(Continued from page 20)

The more important point is that the second document was probably not legal because Nicholas had already abdicated six hours earlier when he signed his name to the first set of papers.  He was no longer the Tsar when the second document was written and no longer in a legal position to abdicate on his son's behalf.  When Nicholas put pen to paper for that second time Alexei was the Tsar!  The son's abdication was his own decision to make... not his father's!

It can be argued, therefore, that at the time of the Bolshevik murder of Russia's Royal family the most important of the eleven Imperial prisoners was the teen-aged crown prince.  If Lenin was to consider saving a single hostage then Alexei is the most likely.  Is it just a coincidence that Alexei is also one of the two that DNA testing has proved is not in the grave?

From the moment that Yakov Yurovsky first appeared on the scene to take command of the execution squad the Imperial son with the blood disease became the centre of attention.  Yurovsky first introduced himself as a doctor charged with the duty of assessing the boy's condition.  He paid much attention to the young Prince for the next few weeks and the day before the murders he made a point of bringing eggs and milk just for Alexei.  Is this a sign that the boy was being singled out?

To this day that most important member of the Imperial group of eleven is still officially missing.  The thirteen-year-old Alexei could have served well as a hostage. He might also have proved useful if the revolutionaries had chosen to control the throne through a regent.  Might the Bolsheviks have used the murders to rid themselves of ten of their eleven prisoners and draw attention away from the true fate of the missing boy?

The alleged haemophilia the boy was thought to have suffered placed his long-term survival in question and may have reduced any risk the Bolsheviks might have seen in keeping him alive for some future strategic advantage.  Of course, one of the Princesses would also have to disappear to deflect any suspicion away from the boy if there was any chance of the Imperial grave being discovered.


©  J. Kendrick 1997                                                                                                                                            (Continued on page 22)