber Fourier journal. They do not contain records of the Emperor’s foreign travels, while traveling on the Imperial Train, and under other similar circumstances. These records also contain factual inaccuracies that can be identified by cross-referencing several sources.
Thanks to the study of the annual reports, which are stored in the Russian State Historical Archive, we can see the expenditures for the manufacture of most of the uniforms of Nicholas II, Alexandra Feodorovna, Tsesarevich Alexei and the Grand Duchesses. These accounts make it possible to determine the amount spent on uniforms by year, to systematize the internal structure of the wardrobe by military units, to determine the main and secondary suppliers of uniforms, military accessories, and shoes.
Emperor Nicholas II and his family made the Alexander Palace their permanent residence rom 1905. Personal items, including their respective wardrobes, were not tied to a certain place, but accompanied them, wherever they stayed, be it the Winter Palace, Peterhof, Livadia, Spala, Moscow or abroad. But most of the Emperor’s wardrobe invariably remained in the Alexander Palace at Tsarskoye Selo.
The catalog of Nicholas II’s uniforms will be of interest to historians, specialists in Russian military costume, art historians, museum employees and everyone who is interested in the reign of Russia’s last Tsar.
The catalog is currently only available in the Tsarskoye Selo museum shops in the Catherine and Alexander Palaces, in the Russia in the Great War Museum (located in the Sovereign Military Chamber), as well as book kiosks found in the Catherine Park.
NOTE: this catalog is ONLY available in Russian, there is NO English language edition available, nor does the museum have any plans on issuing such. 296 pages, richly illustrated throughout.
Drawing of Emperor Nicholas II (1914) Artisit: Boris Mikhailovich Kustodiev (1878-1927)
Please note that the articles provided (by links) are for information purposes only, they do not reflect the opinion of the administrator of this blog – PG
Russia’s last Emperor and Tsar Nicholas II, his family, the Romanov dynasty and the history of Imperial Russia, continue to be the subject of books, exhibitions and documentaries. In addition, they continue to generate headlines in the media.
The following articles were published by American and British media services, in the Summer: July, August, and Autumn: September, October, November and December 2025. Click on the title [highlighted in red] below and follow the link to read each respective article:
What kind of holiday would it be without cannons? Without masquerades and music?! Here’s how the holidays were celebrated in Tsarist Russia, by the Empresses Anna Ioannovna, Elizabeth Petrovna and Catherine II.
Historians, describing the life of Duchess Elizabeth Pierrepoint Kingston, call it “rich in adventure”. This euphemism conceals a real adventure, complete with bigamy, an escape to Russia and a ship full of treasure.
Elena Molokhovets’s book ‘Gift to Young Housewives’ went through 29 editions from 1861 until the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution. The “culinary bible” of the Russian Empire taught women left without servants the art of managing a household. We’ve selected some tips from it that are still relevant today.
Ballerina Mathilde Kschessinska was not only the prima ballerina of the Mariinsky Theater, but also a socialite, known for her affairs with several Romanov grand dukes.
The Soviet government was deeply suspicious of any high-ranking commanders of the Imperial Army and considered them ideological opponents. This meant they had to work extra hard to earn its trust.
In tsarist times, a trip from point ‘A’ to point ‘B’ was a real adventure that could stretch on for weeks or even months. Of course, there were already roadside inns for travelers, but these were not up to the standard required for emperors and their entourage. Therefore, “travel” palaces had to be specially built – luxurious mansions where one could rest, spend the night and continue the journey with renewed energy. Anna Sorokina takes a look at 8 of these “Travelling Palaces”.
Two representatives of the ultra-conservative TV channel Spas brought a flag depicting emperor Nicholas II from the occupied Ukrainian city of Vuhledar to the archipelago of Severnaya Zemlya.
Every now and then, a quiet object in the museum’s collection reveals an extraordinary story. For decades, a heavy leather-bound album, its cover elegantly embossed in gold with the words “Views of His Own Palace and Rooms, St. Petersburg” lay, largely unnoticed, in the Russian History Museum’s archives. According to old museum records, it showed the interiors of the Anichkov Palace, home of Emperor Alexander III.
Please CLICK on the BANNER or LINK above to review my current selection of titles in hardcover, paperback and ebook editions. Listings provide a full description for each title, pricing and a Look inside feature.
On this day – 31st December 2016 – Prince Dmitri Romanovich Romanov died in Copenhagen, Denmark at the age of 90. Following the death of his brother Prince Nicholas Romanovich in 2014, Dmitri became his rightful successor as Head of the House of Romanov.
Through his paternal lineage, Prince Dmitri was a great-great-grandson of Emperor Nicholas I of Russia (1796–1855) and his consort, Princess Charlotte of Prussia (1798-1860), who founded the Nikolaevichi branch of the Russian Imperial Family. He is a second cousin of the last Russian Emperor Nicholas II.
Dmitri was born on 17th May 1926 in in the villa of his grandfather, Grand Duke Peter Nikolaevich (1864-1931), in Cap d’Antibes on the French Riviera. He was the youngest son of Prince of the Imperial Blood Roman Petrovich (1896-1978) and his wife Princess Praskovia Dmitrievna (née Countess Sheremeteva, 1901-1980). In connection with the birth of their son, a congratulatory telegram addressed to Dmitri’s parents was sent from Denmark to France by the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna (1847-1928).
Prince Dmitri spent the first ten years of his life in France. He was brought up entirely in the Russian spirit under the guidance of his paternal grandmother, Grand Duchess Militsa Nikolaevna (1866-1951). Dimitri Romanovich’s teachers were graduates of the Smolny Institute in St. Petersburg [established by Catherine the Great in 1765]. Every Sunday, the family visited the home church, where young Dimitri served in the altar.
PHOTO: Prince of the Imperial Blood Roman Petrovich and his wife Princess Praskovia Dmitrievna (née Countess Sheremeteva. Egypt. Circa early 1950s
Early life – France, Italy, Egypt
After the victory of the Socialists in the French parliamentary elections in 1936, Dmitri moved with his parents to Italy, where the queen was Helena of Savoy [born Princess Jelena of Montenegro, 1873-1952] the sister of his paternal grandmother Grand Duchess Militsa Nikolaevna. For a short time, the family lived in the Quirinal Palace in Rome, the official residence of the king of Italy.
Dmitri studied at a private Italian school, where he was taught Latin and classical Greek. When Italy withdrew from the war in 1943 and Germany occupied Rome, Dimitri and his family hid from the Germans for nine months, changing apartments and addresses, as the Nazis announced a hunt for all relatives of the Italian king Victor Emmanuel III.
In May 1946, Dmitri and his family sailed from Naples to Cairo on the Italian ship Obruzzi. Initially, the family planned to stay in Egypt for only two months and then return to Europe, but their forced exile lasted until 1952. Soon after arriving in Egypt at the age of 19, Dimitri Romanovich, with the consent of his parents, began working as a simple mechanic at the Ford repair plant in Alexandria, where he earned a mechanic’s certificate. Dimitri Romanovich worked at the plant for three years, and then worked as a car sales manager.
In 1960 Prince Dmitri moved to Denmark, where he worked for a number of banks including the Danske Bank, where he was an executive until his retirement in 1993.[2] He was fluent in Russian, French, English, Danish and Italian. Dmitri became a Danish citizen in 1979
PHOTO: the wedding of Prince Dmitri Romanovich and Johanna von Kaufmann, 1959
Marriages
Prince Dmitri Romanovich was married twice.
In 1958, Dimitri and his friends went on a trip to Scandinavia by car. In Helsinki, he met a young girl named Johanna von Kauffmann (1936–1989). In 1959, the young couple married, settling in the suburbs of Copenhagen. Johanna died of cancer on 13th 1989, at the age of 52. The couple had no children.
In 1989, Prince Dimitri Romanovich married Dorrit Reventlow (born 1942) on 28th July 1993, at the Trinity Cathedral of the Ipatiev Monastery in Kostroma. His second marriage was the “FIRST” time a Romanov had been married in Russia since the fall of the dynasty in 1917. Before the wedding, Princess Dorrit converted to Orthodoxy taking the name Feodora Alexeevna. The couple had no children.
PHOTO: Prince Dimitri Romanovich and his second wife Princess Feodora Alexeevna
Dynastic status
From birth, Dmitri Romanovich was titled by His Highness Prince of the Imperial Blood, which, however, was never recognized by the descendants of Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich (1876-1938).
Since the creation of the Romanov Family Association in 1979, which today unites most of the male and female descendants of Emperor Nicholas I (1796-1855). Dmitri Romanovich did not recognize Prince Vladimir Kirillovich (1917-1992) as the head of the House of Romanov. After the death of the latter in April 1992, Dmitri recognized his brother Prince Nicholas Romanovich as the rightful head of the House of Romanov. Together with other representatives of the House of Romanov, he repeatedly declared the illegitimacy of the claims to the Russian throne of Vladimir Kirillovich and his daughter Maria Vladimirovna. From 1989 to 2014, Prince Dmitri served as an adviser to the head of the Romanov Family Association.
After the death of his brother in September 2014, Dmitri Romanovich headed the Romanov Family Association. All descendants of the Russian Imperial House (except Maria Vladimirovna and her son George Mikhailovich) recognized him as the head of the House of Romanov. The successor of Dimitri Romanovich was Prince Andrei Andreevich (1923-2021), who was the oldest living representative of the House of Romanov at the time.
Dimitri Romanovich was the last male representative of the Nikolaevichi branch of the House of Romanov, which originated from Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich, Sr. (1831-1891) and his wife, Grand Duchess Alexandra Petrovna (born Duchess Alexandra of Oldenburg, 1838-1900). Dimitri Romanovich had no children, and his elder brother Nikolai Romanovich had only daughters. As a result, upon the death of Prince Dimitri Romanovich on 31st December 2016, the male line of the Nicholaevich branch of the Romanov family died out.
PHOTO: seven Romanov princes gather in Paris in June 1992
Social activities
On 29th June 1992, seven Romanov princes met in Paris: Nikolai Romanovich (1922-2014), Dimitri Romanovich (1926-2016), Andrei Andreevich (1923-2021), Mikhail Feodorovich (1924-2008), Nikita Nikitich (1923-2007), Alexander Nikitich (1929-2002) and Rostislav Rostislavovich (1938-1999).
The male descendants of the House of Romanov declared that none of them had any claims to the Russian throne, and that their activities in Russia would only be educational and charitable. Prince Dmitri was an opponent of the restoration of the monarchy. He believed that in Russia “there should be a democratically elected president.
It was during this meeting, that the princes decided to create a charitable foundation to help Russia. The foundation was established in 1994 and registered in London. The Romanov Fund for Russia was headed by Dimitri Romanovich.
As part of its humanitarian activities, the foundation provides charitable assistance and support to those in need in the field of medicine, education and social welfare, and promotes activities in the field of culture, art and enlightenment. The foundation takes care of hospitals for hearing-impaired children, boarding schools and nursing homes.
In July 1992, Prince Dmitri visited Russia for the first time, visiting St. Petersburg and Moscow. In the first years of its activity, the foundation faced difficulties of various nature associated with the collapse of the Russian state economy and the critical state of the social security system. In the period from 1993 to 1995, Dimitri Romanovich headed five humanitarian visits to Russia on behalf of the Romanov Fund for Russia.
PHOTO: Russian president Vladimir Putin with Prince Dmitri Romanovich and his wife Princess Feodora Alexeevna, during an official reception held in the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow. 2006
PHOTO: Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev awarding Prince Dmitri Romanovich with the Order of Alexander Nevsky, 6th October 2016
Awards and honours
In 2006, Prince Dmitri Romanovich met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. The meeting took place during a state reception devoted to National Unity Day in St. George’s Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace.
This meeting occurred in the context of the reburial of the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna (Emperor Nicholas II’s mother). Maria Feodorovna had died in exile in Denmark, and her dying wish was to be buried next to her husband, Emperor Alexander III, in Russia.
In June 2011, the then President of the Russian Federation Dmitri Medvedev awarded Prince Dmitri the “Order of Friendship” for “great achievements in strengthening friendship and cultural cooperation between Russia and the Kingdom of Denmark and for his achievements as chairman of the Romanov Fund for Russia.” The award ceremony took place in Moscow.
In May 2016, Dimitri Romanovich was awarded a certificate of honour from the Government of the Russian Federation “for his great contribution to the dissemination of knowledge about the historical and cultural heritage of Russia abroad, and assistance in strengthening international humanitarian ties.”
In August 2016, by decree of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, Prince Dmitri was awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky. The Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation Dmitri Medvedev, headed the award ceremony in the building of the Government of the Russian Federation, on 6th October 2016. Prince Dmitri receive the award “for his great contribution to spreading abroad the knowledge of Russia’s historical and cultural heritage and efforts to promote international humanitarian ties.”
PHOTO: Prince Dmitir Romanovich with His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, at the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius. October 2016
In October 2016, Prince Dmitri also met with His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia at the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius. During the meeting, His Holiness said: “Thank you for your love for our common Motherland, for preserving the wonderful traditions of the House of Romanov, for your participation in the delivery of the remains of both [Empress] Maria Feodorovna and [Grand Duke] Nicholas Nikolaevich. Your work unites history. This is the uniqueness of your personality and the uniqueness of the House of Romanov in general. Living people united in their family tradition of honouring our national history, torn apart by the tragic events of the early 20th century.”
Patron of the Arts
Dimitri Romanovich was also known as a patron of the arts. In December 2000, he donated the sabre of his great-grandfather, Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich, Sr (1831-1891), as well as the Shipka battle banner, to the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg.
In July 2004, he donated the family icon of the Saviour, which once belonged to his paternal grandmother Grand Duchess Militsa Nikolaevna (1866-1951) to the Novodevichy Convent in St. Petersburg.
In July 2005, he donated an icon of the Saviour to the restored Church of the Bright Resurrection of Christ on the Smolenka River in St. Petersburg. This 19th-century icon was kept in the Romanov family and passed down from generation to generation.
In July 2009, together with his wife, he donated the family icon of Saints Mitrophan and Tikhon of Voronezh to the restored Feoodorovsky Cathedral in St. Petersburg. According to Dimitri Romanovich, he was blessed with this icon. in Rome in 1944 by his spiritual mentor, Hieromonk Zosima,
Dmitri Romanovich has appeared in the media and documentaries, giving interviews about the history of the Romanov. For example: in 2003 in the Danish documentary “En Kongelig familie“, in 2007 on France 3 in the film “Un nom en héritage, les Romanov“, in 2008 on NTV in the film “Ghosts of the House of Romanov“, as well as in 2014 in the ZDF documentary “Royal Dynasties: The Romanovs” and in 2015 in the documentary “The Crown of the Russian Empire” produced by Russia-24.
PHOTO: Dmitri Romanovich at the place where the remains of the Imperial Family were found on the Old Koptyaki Road, near Ekaterinburg
Reburial of the Imperial Family
After the discovery of the remains of Emperor Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, three daughters and four faithful retainers near Ekaterinburg in July 1991, Prince Dmitri Romanovich actively assisted the government commission and the investigation in identifying the remains.
Dmitri Romanovich was one of the first members of the House of Romanov to visit the place where the remains were found on the Old Koptyakovskaya Road, near Ekaterinburg. He was the only one of the Romanovs who took part in the mourning events that took place in Ekaterinburg before the remains were sent to St. Petersburg.
On 17th July 1998, together with other representatives of the House of Romanov, he participated in the funeral ceremony for the reburial of the remains of Emperor Nicholas II, members of his family and servants, which took place in the SS Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg.
PHOTO: Dmitry Romanovich pays his respects at the tomb holding the remains of Emperor Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra and their three daughters in St. Petersburg’s St. Peter and Paul Cathedra. 2008
Russian president Boris Yeltsin (1931-2007) attends the funeral on 17th July 1998. Addressing the funeral ceremony, Yeltsin described the murder of the Russian Imperial Family as “one of the most shameful pages in Russian history”, and urged Russians to close a “bloody century” with repentance.
He said: “Today is a historic day for Russia. For many years, we kept quiet about this monstrous crime, but the truth has to be spoken.”
Yeltsin said he had no choice but to attend this funeral in consideration of the fact that the funeral presented a historical opportunity for the Russian people to exculpate themselves from the sins of their fathers, and the sins of the murder of their Romanov family.
More than 50 Romanov descendants attended the historic burial. The only family members who did NOT attend were Princess Maria Vladimirovna, her mother Princess Leonida Georgievna, and Maria’s son Prince George Mikhailovich.
The author of this article was invited to attend the events marking the burial of Nicholas II and members of his family. On the morning of 17th July 1998, I met many descendants of the House of Romanov in the lobby of the Astoria Hotel. I was invited to ride in one of the special buses provided for the more than 50 Romanov descendants, from the Astoria Hotel to the Peter and Paul Fortress. This was the one and only time that I met Princes Nicholas (1922-2014) and Dimitri Romanovich (1926-2016) in person.
After the discovery in July 2007 of the remains of Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich and Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna, Dmitri Romanovich actively assisted the investigation in identifying the remains. He advocated the speedy burial of the Tsesarevich and his sister in the SS Peter and Paul Cathedral.
In December 2015, Alexei and Maria’s remains were transferred from the State Archives of the Russian Federation to the Lower Church of the Transfiguration Cathedral of the Novospassky Monastery in Moscow, where they remain to this day.
PHOTO: Prince Dimitri Romanovich at the coffin of Empress Maria Feodorovna in the Rosskile Cathedral, Denmark. August 2006.
Reburial of Empress Maria Feodorovna
In 2001 Prince Dmitri together with his brother Prince Nikolai Romanovich and Prince Mikhail Andreevich (1920-2008), who lived in Australia, initiated the reburial to Russia of the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna [born Princess Dagmar of Denmark, 1847-1928].
Prince Dmitri acted as an intermediary during negotiations between the government of the Russian Federation and the Danish royal court. Together with his wife, Princess Feodora Alexeevna, he accompanied the coffin with the remains of the Empress from Copenhagen to St. Petersburg.
From 25th to 29th September 2006, Prince Dmitri and his wife, together with other members of the Romanov Family Association, took part in the events for the reburial of the Dowager Empress, next to those of her husband Emperor Alexander III in the SS Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg.
PHOTO: Prince Dmitri Romanvich at the coffins of his uncle Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich and aunt Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna, in the Donskoy Monastery, Moscow
Reburial of Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich
In December 2013, Prince Dmitir and his brother Prince Nicholas Romanovich, appealed to the Russian government with a request to rebury the remains of their paternal uncle Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich (1856-1929) and aunt Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna (born Princess Anastasia of Montenegro, 1867-1935) in Moscow.
In April 2015, Prince Dmitri Romanovich participated in the reburial ceremony of Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich and his wife, Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna, in in the chapel in honour of the Transfiguration of the Lord at the the World War I memorial military cemetery in Moscow.
PHOTO: Prince Dmitri Romanovich and his wife admire a portrait of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna in the Livadia Palace, during their visit to Crimea in 2015
Visit to Crimea
Together with his brother, Prince Dmitri supported the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation in 2014. He was the first of the Romanov family to visit Crimea after the Russian annexation. On 25th August 2015, Dimitri Romanovich and his wife Princess Feodora Alekseevna arrived in Sevastopol, where during a press conference they announced their readiness to move from Denmark to Crimea for permanent residence.
The following day, Dmitri and Princess Feodora Alekseevna visited the Livadia Palace, where they laid flowers at the monument to Emperor Nicholas II, erected in the spring of 2015. Dimitri Romanovich also visited the Djulber (aka Dulber) Palace, the family estate of the Nikolaevichs in the Crimea, which was built by Dmitri’s grandfather Grand Duke Peter Nikolaevich.
On 27th August, Dimitri Romanovich visited the museum-panorama of the defense of Sevastopol. On the same day, he visited the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet, the Guards missile cruiser Moskva. He was told about the history of the ship, its combat characteristics and the life of sailors and officers. At parting, the crew of the cruiser presented Dimitri Romanovich with two commemorative coins with a face value of 10 rubles, minted in honor of the annexation of Crimea by Russia. On the final day of the visit, 28th August, Dimitri Romanovich visited the Massandra Palace of Emperor Alexander III.
PHOTO: Prince Dmitri’s funeral was held on 10th January 2017, at the Alexander Nevsky Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Copenjagen, Denmark.
Death and funeral
At the end of December 2016, Prince Dmitri ‘s health deteriorated and he was subsequently hospitalized. He died on 31st December 2016 in a hospital in Copenhagen, Denmark.
The funeral service was held on 10th January 2017, in the Church of Alexander Nevsky in Copenhagen, performed by Archpriest Sergei Plekho
The prince’s coffin, covered with the Romanov tri-colour flag – black, yellow, white with a double-headed eagle, was surrounded with flowers and wreaths, among which two stood out – from Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin.
Russia’s Ambassador to Denmark Mikhail Vanin, who was present at the funeral service, read out a message from Russian President Vladimir Putin, expressing his condolences on the death of Prince Dimitri Romanov.
“Dimitri Romanovich was a “true patriot of Russia,” said Putin. “Throughout his life, the chairman of the Romanov Family Association kept the indissoluble spiritual connection with the motherland and made a great contribution to the dissemination of knowledge about the history and culture of our country abroad and about the heritage and traditions of the Russian Imperial House,” the Russian president added.
Numerous representatives of the foreign Russian diaspora attended his funeral, as well as Marshal of the Royal Court of Denmark Michael Eyrinreich, Chief Herald of the Russian Federation Georgy Vilinbakhov, and numerous Danish and Russian officials.
On 11th January 2017, a pannikhida [memorial service for the dead] was performed for the newly-departed Dimitri Romanovich, which was conducted by Archpriest Sergius Plekhov In the small chapel, at the Wedbeck Cemetery, situated about 20 km north of Copenhagen.
Then the coffin was transferred to the final resting place next to his first wife, Princess Joanna, née von Kauffmann, who died in 1989. After lowering the coffin into the grave, those present took turns throwing a handful of earth and Dimitri Romanovich’s favorite flowers, red roses.
PHOTO: grave of Prince Dmitri Romanovich Romanov (1926-2016) in Vedbaek Cemetery
Upon the death of his brother Nicholas in 2014, Dimitri assumed the Headship of the Imperial House of Russia. When Prince Dimitri Romanovich died on 31st December 2016, the male line of the Nicholaevich branch of the Romanov family died out.
Prince Dmitri Romanovich Romanov with the Order of Alexander Nevsky (1926-2016) Memory Eternal! Вечная Память! ☦️
On this day – 30th December [O.S. 17th] 1916 – Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin was assassinated in Petrograd [St. Petersburg].
Love him or hate him, he is best known as the holy man, who befriended the family of Russia’s last tsar Nicholas II, and as a healer for the Tsar’s only son and heir Alexei Nikolaevich, who suffered from haemophilia.
Rasputin was born on 21st January [O.S. 9th January] 1869, to a family of peasants in the Siberian village of Pokrovskoye, situated 93 km [58 miles] east of Tyumen or 162 km [100 miles] southwest of Tobolsk.
He had a religious conversion experience after embarking on a pilgrimage to a monastery in 1897, and has been described as a strannik (wanderer or pilgrim), though he held no official position in the Russian Orthodox Church.
In February 1887, Grigori married a peasant girl named Praskovya Dubrovina. His wife remained in Pokrovskoye throughout Rasputin’s later travels and rise to prominence and remained devoted to him until his death. The couple had seven children, though only three survived to adulthood: Dmitry (b. 1895), Maria (b. 1898), and Varvara (b. 1900).
In November 1905, Rasputin met Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. It was Grand Duchess Anastasia and her sister Grand Duchess Militza (wife of Grand Duke Peter Nikolaevna), who introduced Rasputin to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. Nicknamed jointly “The Black Peril”, in 1909, the sisters lost their influence with the Empress..
In the early morning of 30th December [O.S. 17th] 1916, Rasputin was assassinated by a group of conservative nobles led by Prince Felix Yusupov, Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich, and the right-wing politician Vladimir Purishkevich, all of whom opposed his influence over the Imperial couple.
His assailants threw the ’stranniks’ body into the Malaya Nevka River. Rasputin was buried on 2nd January [O.S. 21st December] at a small church that Anna Vyrubova had been building in the Alexander Park at Tsarskoye Selo. His body was exhumed and burned by a detachment of soldiers shortly after the Tsar abdicated the throne in March 1917.
PHOTO: Rasputin’s body, after being pulled from the icy waters of the Malaya Nevka River
“The horror and shock caused by this lynching, for it can be called by no other name, completely shattered the nerves of the family. The Emperor was affected less by the deed itself than by the fact that it was the work of members of his own family. “Before all Russia,” he exclaimed, “I am filled with shame that the hands of my relatives are stained with the blood of a simple peasant.” Before this he had often shown disgust at the excesses of the Grand Dukes and their followers, but now he expressed himself as being entirely through with them all.”
Later, a letter blazing with anger and impudence, signed by nearly all the members of the Imperial Family, was rushed to the Emperor, but his only comment was a single sentence written on the margin: “Nobody has a right to commit murder.”
It was this “single sentence comment” which prompted Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna to scold her son like a child. In a letter dates 17th February 1917, she wrote to Nicholas: “I am sure you are aware yourself how deeply you have offended all the family by your brusque reply . . . “
Some historians believe that Rasputin’s terrible reputation helped discredit the tsarist government, and thus helped precipitate the overthrow of the Romanov dynasty, which happened a few weeks after he was assassinated.
As Nicholas II said to his relatives with regard to Rasputin’s murder: “No one, has the right to kill!”
PHOTOS: the alleged first grave of Grigorii Rasputin in the Alexander Park at Tsarskoye Selo
The alleged grave of Grigorii Rasputin at Tsarskoye Selo
In recent years, members and supporters of the Tsar’s Cross Movement gathered at the alleged first grave of Grigorii Rasputin. situated in the Alexander Park at Tsarskoye Selo.
Rasputin was buried here on 2nd January [O.S. 21st December] 1916, at a small church that Anna Vyrubova had been building. Shortly after the Tsar abdicated the throne in March 1917, Rasputin’s body was exhumed and burned by a detachment of soldiers.
The site has been repeatedly vandalized over the years, including September 2012, when vandals cut down the wooden cross, which was later found in the Alexander Park.
During my visits to Tsarskoye Selo over the years, the author of this article has made several attempts to locate the site, however, my efforts have been in vain.
PHOTO: Maria Rasputina in exile, posting with a picture of her father Grigorii Rasputin
Rasputin’s daughter defends her father in exile
Born on 26th March 1898, Matryona (Maria) Grigorievna Rasputina, was the daughter of Grigorii Rasputin (1869-1916) and his wife Praskovya Fyodorovna Dubrovina (1865-1936).
After Prince Felix Yusupov published his memoir Lost Splendour (in 1928) detailing the gruesome death of her father, Maria sued Yusupov and Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich in a Paris court for damages of $800,000. She condemned both men as murderers, however, Maria’s claim was dismissed. The French court ruled that it had no jurisdiction over a political killing that took place in Russia.
Maria wrote two memoirs about her father, dealing with Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, the attack by Khionia Guseva and her father’s murder on 30th December [O.S. 17th December] 1916. A third memoir, ‘The Man Behind the Myth,’ was published in 1977.
In her three memoirs, she painted an almost saintly picture of her father, insisting that most of the negative stories were based on slander and the misinterpretation of facts by his enemies.
During the last years of her life, Maria lived in Los Angeles, living on Social Security benefits. Her home was in Silver Lake, an area of northwest Los Angeles with a large Russian-American community.
Maria Rasputin died in Los Angeles, California, on 27th September 1977, aged 79. She was buried in Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery.
PHOTO: the above image depicts one of numerous non-canonical icons depicting Grigorii Rasputin, however, the strannik is not recognized as a saint by the Russian Orthodox ChurchOutside Russia (ROCOR) nor the Moscow Patriarchate
Movement to canonize Grigorii Rasputin
In recent years there has been growing support within and outside the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) advocating for the canonization of Rasputin, viewing him as a genuine holy man and mystic, despite his scandalous reputation and association with the Romanov downfall, with some seeing him as a victim of slander and political intrigue, while the official Church remains hesitant due to his controversial life and negative historical perception.
Proponents emphasize his spiritual influence on the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, his healing abilities especially for Tsesarevich Alexei Nikolaevich, and his deep piety, suggesting his perceived debauchery was exaggerated or fabricated by enemies.
The Russian Orthodox Church has largely resisted these calls, viewing his lifestyle and scandalous involvement in court politics as disqualifying for sainthood, making him a highly contentious figure even today.
In 1912, Grigory Efimovich Rasputin (1869-1916) published a book, in which he writes his prophecies, some of which soon came true, while others have yet to happen.
Putting aside one’s personal views of Rasputin or beliefs in prophecies, let us hope and pray that the unfulfilled predictions of Grigory Efimovich will remain so, otherwise humanity will face truly terrible trials and tribulations.
The head of the Synodal Department for External Church Relations, Metropolitan Hilarion, believes that Nicholas II should have followed the advice of Grigory Rasputin and not entered the First World War, and thus saved both the monarchy and Russia.
The editorship of Orthodox Life is troubled by recent signs, even among certain members and clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, of a revisionist history taking hold regarding the tumultuous and tragic events of the early 20th century — namely, the controversial and enigmatic figure of Grigory Efimovich Rasputin. We therefore offer this thorough and sober investigation by a respected scholar and historian of the Russian Church. May the question of “the real Rasputin” be finally put to rest, so that without discord and tumult in the Church, we may worthily honor the life and sufferings of the Holy Royal Martyrs and all the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia, especially in the current and upcoming anniversary years.
A live fir tree has been installed in the Semi-Circular Hall[1] of the Alexander Palace at Tsarskoye Selo. This is the fifth year in a row (since 2021) that the tradition of Emperor Nicholas II and his family has been revived.
The tree has been decorated with antique toys from the museum’s collection. The Christmas tree will stand until the end of the New Year holidays.
From 1905 to 1917, the Alexander Palace was the preferred residence of Nicholas II, Alexandra Feodorovna and their children. All members of the Imperial Family and their entourage took part in the preparations for Christmas[2]. A Christmas tree for the children was placed on the second floor, while the main family tree was on the first (ground) floor.
Several other Christmas trees for servants and guards stood in the ceremonial halls, and a Christmas tree for the Emperor and the Empress was placed in the private rooms of Alexandra Feodorovna. The last time a Christmas tree was decorated in the Alexander Palace was in December 1916.
Visitors were reminded that the Alexander Palace is open from 26th December to 30th December 2025 and from 2nd January to 11th January 2026. The museum’s opening hours are from 10:00 to 18:00.
NOTES:
H[1] It was from the Semi-Circular hall, that the Imperial Family went into exile to Siberia on 14th (O.S. st) August 1917.
[2] As Orthodox Christians, Nicholas II and his family celebrated Christmas according to the Old Style Julian Calendar on 7th January
PHOTO: Charles Sydney Gibbes / Father Nicholas Gibbes(1876-1963)
Romanov historian and author Helen Rappaport has announced that she plans on writing a new book about Charles Sydney Gibbes (1876-1963). This is indeed welcome news, as a fresh and more comprehensive study of the British academic, who from 1908 to 1917 served as the English tutor to the children of Emperor Nicholas II, is long overdue.
In early December, Rappaport wrote on social media:
“I’ve been very focused for the last few months or so in filling in the complete void of Sydney Gibbes’s early life in Rotherham and Cambridge pre 1900 – about which he said virtually nothing and Benagh[1], Trewin[2] and Welch[3] added very little. You have to dig very hard to get to things but I have had a few lucky breaks and some info from helpful Rotherham locals. I have now written chapter 1 about those lost years. One thing I can confirm – alas – is that the Blue Plaque on the Old Bank in Rotherham is wrong. Sydney Gibbes did NOT attend Rotherham Grammar School …..
“Now that I have the bit between my teeth, I am going to write this book, do or die, deal or no deal. The Sydney Gibbes of Welch[1], Benagh[2], Trewin[3] and chocolate-box Romanov legend is but one side of the story and of the complex and elusive personality at the heart of it. But it needs a publisher!!!”
While Helen Rappaport and I do not see eye to eye on Nicholas II, I believe that she will do an admirable job at telling Gibbes story. She lives in the UK, and will have access to Gibbes’ surviving archive of letters, photos and other memorabilia relating to the last Imperial family of Russia which are now kept in Oxford University: Bodleian Library, Special Collections.
It is generally believed that Gibbes did not write his memoirs, however, it is now known that among the documents stored at the University of Leeds Special Collections, is his typescript Ten Years with the Russian Imperial Family (unpublished). I regret that I do not know the number of pages, nor can I confirm if it was ever completed.
In the early 1990s, I had the pleasure of corresponding with George Gibbs [1906-1993] in whose letters he shared numerous anecdotes about his father [while it is only a few letters, I have preserved them to this day]. The regular exchange of letters came to a stop, and it was only after making enquiries that I learned of George’s death on 11th May 1993.
In April 2023, I visited Headington Cemetery in Oxford, to lay flowers and offer prayers at the grave of Charles Sydney Gibbes (later Father Nikolai).
Given Helen Rappaport’s enormous popularity, I have no doubt that she will find a publisher for her book. I look forward to reading it, and will most certainly be writing a book review for this blog. In the meantime, I will keep readers posted on any new developments with this exciting new publishing project.
NOTES:
[1] Benagh, Christine (2000) An Englishman in the Court of the Tsar. Ben Lomond, California: Conciliar Press.
[2] Trewin, J. C. (1975) Tutor to the Tsarecvich – An Intimate Portrait of the Last Days of the Russian Imperial Family compiled from the papers of Charles Sydney Gibbes. London: Macmillan
[3] Welch, Frances (2005) The Romanovs & Mr Gibbes: The Story of the Englishman Who Taught the Children of the Last Tsar. UK: Short Books
On 19th December 2025, a new monument to the Holy Royal Passion-Bearer Emperor Nicholas II, was unveiled and consecrated in the rotunda of the Khrulev Military Academy of Logistics in St. Petersburg. The event was timed to coincide with the feast day of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.
Bishop Veniamin of Kronstadt, abbot of the Holy Trinity Alexander Nevsky Lavra, addressed the audience with a welcoming speech, in which, in particular, he drew attention to the aspect of sacrificial service for the good of the Fatherland and the contribution to the history of Russia of Russia’s last Tsar. Let this monument inspire the superiors, teachers and students of the Military Academy to imitate the Holy Emperor.
In addition, the Head of the Academy Ilgar Marish oglu Kahramanov, Deputy Head of the Administration of the Governor of St. Petersburg Olga Ivanovna Arishina and others addressed with welcoming words.
The final part of the ceremony was the rite of consecration, which was performed by Bishop Veniamin of Kronstadt. The deacon was headed by Senior Hierodeacon Elias (Vasiliev). The liturgical hymns were sung by the fraternal choir consisting of Hieromonk Tikhon (Voronov) and Hierodeacon Alexander (Urbanovich).
In 1900, the Holy Royal Passion-Bearer, Emperor Nicholas II, ordered the opening of the Quartermaster Course, which in the future was transformed into the Quartermaster Academy, the forerunner of the modern Khrulev Military Academy of Logistics.
On 17th April 1896, General of Infantry Nikolai Ivanovich Solovyov (1850-1907), was appointed the first head of the Quartermaster Course.
Since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, more than 100 monuments, sculptures, busts and memorial plaques to Nicholas II have been installed in cities and towns across the Russian Federation.
Nicholas II 
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