OVER 137 PAGES,
RICHLY ILLUSTRATED!

FEATURES

- Full-Colour cover

- Large 8-1/2 x 11 inch format

- 137 pages of text and photos

- 8 Full-length articles

- PLUS Royal Russia News - Illustrated with 108 black and white photographs

- NO outside advertising!

FULL-LENGTH ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE

Cover Story: Elizabeth and Sergei. A Story of Love. A History of Lies
by Valery Mikhailova
Translated by Irene W. Galaktionova

The article dispels the myths surrounding the names of the Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna and her husband the Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, including the latter's alleged homosexuality. The author concentrates on the subject of the couple’s religious life, showing that the Grand Duchess viewed her husband as a role model of religious life and dedication. The author describes the story of their acquaintance and marriage as well as the Grand Duchess’ difficult choice of religion in which she was entirely supported by her husband. The author lists the most prominent religious and humanitarian activities of the Grand Duke and explains the “mystery” behind the childless couple’s lifestyle: crippled by tuberculosis of the spine, the Grand Duke shared his time between charitable activities and medical treatment. The couple’s tragic deaths became another example of their religious devotion and servitude.

My Russia. Return to Ekaterinburg
by Paul Gilbert

Royal Russia Founder Paul Gilbert presents a summary of his recent journey to the Urals, which included visits to the Church on the Blood, the Novo-Tikhvinsky Convent, Ganina Yama, Porosyonkov Log, Alapaevsk and more, illustrated many of the author's photographs.

Always Russian and a Romanov. Grand Duchess Anna Pavlovna, Queen of the Netherlands
by Coryne Hall

On 18 February 2016 Archpriest Vladimir Sorokin, Dean of the Prince Vladimir Cathedral in St Petersburg, and Father Nikon, Dean of the Russian Orthodox Chapel of St Mary Magdalene in the Hague, conducted a service in the Great Church of the Winter Palace. The occasion was the commemoration of the marriage of Grand Duchess Anna Pavlovna and the Prince of Orange, future King of the Netherlands, exactly two hundred years earlier. Coryne Hall explores the life of Anna Pavlovna as Princess of Orange, Queen of the Netherlands, and later Dowager Queen. The daughter of Emperor Paul I ‘never ceased to regard herself as Russian and a Romanov.’

The Truth and Myths of Peter III
by Irene W. Galaktionova

When Catherine the Great overthrew her husband, Russia’s legitimate monarch Peter III, she faced the difficult task of justifying herself in the eyes of historians and posterity. Thus the canonical history-book image of Peter III was born: a hyperactive teenage alcoholic, abusive and incapable of state activity. Piecing together rare evidence from contemporaries’ unbiased accounts and memoirs, a few modern Russian researchers have managed to recover the true historical personality of Peter III. What emerged was an intelligent and capable young man torn between allegiances to two great countries that both claimed him as their future monarch: Russia and Sweden. The author discusses Peter III’s upbringing and education, his difficult relationship with Catherine and expands on his little-known state activities and progressive reforms in his role as Russian Emperor.

Imperial Residences. His Majesty's Own Dacha
by Paul Gilbert

The residences of the Russian Imperial family are legendary. From magnificent Baroque and Classical style palaces to simple dachas and hunting lodges, each of them served the needs of their August residents, and remain architectural monuments of the Romanov legacy to this day. This new series begins with His Majesty's Own Dacha, a residence of Emperor Alexander II and Empress Maria Alexandrovna, located on the Peterhof Highway. Richly illustrated!

My Memories of Imperial Russia
by Crown Princess Cecilie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

The Crown Princess Cecilie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin shares memories of her Russian relatives and her visits to Russia before the Revolution. We learn about her numerous Romanov relatives, noteworthy among them are her mother, Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna, and grandfather Grand Duke Michael Nicolaievich. She shares numerous anecdotes about her Romanov relations, and the warm memories of visits to her beloved Michailovskoe, the summer residence of her grandfather, located near St. Petersburg.

The Fate of the Ekaterinburg Remains
by Paul Gilbert

In an attempt to assist Westerners with a better understanding of the Russian Orthodox Church and it's position of the Ekaterinburg remains, Royal Russia Founder Paul Gilbert explores the questions raised by the murders of the Russian Imperial family, including the discovery of their remains in the vicinity of Ekaterinburg, as well as the recognition or non-recognition of their authenticity by the ROC. With the centenary of the murder of the Russian Imperial family in 2018, Gilbert discusses the significance of the ROC's anticipated official recognition of the Ekaterinburg remains, and goes on to make several bold predictions.

A Throne which 'not for an instant might become vacant': Law and Succession among the Romanov Descendants
by Russell. E. Martin

The Romanov dynasty lived under a set of laws—the Statute on the Imperial Family and the Law of Succession—that regulated various aspects of the lives of its members, as well as the succession to the throne. The murders of the last tsar, Nicholas II, and his family, as well as many of his more distant relatives, did not extinguish entirely the Romanov dynasty, nor did the fall of the Russian empire render the dynastic laws of the ruling house defunct. This article explores how the law of succession continued to regulate the personal lives and dynastic rights of the surviving Romanovs in exile, and how the family has been torn into competing camps by the operation and interpretation of these laws. This article moves through each generation of Romanovs who have held the position of the Head of the Imperial House since the revolution, identifying, in documents issued by them, how the dynastic laws became a space for discourse and dispute over who is and is not a Romanov.

Royal Russia News
Special to Royal Russia

A summary of the historic visit by the Head of the Russian Imperial House, H.I.H. The Grand Duchess Maria of Russia, and her son and Heir, H.I.H. The Tsesarevich and Grand Duke George of Russia, to Crimea and Sevastopol from May 15 to May 20, 2016. The trip coincided with the 100th anniversary of the last visit of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers Emperor Nicholas II and his family to Crimea in 1916.

PHOTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS IN THIS ISSUE

Frozen in Time
Photographic Memories of the Russian Imperial Family

The Lost World of Imperial Russia
Vintage Photographs of Russia Before the Revolution