MOSCOW, November 9. /TASS/. The Russian State Historical Museim has received the results of the genetic expertise which confirmed that a curl from the collection belongs to Tsarevich and heir apparent to the Russian throne Alexey, senior research fellow at the department of fine arts and author of the exhibition "Nicholas II. Family and Throne" Yevgeny Lukyanov said on Friday.
Lukyanov said that the curl appeared in the museum's collection purely by chance, as it was handed over together with other exhibits from the Belgrade Museum. The curl was embedded in a watercolor portrait.
"Since we are a historical museum, after all, we must investigate historical rumors. We decided to contact specialists in genetics. So, we recently received the results. The expertise was carried out by Yevgeny Ivanovich Rogayev, a great professional and one of the best geneticists in the world. He has been involved in the genetic expertise of the remains of the royal family for many years now. The direct connection to Queen Victoria on the maternal side was confirmed, so we can now confirm urban legends and say with confidence that our collection holds a part of the royal family," Lukyanov said.
Tsarevich Alexey's curl will be exhibited at the "Nicholas II. Family and Throne" exhibition held from November 10 until April 15, 2019. Among other exhibits in the collection will be photographs and portraits of Nicholas II and his family, personal belongings, paintings, and other things.
Nicholas II abdicated the throne on 2 March 1917. Overnight to 17 July 1918, the Russian imperial family was assassinated in Yekaterinburg.